IC Launches High-Demand Physician Assistant Program for Fast-Growing Profession

By Danica Fisher ’05, April 13, 2021

Graduate program focuses on rural health, mental and behavioral health in the community.

Artist rendering of building in downtown Ithaca on the Commons that will be the supplemental instructional site of the PA program.

(Photo submitted)

Ithaca College is recruiting its first class for the newly approved Master of Science in Physician Assistant (PA) Studies program. The School of Health Sciences and Human Performance’s (HSHP) PA program has received provisional accreditation from the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) and approval from the New York State Education Department.

The 27-month MS degree is designed to attract college graduates pursuing health care careers and who come from undergraduate pre-health profession programs such as health sciences, exercise science, athletic training, biology, chemistry, biochemistry and psychology. The entering cohort this fall will consist of about 30 students, and classes will continue to expand until the program is at its full capacity of 50 students per cohort.

“This moment reflects the tremendous collaborative effort of so many members of our Ithaca College community, whose determination and focused vision activated a reality that is aligned not only with the college’s strategic plan, but also with our fierce commitment to be a private college that serves the public good."

President Shirley M. Collado.

PA graduate students will get hands-on experience in Ithaca College's Human Anatomy Lab on the South Hill campus.

“The launch of this program represents a historic milestone in the evolution of Ithaca College, anchored in our roots of theory, practice and performance,” said President Shirley M. Collado “This moment reflects the tremendous collaborative effort of so many members of our Ithaca College community, whose determination and focused vision activated a reality that is aligned not only with the college’s strategic plan, but also with our fierce commitment to be a private college that serves the public good. This program will provide rich and relevant educational opportunities for students and support key areas of need within our region. I am incredibly grateful to the staff and faculty who were pivotal to the realization of this major accomplishment, and so proud of our resilient community and our beloved institution.”

The new PA program responds to a significant community need and enhances the strong reputation for health programs the college offers, said Linda Petrosino BS ’77 MS ’78, dean of HSHP. “IC is already well known for quality health profession programs, and the PA program is a natural fit, adding high-quality medical education to the already established health sciences, health care and rehabilitation focused programs,” said Petrosino. “This will enhance the interprofessional student health care teams as all of our students will benefit from learning about, with, and from each other.”

Additionally, the PA program supports IC’s strategic plan, Ithaca Forever, specifically, the goal of developing cross-sector and community partnerships that address challenging issues, optimize the use of resources and serve the public good.

President Shirley M. Collado and Susan Salahshor, director of the PA program, talk about the new PA program and the impact that it will have on the college and the community.

Fast-Growing Profession Good for Region

A PA is a medical professional who diagnoses illness, develops and manages treatment plans, prescribes medications, and often serves as a patient’s principal health care provider in collaboration with a physician. It’s one of the fastest growing professions, with the number of jobs expected to increase 31% between 2019 and 2029, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and it ranks among the best jobs of 2021, according to U.S. News & World Report.

“Because there’s such a great need for providers in this region, a way to get people to relocate here is to have the program in this region and for them to experience it and fall in love with it, and then stay,” said Susan Salahshor, Ph.D., PA-C, DFAAPA, director of the PA program.

Susan Salahshor, Ph.D., PA-C, DFAAPA, director of the PA program. (Photo by Gio Santacroce).

The program’s focus areas will include rural medicine, family medicine, behavioral and mental health care, population and community health, and interprofessional education and practice.

“We wanted to focus on rural, behavioral, and mental health and really try to serve the community in which we live,” said Salahshor. “Every community assessment plan shows we need more health care providers to work in behavioral and mental health. We wanted to do something where we’re building the future leaders in the PA profession.”

Kristen Rafferty, who earned her undergraduate degree in health sciences in 2020, said she was excited to hear that IC was starting a PA program.

“Being able to continue my studies in Ithaca in a PA program would be a natural transition for me. In addition, during my time at IC I have met so many faculty and staff that are extremely focused on ensuring student success. They want students to achieve their goals, while becoming successful members of our community. Knowing that many of these professors are likely to be involved with the PA program, it demonstrates to me that the program will be a success and it will ensure that the students are well-prepared to be successful PAs.”

Martin Stallone, M.D., president and chief executive officer of Cayuga Health System, applauded the new program and said he is looking forward to the system playing a major role in the clinical education of IC’s students.

“The PA program builds on past successes of other collaborative clinical programs between Cayuga Health and Ithaca College, like physical therapy and sports medicine.”

Martin Stallone, M.D., president and chief executive officer of Cayuga Health System.

“Ithaca College and Cayuga Health are mutually committed to training practitioners who are skilled at delivering health care to rural populations and to enhancing the health care services available in our community and surrounding areas,” said Stallone. “The PA program builds on past successes of other collaborative clinical programs between Cayuga Health and Ithaca College, like physical therapy and sports medicine.”

“The Ithaca and surrounding area will provide students with the opportunity for clinical experience, while allowing us to serve our community at the same time,” said Rafferty. “With the PA profession projected to grow in the future, the addition of a PA program to Ithaca College will be an effective way to draw even more top-notch students to our college.”

