Buies Creek, N.C.—The application process is heating up for Campbell University’s new Physician Assistant (PA) program to be launched in August 2011. Program Director Thomas P. Colletti, MPAS, PA-C, said the program has already received 35 applications for 32 available slots.
The applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution and have completed one or two semesters, depending on the course, of biology, human anatomy and physiology, microbiology, genetics, general chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, statistics or biostatistics and psychology. Among other requirements, they must have maintained an overall grade point average of 3.2 – 3.6 and have 1,000 hours of direct patient care such as emergency room or military medical experience.
“The enrollment process is very competitive,” said Colletti. “Once a completed application has been received, the applicant is scheduled for a personal interview by a three-member panel.”
The Campbell PA program is currently in the process of becoming accredited by the ARC-PA, the national accrediting agency that defines the standards for Physician Assistant education.
“We’re doing well and are about ready to send out the application within the next few weeks,” Colletti said.
The 28-month Campbell PA program is a lockstep curriculum. All of the students take the same core courses during the fist year and begin required clinical rotations during the second year. In all, the program consists of 13 months of academic preparation and 15 months of clinical rotations.
Once completed, the PA graduate can work in any medical field he or she chooses.
“That’s one of the benefits of this program,” said Colletti. “When we graduate we are all generalist Physician Assistants so we can practice anything from pediatrics to geriatrics, from surgery to primary care.”
The PA Program at Campbell
Under the leadership of Dr. Ronald Maddox, dean of the Campbell University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, the Physician Assistant program at Campbell was developed to meet the growing need for cost-effective, accessible healthcare to a rapidly expanding population. With fewer medical students pursuing careers in internal medicine, the program helps fill the gap created by a shortage of primary care physicians. The PA program also complements the University’s other health sciences professional degree programs under the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences—the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD), Master of Science in Clinical Research (MSCR) and Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences (MSPS).
The PA program will be located in the Carrie Rich Memorial building, which is being renovated to include a physician diagnosis suite, a classroom and small group rooms where students can practice examinations and techniques.
Program Director
Prior to coming to Campbell, Program Director Thomas P. Colletti was the Physician Assistant in General Orthopedics at Triangle Orthopedics and Hand Surgery based in Durham, N.C. He has also practiced in the areas of Pediatrics, Student Health Emergency Medicine and Urgent Care. Before his tenure at Triangle Orthopedics, Colletti served as Academic Coordinator for the Duke University PA program, 2001-2006.
Applications for the Campbell PA program are being accepted online at https://www.campbell.edu/paprogram.
Academic Coordinator
David Coniglio (MPA, PA-C) serves as Academic Coordinator for the PA program. He has practiced medical oncology for the care of patients with breast cancer for the past 23 years; and most recently served as Academic Coordinator for the PA program at Duke University. He is currently completing a Doctor of Education degree at North Carolina State University.
Medical Director
Dr. Christopher Stewart serves as Medical Director for the PA program. Stewart, who received his Doctor of Medicine from the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, served as Chief Resident in Internal Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina and Chief of Staff at Good Hope Hospital in Erwin. He is president of the Harnett County Medical Society and practices internal medicine in Coats, N.C.
Applications for the Campbell PA program are being accepted online at https://www.campbell.edu/paprogram.
Photo Copy: Tom Colletti, left, director of the Physician Assistant program, and David Coniglio, Academic Coordinator, stand in front of the Carrie Rich Memorial building, currently undergoing renovation to become the new home of the PA program.