Pipeline program connects underrepresented minorities to PA profession

When high school or college students think about health care careers, they’re likely thinking of the most well-known of health professions: doctors and nurses. But health care today encompasses many more professions.

Physician assistant is one such profession, and a pilot program between the Medical University of South Carolina and Claflin University, South Carolina’s oldest historically Black college, is seeking to introduce more underrepresented minority undergraduates to this career path.

The year-long program, which began in March, will unlock some of the mysteries of PA school applications, explore the career opportunities available to PAs and connect the undergraduates with PAs of color.

“We also want them to know, you can go anywhere. We hope you choose MUSC, but if you don’t, the profession awaits you. And wants you,” said DaNine Fleming, Ed.D., associate chief officer for inclusive excellence in the Department of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at MUSC.

Studies have shown that diversity among health care providers and researchers improves care and changes the research questions that are asked. Right now, though, less than 4% of certified PAs are Black.

Fleming, a Claflin alum, was chatting with Claflin administrators about how students are often unaware of the many options in health care. Fleming herself admits she didn’t know much about PAs until she began to work at MUSC, which offers a Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies through its College of Health Professions.

There is much that is unsaid about the PA school application process, Fleming said, leaving unconnected students in the dark.

“Many students of color don’t have the same kind of patient contact hours, and that precludes them sometimes from being as competitive as other students,” she said. “We keep hearing, ‘Oh, you don’t have to have patient contact,’ but the average student who applies to programs has anywhere from 1,500 to 4,000 contact hours.”

“That is how we elevate the culture of ONEMUSC. That is how we talk about health care disparities and how we change what’s possible."

DaNine Fleming, Ed.D. 

That’s one aspect of the application process that the pipeline program will address, Fleming said. She’s working to add a certified nursing assistant training component to the program so that students will be able to gain patient contact hours by working as CNAs.

The pipeline program itself came to be after Willette Burnham-Williams, Ph.D., MUSC chief equity officer, asked her staff to pitch ideas for new programs or services to be funded through MUSC strategic funds. Fleming thought about her conversations about PAs and proposed a pipeline program to familiarize students with the profession.

After being notified that the pipeline program was approved, Fleming quickly got the word out to the dean of Claflin’s School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. A dozen students are participating in this inaugural year after applying through a blinded process for a seat in the program.

Nya Weems is one of them. The sophomore from Philadelphia has always been interested in health care.

“As a kid, I really looked forward to going to my doctor’s appointments,” she said.

She likes pediatrics, but as she learned about the PA profession, she was attracted to the idea of being able to change specialties. Physician assistants are trained as generalists and so can work in any type of medical practice, from addiction medicine to urology.

“That’s the great thing about it. I don’t have to just do pediatrics. Because of that versatility, I can do pediatrics, dermatology, whatever,” Weems said.

She’s enjoyed hearing guest speakers discuss their varying experiences as PAs, and their stories have made her even more interested in the profession.

“I didn't even know PAs worked at urgent cares,” she noted after listening to certified physician assistant Wilfrida Lugg, an MUSC alum who now works at an urgent care clinic in Rock Hill.

While the versatility is a major part of the appeal, money is another factor. The average PA program is 27 months, and less time in school means less student loan debt.

Those factors also attracted Danelle Branch, a sophomore from Orlando, Florida. She likes the positive job outlook – the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects job growth of 31% between 2019 and 2029 – and that she would get to work hands on with patients while maintaining the flexibility to change specialties.

The most beneficial aspect of the pipeline program for her so far has been the mentorship from current MUSC PA students. It’s helpful to hear the paths that successful students are following, she said.

“I love it so far. I’m just really thankful to be a part of it,” she said.

Sophomore Mindal Reese agreed with her classmates. She comes from a medical family – she’s got an aunt who’s a nurse, one uncle who’s a dentist and another who’s a doctor – and she came into college thinking she was headed to medical school. But she came to realize that wasn’t a good fit for her. She didn’t want to endure the years of training or deal with the ensuing debt. She started exploring nurse practitioner and physician assistant career paths and decided that PA suited her.

Reese already has a CNA certification, which she was about to let lapse until she learned in the pipeline program how important those patient contact hours would be on her application. She now has a job at a nursing home, where she enjoys interacting with and helping the residents.

She said the pipeline program has been great in providing more information about the career and connecting participants with role models already in the field.

“I feel like it’s opening a lot of doors for a lot of young students,” she said.

That’s precisely what Fleming hoped for with the program. Although the program has just gotten started, she’s looking ahead to consider what a second year might look like. Would it be open to current pipeline students or only to new applicants? How many of the current students will go on to apply and be accepted at PA schools? And might she add another historically Black college to the mix?

She’s excited about the possibilities of the program, as well as the chance that MUSC could consider adding additional pipeline programs.

“That is how we elevate the culture of ONEMUSC. That is how we talk about health care disparities and how we change what’s possible,” she said.