Report to the Community - Samuel Merritt University
Report to the Community - Samuel Merritt University
Report to the Community - Samuel Merritt University
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Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy students<br />
also have unique clinical environments. Portions of <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
clinical work take place in <strong>University</strong> sponsored clinics.<br />
These clinics focus on rehabilitation issues and serve<br />
individuals who have a physical or mental impairment that<br />
substantially limits <strong>the</strong>ir skills of daily living, and serve<br />
those who have exhausted <strong>the</strong>ir health insurance.<br />
Michael De Rosa, PhD, MPH, PA-C, Chair of <strong>the</strong> Master<br />
Physician Assistant program, credits early clinical<br />
placement as one of <strong>the</strong> <strong>to</strong>p reasons why his program<br />
has a 98 percent<br />
first time pass rate<br />
on <strong>the</strong> Physician<br />
Assistant National<br />
Certification<br />
Examination for<br />
all graduates.<br />
(Average national<br />
first time pass rate<br />
over same period is<br />
91 percent.)<br />
Physician Assistant students<br />
Amanda Dick and Abbey Goetz<br />
The excellence of any<br />
type of practitioner<br />
is largely dependent on <strong>the</strong> quality and range of clinical<br />
care offered <strong>to</strong> students during <strong>the</strong>ir educational program.<br />
“These responsibilities are managed by dedicated faculty<br />
whose sole role is scheduling and managing clinical sites<br />
and <strong>the</strong>ir attendant contracts,” adds Dr. Foster. “It is well<br />
accepted that in <strong>the</strong> academic community, <strong>the</strong>se clinical<br />
coordina<strong>to</strong>rs have some of <strong>the</strong> <strong>to</strong>ughest jobs handling a<br />
myriad of sites, contracts, student issues, scheduling, and<br />
of course, counseling and evaluating students through this<br />
most critical phase of <strong>the</strong>ir education.”<br />
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