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From the Pre-Physician Assistant Studies Program Director
I
am very excited about this new program at ACP, which provides highly motivated
and career-focused students the opportunity to enroll in a joint program with
Albany Medical College. Students admitted into this competitive program (About
the Program) will earn a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Technology
from ACP and a Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies from AMC in
a shortened period of time.
As a faculty member of both institutions as well as a clinically practicing
physician Program
Director Kimberly Bachta, M.S., RPA-C
assistant, I will assist you in meeting your
career objectives and gaining the health care experience you will need during your undergraduate years. I hope to provide with you much insight into the profession and the career opportunities that will be available to you upon graduation, and to assist you with your clinical development as you study to become a PA.
Your time spent at ACP will be academically intense and also rewarding. You will gain experience working with patients in a hospital or out-patient setting, you will become knowledgeable about laboratory testing that is used in medical diagnosing and you will be given the option of becoming fully licensed in this field, which will be an asset to your future employer.
Upon completion of your degree at ACP, you then will enter the PA program at AMC, where a seat in this competitive program will have been saved for you. It is here that you will focus on learning the basic sciences and clinical skills needed to be a skilled medical provider.
The physician assistant profession has been ranked the fourth-fastest-growing profession in the country, with the number of PA jobs expected to increase by 50 percent between 2004 and 2014. It has also been ranked by CNN and Money magazine as one of the top five jobs in the country as far as satisfaction by people employed in this field.
As a PA for more than 10 years, I share in this job satisfaction and have had numerous career opportunities presented to me. I have worked in surgery, done research, worked for a medical device company and participated in the education of PA students.
Earning a PA degree will open many career choices for you as well. You will have the choice to work in many areas of medicine, in a hospital or private practice setting, to function as part of a team or to work independently with a physician. You also will have the flexibility to find new challenges and opportunities as your interests and needs change throughout your career.
It is an extremely rewarding profession and I look forwarding to sharing my knowledge with you.
I encourage you to visit our campuses, conveniently located on opposite sides
of New Scotland Avenue in Albany , and I will be happy to meet with you and
tell you more about this exciting program.
If you have any further questions, please contact me via e-mail.
Kimberly Bachta, M.S., RPA-C
Director of the Pre-Physician Assistant Studies Program