Marie Patterson

marie.patterson@mtsu.edu

Marie Patterson

Physician Assistant Studies

Discipline specific equipment

Cason-Kennedy Building, suite 108

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The Physician Assistant Studies Program will begin in May 2022. This is a Masters level degree that will prepare PAs to work as clinicians in any specialty. PA schools are tasked with training students across the medical spectrum and are held to high accreditation standards. This means that all PA students must be taught how to perform a complete physical exam, diagnose and treat patients, perform a variety of medical procedures, and perform/interpret lab and diagnostic studies. The PA Program will be housed in the Cason-Kennedy building. 108 is a former academic advising suite that needs upgrading to be appropriate for medical training. For construction purposes, one interior wall will need to be removed. There will also be many discipline specific items needed for clinician training. Items include: simulation mannequins, lumbar puncture trainers, ultrasound equipment, central line trainers, male and female pelvic exam trainers, joint injection trainers, chest tube insertion trainers, ear exam simulators, eye exam simulators, hospital beds, clinic exam tables, IV starter arms, diagnostic wall equipment (otoscopes & ophthalmoscopes) and microscopes. This equipment will be utilized by the entire PA Program which will have 30 students admitted annually. When the program is fully operational, there will be up to 90 PA students at one time. The Cason-Kennedy building also houses the Nursing Department. The PA Studies Program plans to allow nursing students and faculty access to 108 so that nursing students also have access to these simulators, exam rooms, and task trainers if needed.