graduate programs 191 Outfitted in the new Center for Health and Sciences building this past fall, students and faculty of the Physician Assistant program launched the new program even before they had a building to call their own. Harding’s first PA class began June 6, 2005, and was the first PA program in the state of Arkansas. In many ways, students saw the youth of the program as both a positive and a negative. “Being part of a program that is so young has its ups and downs,” graduate student David Moore said. “In one sense, we as a class get to help make a lot of decisions with the faculty. On the other hand, sometimes it would be nice not to have to deal with the program’s learning years and just get down to business.” As clinical director of the PA program, Gary Hill said he loved being a part of the young program. He enjoyed the adventure of starting something completely new. “I feel very excited and honored to have the opportunity to be among the first faculty of the Harding PA program,” Hill said. “It has been a challenge for all our faculty [to develop] the PA program from scratch, but it is also very exciting and rewarding to develop this program the way we want, within the guidelines set by our accrediting organization.” Dr. Michael Murphy, PA program director, had been with the program since its beginning. He came to Harding to help start the program after practicing family medicine. Murphy said the goal of the program was to get students a job as a physician assistant after graduation. It was a professional program, not a graduate program. The faculty strove to teach the students everything they needed to know to enter the world as a PA. “One of the interesting things about the PA program is that the class comes in as a cohort,” Murphy said. “They go through all the same classes together each semester.” Students in the PA program felt that they received the best training they could get. “I feel extremely prepared for life as a PA,” Moore said. “After the first year of solid book work and testing, there are a lot of doubts and questions, but when you get out to your rotation, things really start clicking. You finally get to put faces to all the items you spent hours and hours studying. “ One of the highlights for faculty and students of Harding’s PA program was the Christian atmosphere. “I love working with and teaching these Christian students who are so eager to learn,” Hill said. “They are so willing to do what they can to help others. It is also encouraging to me to work with a group of people who are all Christians.” Graduate student Kendyl Washburn agreed that the environment was unique to Harding’s program. “The values of Harding’s PA school and the wonderful faculty that exhibited these values was the big selling point for me,” she said. “I believe there is so much value in being trained by teachers who have lived out their Christian faith in the medical field.” The workload for PA students was very demanding. They had class from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Fridays, year-round. Through all of the hard work, the PA students learned to work together to get through it all. “It becomes like having a big family around here,” Murphy said. While the initial work could be stressful and overwhelming, students looked forward to the time when they could apply what they were learning in the classroom to a real life setting. “PA school is hard [with] so much information coming at you at one time, but I have loved my experience so far and would not trade it,” Washburn said. “I am blessed to be a part of a wonderful program and around such good people on a daily basis. I love all that I am learning and cannot wait for the clinical year when I can use the skills and knowledge that I have learned to help others.” Bethany Loftis New Program Physician Assistant program offers students unique opportunity what’s name? in a PA graduate students Jayme Robertson and Sarah Spear work with health and science professor Dr. Philip Tobin on a simulation exercise on Jan. 21. They practiced tying off a vein inside the abdominal cavity in a surgical environment. Nick Michael Pharmacy professor Dr. Bill Yates puts a coat on Pharmacy graduate student Pamela Obah during the White Coat Ceremony on Aug. 22. The College of Pharmacy accepted students into its inaugural class in the fall of 2008. Noah Darnell Senior Betsy Carr talks with a representative from Abilene Christian University’s graduate of theology program on Sept. 19. Universities from around the country came to Harding to recruit students into their graduate programs. Jeff Montogomery Harding University’s new Center for Health Sciences was dedicated on October 24, 2008. Construction of the building began in July 2007 and was finished within a year. The ground floor houses an administrative suite, the COP-PA Kettle Café, a student lounge and laboratory and examination rooms. Faculty offices, classrooms and a specialized library are on the second floor. The first class of 16 Physician Assistant students graduated in July 2007, and the College of Pharmacy accepted 61 students into its inaugural class in the fall of 2008.
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