Major Progress in HSU’s Developing Physician Assistant Program

(Abilene, Texas) Building a new medical education program from the ground up is a process that begins with a strong foundation. In the case of HSU’s developing Physician Assistant program, the term foundation is both literal and figurative with a new building renovation in progress.

The building remodel and strategic staff hiring have been two priorities in recent months for Dr. Jennifer Eames, founding director of the PA program. Her primary goal is to be prepared in November 2016 for a visit by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) to obtain provisional accreditation for the program.

The 5,100 square foot building, acquired earlier in 2016, is located in a prime spot at 1149 Ambler Ave. The building is nearby the Patty Hanks Shelton School of Nursing and across the street from the department’s current home in Hunter Hall.

The building, which had housed medical offices, is undergoing a complete renovation. When completed, it will accommodate staff and faculty offices, student locker rooms, an anatomy lab, and a PA lab. The project is slated for completion by November 2016.

Eames has recently hired new staff and faculty members to prepare the program for future success.

“We have a dynamic team. There is no other way to say it than God put this team together,” said Eames. “We are very blessed.”

Clay Bulls was hired in March as Director of Clinical Education. Bulls, a practicing PA, serves in a recruiting role and will be an instructor in the program. Two part-time medical directors also came onboard in March: Dr. Wes Hamilton, an ER physician around the state, serves as lead medical director and Dr. Kathryn Norton, a general surgeon with her own local practice, serves as co-medical director. Norton will also serve as the anatomy instructor for the program.

Amy Davison was hired in April as Clinical Administrative Coordinator, focusing on the network of clinical partnerships for the program. Davison previously served as HSU’s director of graduate studies.

Iliana Carpenter, an experienced PA instructor, came to the program in June as its academic director. Carpenter most recently served clinically with the Duke University School of Medicine and has practiced for more than 20 years in several fields of medicine including community health, emergency, geriatrics, and family medicine. She will also serve as an assistant professor in the program.

Eames said the program’s new experienced hires are outstanding given the competitive market for PA instruction. She expects to hire additional faculty in upcoming years as needed as the program develops.

“There’s a nationwide shortage of PA faculty so experienced PA faculty are at a premium,” Eames said. “Having one with not only clinical but teaching experience is incredibly fortunate for a developing program in a relatively rural setting. It’s a huge boon to our university.”

Eames added that she recently partnered with the Texas Tech School of Pharmacy to have their instructors teach the program’s pharmacology course series.

Eames will learn in March 2017 if the program has qualified for provisional accreditation from the ARC-PA. If provisional accreditation is achieved, then the program will begin teaching its first class of students in the 2017 fall semester. 

Learn more: https://www.hsutx.edu/academics/holland/graduate/physician-assistant/