Melodie Kolmetz, MPAS, PA-C, EMT-P, director of didactic education for the PA program. (Photo submitted).

Salahshor joined Ithaca College in November 2019 as the program director, and she helped to curate the curriculum, which will be 113 credits.

“We are so fortunate to have brought Susan Salahshor on board, who has done an outstanding job taking this plan and building it into a program that will provide an educational experience for our students while serving the needs of the community,” said John Sigg, associate dean of HSHP.

Melodie Kolmetz, MPAS, PA-C, EMT-P, became director of didactic education for the program in July 2020 and will be responsible for teaching a significant number of courses as well as coordinating guest lecturers. She is also responsible for the program’s self-assessment plan, which the accrediting body requires.

“Our focus on behavioral and mental health care really spoke to me, because there’s such a huge need for it,” said Kolmetz. “This program will hopefully give learners an opportunity to experience primary care and specialty care in rural settings, so they’ll be more comfortable either staying in the Finger Lakes region or seeking opportunities in rural health elsewhere.”

New PA Program Housed in Downtown Ithaca

Ithaca College has been awarded approximately $1.6 million through the New York State Higher Education Capital Matching Grant Program (HECap) toward the construction and renovation of facilities in the former Rothschild Building on the downtown Ithaca Commons to help deliver the content for the PA program. The grant program is part of an initiative to support health care education by modernizing facilities and enhancing student learning while supporting economic development. This supplemental instructional site will bring PA students and faculty to the center of the community that they will help serve.

Salahshor said it is necessary for the program to have space where students can practice their clinical skills. After exploring options on campus, she recognized there was a need for an additional space for students. The new space will also include a clinical learning center and a simulation center with advanced technology that will provide students with the opportunity for hands-on practice and for faculty to observe the students in practice. Additionally, the students will have access to the Human Anatomy Lab on Ithaca College’s main campus.

“This way we are set up for success, not just for three or five years, but for 10 years down the line,” said Salahshor.

The PA Program at Ithaca College

The PA program goals include:

Recruit, select and retain highly qualified, diverse applicants
Educate PAs who are equipped to practice safe, innovative, patient-centered care in any health care setting 
Encourage interprofessional education and teamwork to meet the needs of patients from diverse backgrounds in our community, including socio-economic, religious, cultural, sexual orientation and gender identity
Develop PA leaders who strive for excellence through service to the PA profession and community
Comply with Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) standards to obtain and maintain accreditation
Graduate PAs who maintain a pass rate above the Physician Assistant National Certification Examination (PANCE) national average

The program has created its own diversity statement, which establishes a focus on an equity framework that seeks to be representative of all people, including those impacted by systemic disadvantages and marginalization. Faculty and staff meet monthly to discuss next steps for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts and have completed all of the Harvard implicit bias training modules.

“The PA program faculty and staff have been purposeful in understanding diversity, equity and inclusion,” said Salahshor. “Our final admissions committee has a staff or faculty member outside the program who represents the DEI community, to ensure we address our implicit bias during this critical process for applicants.”

“Since we’re building this program from the ground up, we have a unique value statement of creating servant leaders. Meaning, we will lead by example, as well as having an equity framework in which we hope to represent disadvantaged and underserved populations.”

Carol Berlin, M.D.

The program will establish relationships with community colleges offering degrees that include training in medical fields, such as paramedic and certified nursing assistant; and with the New York BOCES New Visions program, which offers high school students a nontraditional senior year with opportunities to explore health and medical sciences-related careers. There will also be a focus on diversity and inclusion when establishing pathways with high schools.

Carol Berlin, M.D., medical director of the PA program. (Photo submitted).

Carol Berlin, M.D., a local physician, will serve as the medical director of the PA program. She will be a liaison between the local medical community and the program and will help to evaluate and teach PA courses.

“Since we’re building this program from the ground up, we have a unique value statement of creating servant leaders,” said Berlin. “Meaning, we will lead by example, as well as having an equity framework in which we hope to represent disadvantaged and underserved populations.”

Berlin also noted that rather than just asking students to memorize and regurgitate information, the program is being created to be more team-based, which has been found to lead to more robust retention of knowledge.

“Our mission statement includes educating, engaging and empowering others to be professionals and to be excellent clinicians,” said Berlin.

“We want to make sure that our learners are striving for excellence,” said Salahshor. “Everybody strives for excellence, but there is a way you can teach people excellence; it’s in everything they do, it’s in attention to detail.”

“I feel that by obtaining a PA degree, it will open opportunities for me to begin my career within health care as I aspire to help underserved communities,” said Rafferty. “An additional passion of mine is mental health awareness and the importance of treatment. I want to reach this population and build awareness of available resources, while working to destigmatize mental illness. Additionally, I hope to one day be able to mentor PA students and share my knowledge with them. This is another way for me to give back.”

Physician Assistant Studies

For more information visit the PA program website.