1997:

The PAP was founded and admitted its first students in 1997. It was fully accredited and graduated its first class in 1999. In 2000 and 2001, 100% of graduates passed the PANCE on their first attempt.

1999:

Dr. Richard Fien started as adjunct faculty in 1999 and became full-time faculty and eventually Medical Director. He is the longest-serving faculty member and has advised students and faculty for over two decades.

2001:

The Physician Assistant Program was awarded a three–year grant of $439,917 by the Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration Bureau of Health Professions. The Barry University Primary Care PA Training Project focused on the development of a Cultural Competency Curriculum and improved computer and online capability of the program. The major focus was delivery of primary care to rural, medically underserved and disadvantaged communities. The grant received supplementation in 2003.

2002:

The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant renewed Program accreditation for five years.

2004:

The Program received another grant over $475,000 for its third three–year grant from the Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Health Professions to support distance education. In 2005 the expansion began at the University Partnership Center at St. Petersburg College in St. Petersburg, Florida. Students began attending first-year didactic lectures delivered simultaneously between St. Petersburg and Miami Shores.

Although Hurricane Wilma caused the Miami Shores offices to reside in temporary headquarters, operations continued uninterrupted. The Second–year students enrolled in the expansion program at St. Petersburg, Florida began their first rotations on Florida’s west coast.

2007:

The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant renewed Program accreditation for two years. The department housing the Program broke ground on a new facility in Miami Shores, the Center for Community Health and Minority Medicine. The new building became the classrooms, offices, and labs for the program for the next ten years.

2010:

Dr. Culver, the first PAP faculty member retired after a respectable academic career that included national acclaim in the field of ethics. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) awarded Barry University's Physician Assistant program $1.5 million in grants to address primary health care shortages in the United States Virgin Islands (USVI). This facilitated an expansion to the USVI.

2011:

Students on the island of St. Croix started attending classes there through the same interactive videoconferencing that serves the St. Petersburg campus. The Barry PAP maintained classrooms, faculty, and staff to graduate 24 students on the island every year for several years. Many graduates and even faculty have stayed on the islands to extend valuable healthcare to the people of St. Croix.

The St. Croix PA Program faculty successfully advocated for the passage of new legislation governing PA practice in the U. S. Virgin Islands.  PA Program faculty testified effectively in support of the proposed law before the legislature of the Virgin Islands.

2016:

The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant renewed Program accreditation for ten years.

2017:

Terrible hurricanes threatened the Western Caribbean. Barry University chartered a plane to retrieve all PA Program students, faculty, staff, all their families, and pets before the second hurricane made a direct hit on the island and destroyed the classrooms and labs. St. Croix campus students were absorbed into the Miami Shores campus. ARC-PA accepted the change in class size to 76 for the Miami Shores campus. The St. Croix facilities could not be rebuilt. The PA Program maintains close ties to the clinical affiliates on the island; students still attend clinical rotations there, extending much-needed healthcare to the people of St. Croix and surrounding islands.

The PA Program transitioned into the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, now called the College of Health Professions & Medical Sciences. The PA Program benefited from the change in departments in many ways. For instance, a strong Dean has advocated leveraging synergies for students in varied programs to facilitate participation in Interprofessional Education exercises. The PA Program has flourished in the new department, sharing new simulation and Physical Diagnosis Lab spaces with students in similar healthcare programs.

2018:

The PA Program welcomed its third Program Director, Dr. Randi Cooperman. Having been an Associate Professor and Director of Clinical Education, she has brought leadership, organization, and stability.

2020:

The PA Program led the way to flexing to distance education during the pandemic. The didactic year students were seamlessly transitioned to remote education in three days, with no interruption of teaching and learning. The clinical year students experienced a brief interruption of clinical practice experiences, during which time the clinical faculty provided interactive supplemental clinical learning experiences. The Program also re-sequenced some Advanced Didactic semester courses so that the Class of 2020 graduated on time, as have subsequent cohorts. The Program has since transitioned back to in-person labs and lectures, remaining an in-person Program. Barry University provided the whole University with comprehensive support including education, vaccination, testing, tracing, and Flex-learning Professional Learning Communities for faculty. Two PA program faculty were leaders for other University faculty learning to use online resources to provide synchronous distance education during social distancing.

The Primary Care Board Review Conference moved to virtual format, allowing graduates and other more remote attendees to attend the CME activity and prepare for recertification.

