Pine - Fall 2013 - (Page 7)
COVER
LINKS
FEATURED
Q&A
CONNECTIONS
SPOTLIGHT
T
wo Northern Arizona University programs
at the new Phoenix Biomedical Campus
may be at different academic levels and in
distinct professional fields, but listening to
students talk about their experiences makes one thing
clear: They are in it together.
It’s easy to see why. The programs—doctor of
physical therapy and master’s of physician assistant
studies—are both new, each in its own way. And they
are being delivered in a building that was designed to
encourage personal interaction through social spaces.
Students from both programs study side-by-side in
some classes. And every one of the students, who had
to survive an extremely competitive application process,
is striving to excel in a demanding field of study.
“We are thrilled that so much has gone the way we
hoped it would,” said Leslie Schulz, executive dean
of NAU’s College of Health and Human Services.
“With students in the same classes and faculty on the
same floor, it’s easy for them to interact quite a bit. And
the presence of the University of Arizona College of
Medicine expands their interprofessional education.”
The building is shared in partnership with UA,
which just adds to the adventure for NAU’s first two—
and limited—cohorts. Only 25 students make up the
physician assistant class, and just 24 students are in
physical therapy. Both programs will expand in coming years, and another program, occupational therapy,
is expected to start up in the fall.
By helping one another succeed, the students are
building contacts and learning more about their peers
in other health professions. Patients of these future
professionals will benefit from increased knowledge
about the potential of referrals: Hearing a budding
physician assistant say, “I didn’t know they could do
that,” about a physical therapist-to-be is good news
for the next generation of those seeking medical care.
At a time when critical shortages in healthcare
providers are on the verge of becoming acute, the
model established by NAU on the Phoenix Biomedical
Campus is producing skilled providers with a practiced
understanding of the human side of high-tech medicine.
The model established by NAU
at the Phoenix Biomedical
Campus is producing
skilled providers with an
understanding of the human
side of high-tech medicine.
Above: Opening ceremonies
took place Oct. 1, 2012, at the
Phoenix Biomedical Center
Health Sciences Building, where
NAU President John Haeger
and Arizona Board of Regents
President Eileen Klein, then-Gov.
Jan Brewer’s chief of staff, spoke
about the new partnership.
nau.edu/alumni
PINE � FALL 2013 � PG 7
http://www.nau.edu/alumni
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