David Anderson is currently a student in the Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS) at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions (RMUoHP). He was first interested in pursuing his education at RMUoHP because the campus was located close to family, but Mr. Anderson quickly realized how much more the university and the program have to offer that its great location.
Mr. Anderson mentions specifically how much the MPAS faculty care about the students in the program. “The teachers really care about our education.” He says, “This program is hard, but it’s worth it! [The faculty] seem to really care about us and our learning.”
For Mr. Anderson, the lab and clinic experiences are providing valuable opportunities for hands-on learning. “We have ‘labs’ all the time where we put our education into practice.” He says, “MPAS faculty are present during every clinic and lab. I would definitely call it hands-on learning in this program.”
MPAS faculty member Jonathan Baird is one such faculty. He works hard to provide students clinical experience to prepare them for treating patients. Mr. Anderson explains, “Professor Baird puts a lot of time and effort into preparing clinics. He opens them up to the students to bring their own little volunteers. He prepares the paperwork and exam items for us to perform…These clinics help me get a sense of how an exam goes in real life—outside of the classroom.
Mr. Anderson continues, “As a student our main job is to get as much exposure and experience as we can with what we have been taught in class thus far. Actually doing these exams really helps solidify my learning.”
For students in the MPAS program like Mr. Anderson, faculty and staff work hard to create the best learning experiences so they can become the best healthcare providers when the graduate. “These clinics are beneficial to the community because they help us become better future providers for them and their families,” says Mr. Anderson.
The Master of Physician Assistant Studies Program at RMUoHP is a seven-semester program, with four didactic semesters and three clinical semesters. The program educates outstanding clinicians equipped to handle the challenges of practicing medicine in a multifaceted and complex healthcare system.
For more information about the Master of Physician Assistant Studies program at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions, visit our website: https://rm.edu/academics/master-of-physician-assistant-studies/.
