Dublin First PA Class
College of Health Sciences and Professions set to welcome first students to new Dublin facility on May 6
ATHENS, Ohio (March 24, 2015) - With the first group of Physician Assistant (PA) students set to walk through the doors for orientation on May 6, the Dublin Integrated Education Center is nearing the end of its first phase of construction.
The three-story building, located on the northwest side of Dublin at 6805 Bobcat Way, is a $15 million project designed for use by Ohio University's College of Health Sciences and Professions (CHSP) and various partners including Columbus State Community College.
CHSP's Dublin PA program, which has 44 students, will be housed on the building's first floor, which also includes a 130-seat auditorium suited for tele-education. When not in use by the college, the auditorium and other facilities are available for rent by outside parties.
The first floor of the facility was designed specifically for the PA program and includes a designated skills lab and a wet lab. According to PA Program Director Jim Zedaker, the 27-month, intensive program focuses heavily on the practice of clinical medicine and procedural skills.
"Students will have the benefit of 24-hour access to the skills and wet labs which is important in an intensive program like this one," he said.
Upon successful completion of the program, students will graduate with the Master of Physician Assistant Practice degree and are eligible to sit for the national certification exam and apply for state licensure. PA's practice medicine as part of the health care team, examining patients, prescribing medicine, ordering and interpreting diagnostic tests. Unlike physicians, PA's do not complete a residency as part of their graduate school training and always work in collaboration with a physician.
In addition to the PA program, CHSP also plans to offer several other programs and degrees in the future, all of which will be located on the building's second floor. Potential programs include nursing, corporate wellness, clinical informatics, health leadership, dietetics and integrated health care studies.
Other spaces in the building include a Wellness Program lab, several classrooms and conference spaces ranging in size from 20 to 200 seats (also available for rent), a classroom to be used by Ohio Dominican University and a warming kitchen. The building's third floor will consist primarily of classrooms to be occupied by Columbus State Community College.
College of Health Sciences and Professions Dean Randy Leite believes the facility is a win-win for students and the Dublin community.
"Our PA students will benefit from learning in a state-of-the-art facility near several major health care organizations and the city of Dublin will enjoy jobs creation, increased tax revenue and additional rental space. The Integrated Education Center will be a place where students across health disciplines can learn together about best approaches to health care and interprofessional practice," he said.
According to Averell (Tootie) Overby, Dublin project lead for the College of Health Sciences and Professions, one of the most exciting aspects of the project is the collaboration. Overby has worked with several other colleges within Ohio University who will be using the space as well as other educational institutions outside of Ohio University.
"In addition to Ohio Dominican University and Columbus State Community College, there are also partnerships with Ohio University's College of Business, and the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service, as well as the Department of Economics in Arts and Sciences. This is a prime example of higher education collaborating to improve the student experience," Overby said, as there will be collaboration across several graduate programs.
In the future, Leite hopes the campus will grow to include several thousand students across multiple health care fields, community wellness programs, and innovative partnerships with schools, communities and corporations throughout the region.
All three floors of the building are expected to be complete by July, 2015.
Outside parties interested in leasing space at the facility should contact Leslie Coonfare, senior director of strategic partnerships for the College at 614.793.3054 or at coonfare@ohio.edu. More information about the Ohio University Campus at Dublin is available at www.ohio.edu/dublin (opens in a new window).