2022:

The Miami Shores campus completed a move to new classrooms with interactive videoconferencing, offices, and a new Physical Diagnosis Lab.

Graduates of the Barry University Physician Assistant Program will be knowledgeable and competent in the following:

• Medical knowledge regarding the basic medical sciences and pathophysiology; the diagnosis and management of disease; and the promotion of health.
• Interpersonal & communication skills involving verbal, nonverbal and written exchange of information, which results in effective information exchange with patients, patients’ families, physicians, professional associates, and the healthcare system.
• Patient care that is effective, patient-centered, efficient and equitable in the treatment of health problems and the promotion of wellness.
• Professionalism which emphasizes the practice of the values and ideals, which are embraced by the helping professions, and result in the practice of medicine in a manner that is ethical, sensitive to diverse patient populations and adhering to legal and regulatory requirements.
• Practice-based learning and improvement in regards to the ability to engage in critical analysis of their own practice experience, medical literature and other information resources for the purpose of evaluation and improvement of patient care practices.
• Systems-based practice which delivers the highest quality care at the most advantageous value, within the complex health systems providing medical care.

Upon graduation from the Barry University Physician Assistant Program, students will demonstrate proficiency in entry level competencies:

Medical Knowledge

• Effectively and appropriately apply medical knowledge in the preventive care, diagnosis, treatment, and management of patients and their medical problems.
• Appropriately select, justify and accurately interpret diagnostic clinical tests and imaging.
• Integrate history and physical findings and diagnostic studies to formulate a differential diagnosis.
• Diagnose clinical problems and develop treatment plans.
• Apply therapeutic strategies for the management of clinical conditions.
• Demonstrate pharmacological knowledge of indications, contraindications, side effects, and interactions for common pharmaceuticals.

Students will acquire the medical knowledge necessary for patient care, along with skills in clinical diagnosis, ordering of laboratory tests, and application of therapeutic strategies for management of clinical problems.

Interpersonal and Communication Skills

• Establish collaborative, constructive and respectful relationships with patients and families.
• Communicate effectively with patients and families of diverse background and cultures.
• Communicate effectively and respectfully with all members of the inter-professional team.
• Effectively and empathetically discuss serious, sensitive, and difficult topics.
• Elicit and address patients’ concerns, and preferences and incorporate them into management plans.
• Document and present patient information in an organized fashion, including assessment and plan.

Students will communicate effectively and respectfully with patients and with other healthcare providers. In their communications with other healthcare providers, students will also learn the skills of accurately documenting and presenting patient information.

Patient Care

• Gather complete and focused histories in an organized fashion.
• Conduct complete and focused physical examinations in a systematic fashion.
• Develop and carry out patient management plans.
• Present patient encounters and develop an assessment and plan.
• Document patient encounters and develop an assessment and plan.
• Perform patient counseling and education regarding diagnoses, treatment options, and preventive health measures.
• Consider social context in patient care plans.

Students will acquire the skills of history taking, physical examination, oral presentation, and written documentation. The students also gain skills in promoting wellness while considering individual patient needs.
 
Professionalism

• Display sensitivity to patients of diverse backgrounds, demonstrating respect for and sensitivity to culture, race/ethnicity, age, socioeconomic status, disability status or special needs, gender, and sexual orientation.
• Demonstrate respect and compassion, when interacting with peers, interprofessional healthcare providers, patients, and families.
• Behave in a responsible, reliable, and dependable manner with patients, families, and other health professionals.
• Practice ethically and with integrity, maintain patient confidentiality, obtain appropriate informed consent, and respond to medical errors.
• Adhere to the legal and regulatory requirements governing PA practice and the role of the PA.
• Adhere to institutional and professional standards and regulation for personal, patient and public safety.

Students will learn to establish respectful professional relationships, demonstrate responsible work habits, and apply ethical principles in their interactions with others and in their clinical decisions. Students will also learn to demonstrate adherence to legal and regulatory requirements. Professionalism also requires that physician assistants practice without impairment from substance abuse, cognitive deficiency, or mental illness.

Practice-Based Learning

• Enter and manage medical information in given databases, electronic medical records.
• Appraise and assimilate the scientific evidence from the literature and apply it to clinical decision making.
• Apply evidence-based medicine to improve the care of individual patients and the community.
• Adhere to established practice guidelines in care of patients with routine medical ailments.
• Demonstrate commitment to ongoing personal and professional development.

Students will learn to engage in critical analysis of their own practice experience for the purpose of self-improvement and improvement of their patient care practices. This involves information management, and the practice of evidence-based medicine. Students will use electronic medical records, access online medical information, and assimilate evidence from scientific studies in patient care.

