By Erica Howell
Old Dominion University has joined an Eastern Virginia Medical School Early Assurance Program (EAP) for the EVMS master of physician assistant (MPA) degree. Though the degree program is competitive, many students with aspirations to become a PA find the benefits too good to be true.
To apply, students must be in their junior year with one year left to complete their undergraduate education at ODU, and these students must meet with their advisor early and often to be sure they check all the boxes. In addition to having a 3.25 GPA or higher, students must have completed seven of eight prerequisite courses, volunteer experience and 500 patient care hours.
How does one complete 500 patient care hours as an undergraduate?
“There are lots of options,” said Leslie Hoglund, program director for the B.S. in Public Health program at ODU and an advisor for EAP. “Several students get their EMT certification and get their hours that way, but there are other options such as becoming a phlebotomist, EKG tech or a certified medical assistant. We have a certified medical assistant program here at ODU.”
Clinical majors at ODU include nursing and nuclear medicine technology.
The College of Health Sciences will hold an information session about the EAP at 3 p.m. Nov. 16 in the College of Health Sciences building, room 2000. It is open to students of all majors.
Aaron Morse, a senior biology major, will be the first ODU student to matriculate into the EVMS MPA program through the EAP. He will graduate in May 2023 and start the PA program in January 2024.
“I am so grateful for the opportunity because it allows me to focus on what’s important, like my grades and working full time,” Morse said.
Morse’s path has been long and winding but being accepted into the program means he does not have to spend his senior year applying for jobs or graduate school. He started at another institution on a baseball scholarship but left during the pandemic and decided to go to Tidewater Community College to get his EMT certification before transferring to the biology program at ODU. He also works full time at Sentara Norfolk General. Between graduation and beginning the MPA program, he can continue to work to help pay for his education.
Ella Davies is a junior psychology major with a biology minor. She is involved in Kappa Delta, Phi Eta Sigma and the pre-health club. She also works night shifts at Chesapeake Regional as a care partner, plans to apply to an EMT program and volunteers with Adaptive Gymnastics, an EVMS community-engaged learning initiative at Excalibur Gymnastics in Virginia Beach.
“I love EVMS – everyone there has been so nice,” Davies said. Her parents work at EVMS, and she is eager to join the physician assistant program. She has even done some job shadowing, which she recommends to other undergraduates.
“I did a job shadow at the ER, and when my time was up, I didn’t want to leave!” she said. “I saw another patient come in and really wanted to find out how they were going to be treated.”
Davies said she liked the idea of working in an ER or urgent care, but is also interested in pediatrics and obstetrics. She and Morse both said what they found appealing about the PA program as opposed to an M.D. was the flexibility in choosing a specialty.
“With the M.D. program, you really have to choose your path and go into that residency program and maybe even a fellowship,” Morse said, “but with the PA program you have flexibility to move around in different specialties.”
Kayli Hence, a sophomore nuclear medicine technology major, echoed that sentiment.
“I knew I wanted to go into the M.D. or PA program, but I am leaning toward that PA program because of the flexibility in specialty,” she said.
Hence switched from finance to health care because she likes being active and working with people rather than sitting at a desk – and especially since many finance jobs have become remote. She became a certified EMT in Virginia Beach to gain her patient care hours.
"Working toward getting into the program is a great way to build rapport with professors and advisors," Hence said.
Leaders from ODU and EVMS, in coordination with Sentara Healthcare, are working on an integration plan to create an academic health center, to seek enhanced and consistent funding of EVMS from the commonwealth and community partners, and to explore ways to better address health-care disparities in Hampton Roads.