Systems-Based Practice

• Work cooperatively with physicians and other interprofessional healthcare providers as a member of a healthcare team and utilize the expertise of other professionals and experts.
• Practice cost-effective health care and resource allocation that does not compromise quality of care.
• Promote community health and address barriers to care.

Students progressively gain skill in working as members of interprofessional healthcare teams. They will learn how patient care relates to the health care system as a whole and use the system to improve the quality, safety, and efficiency of patient care.

The program believes in fostering an environment where all individuals can feel welcomed, respected, supported, and valued. Teaching students to foster and promote an environment where all feel welcome is an essential element in preparing PA students to provide service to all patients

The program is committed to fostering unity and a sense of institutional belonging with the following goals:
 

1. The program will provide a welcoming environment for our students, faculty, and staff where each community member feels valued and respected
2. The program will educate students in the delivery of high-quality care to patients from differing backgrounds and contexts
3. The program aims to provide opportunities for people of differing backgrounds, beliefs, and experiences to become members of our community of students, faculty, and staff

• The St. Croix campus matriculates its first class of 24 students.
• Greg Burns becomes Operations Director in St. Petersburg and Valery Kepley become Operations Director in St. Croix.
• Terry Helopoulos, the first Operations Director in St. Petersburg, retires after serving in the program for seven years. She remains a lab instructor.
• Dr. Doreen Parkhurst, the first PA faculty member, is granted approval for sabbatical from September 2014 to March 2015.

• The St. Croix campus is now fully staffed with three full time faculty members and four full time staff.  Construction of a second classroom is complete.
• Use of electronic media for office and course materials reduces environmental impact.  All course materials available to students online.  The majority of testing is electronic based. 
• The Program has long engaged in team building activities, retreats, seminars and assigned readings for faculty and staff.  Given the recent growth on three campuses, with many people who have never had the advantage of those activities, the Program has instituted refresher seminars in team building with the assistance of Barry University QIP.
• The Class of 2015 matriculated and has enrollment in Miami Shores, St. Petersburg and St. Croix.  Their White Coat Ceremony was conducted using interactive videoconferencing on August 19, 2013.

• The PA Program faculty conducted a one-day kick-off for the millennial task force Think Tank.  The faculty acknowledges that the learner has changed and the curriculum design needs to respond to future generations of students who are tech-savvy, multi-taskers with short attention spans.  A literature review of best practices in higher education was studied and discussed. 
• Barry’s membership in the Pi Alpha National Honor Society continues to grow.  Pi Alpha is the national Physician Assistant honor society organized for the promotion and recognition of both PA students and graduates. Membership signifies the inductees' significant academic achievement and honors them for their leadership, research, community/professional service and other related activities. The society also encourages a high standard of character and conduct among students and graduates.
• Ms. Evelyn Garcia was the recipient of the Sister Jeanne O’Laughlin Award presented during Barry’s Year End Celebration on April 27, 2012. 
• Barry University is supporting an initiative to amend the PA Practice Act in the Virgin Islands to provide prescriptive privileges for PAs that will allow them to better meet the needs of patients across the islands.  The participation of citizens, government, physicians, PAs and others in this process demonstrates the inclusive community that is working together to meet basic human needs.
• PA Program conducted its own Commencement Ceremony with three-way interactive videoconferencing between Miami Shores, St. Petersburg and St. Croix.
• Several members of the PA Program faculty have published books, articles and/or presentations:  Physician Assistant Review (Surgery Chapter), The Evaluation of Physician Assistants’ History-Taking Abilities Using Actors as Standardized Patients, Predictors of Student Participation in Patient Care, and Evidence Based Admissions Screening Derived from Predicted PANCE Success.
• In July efforts by the Barry University Physician Assistant Program culminated in the passage of new legislation governing PA practice in the U. S. Virgin Islands.  PA Program faculty testified effectively in support of the proposed law before the legislature of the Virgin Islands.
• The School of Podiatric Medicine and Physician Assistant Program were treated to a luncheon sponsored by the Annual iGIVE Campaign on November 27, 2012 as a reward for 100% participation with a total pledge amount of over $24,000.00.

• First - year students enroll in the expansion program on St. Croix, US Virgin Islands. Students began attending first-year didactic lectures delivered simultaneously between St. Croix, St. Petersburg and Miami Shores.
• The PA program at Barry University simultaneously celebrated the first white coat ceremony for students in the class of 2013 at its new campus in the U.S. Virgin Islands and at its two other campuses in Miami Shores and St. Petersburg, Florida, through interactive videoconferencing.
• Dr. Doreen Parkhurst, the Associate Dean and Program Director of Barry's Physician Assistant Program, talked about the Program with the Gov. Juan F. Luis Hospital Board’s regular monthly meeting.

• Cultural competency component continues annually at new student orientation
• The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has awarded Barry University's Physician Assistant program $1.5 million in grants to address primary health care shortages in the United States Virgin Islands (USVI).  The first of the grants encompasses a one-year project of $273,332 to purchase equipment to establish video conferencing capability in the USVI.  The second grant of $1,223,615 is a five-year project to address primary health care shortages in the USVI through PA training.
• The PA Program has been advancing exercises in Problem Based Learning to encourage active learning.  The faculty is scrutinizing the curriculum to accommodate the new learners who are adept at technology.  Presently all course materials are published on Canvas and all didactic testing is done electronically. 
• Dr. Charles Culver, the first faculty member of the PA Program, retired.  During his tenure, he served at various times as Associate Program Director, Director of Self-Study and faculty member mentor for scholarly activity.  Dr. Culver was a Professor whose earlier career was at Dartmouth Medical School.  He is a highly acclaimed author of medical ethics articles and books.  He was instrumental in helping develop the early PA Program.

• Program accreditation renewed for seven years by Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant; the maximum number of years the Commission will accredit physician assistant programs.

• It was noted that the United States Virgin Islands (USVI) had no PA training programs, yet the entire territory is deemed medically underserved.  As part of its periodic mission assessment, Barry PA examined national health care trends and sent an advance team to the USVI to engage stakeholders on the feasibility of an expansion program in St. Croix.  
• PA alumni continue to return to the Program as both core and adjunct faculty members, assisting with physical diagnosis labs and the Program’s annual primary care board review lectures.  PA alumni also act as preceptors for students in the clinical setting.
• The Physician Assistant Program held its first videoconferenced White Coat Ceremony for the PA Class of 2011. The ceremony was held simultaneous at the Broad Auditorium in Miami Shores and at the University Partnership Center Digitorium on the St. Petersburg campus.
• The Center for Community Health and Minority Medicine building project was completed this summer.  Courtyard landscaping touches were added during the Founders Week Paint the Campus Red celebration.

• Travis Rogers, PA class of 2009 was the recipient of the national Physician Assistant Foundation Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded nationally on the basis of financial need, academic achievement, extracurricular activities, and future goals as a PA.

• Ground breaking for the Center for Community Health and Minority Medicine
• Program accreditation renewed for two years by Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant
• PA Student Association was selected as the 2007 Outstanding Student Society in the country by the Student Academy of the American Academy of Physician Assistants
• First graduating class including the expansion program at St. Petersburg, Florida as well as Miami Shores students.

• Hurricane Wilma forces the SGMS into temporary quarters.
• Lisa Wharry was awarded the Service Above Self Award by the North Miami Foundation for Senior Citizens for placements in service learning experiences.
• Second–year students enrolled in the expansion program at St. Petersburg, Florida began their first rotations on Florida’s west coast.
• Division of Medicine established to include School of Podiatric Medicine and School of Graduate Medical Sciences

• First - year students enroll in the expansion program at the University Partnership Center at St. Petersburg College in St. Petersburg, Florida. Students began attending first-year didactic lectures delivered simultaneously between St. Petersburg and Miami Shores.

• Planning began for an expansion program serving place–bound students on Florida’s west coast.
• The Physician Assistant Program was awarded over $475,000 for its third three–year grant from the Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Health Professions to support distance education.

• Fund - raiser in Palm Beach County for endowed student scholarship
• Problem based learning component added to the curriculum
• The Physician Assistant Program was awarded a one - year supplemental grant of $75,000 by the Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Health Professions. This supplemented the existing grant awarded in 2001.

• Program accreditation renewed for five years by Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant.
• Service Learning component added to the curriculum

• The Physician Assistant Program was awarded a three–year grant of $439,917 by the Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration Bureau of Health Professions. The Barry University Primary Care PA Training Project focused on the development of a Cultural Competency Curriculum and improved computer and online capability of the program. The major focus was delivery of primary care to rural, medically underserved and disadvantaged communities.
• 100% of first - time test takers pass the national certifying examination.

• Faculty planning retreat initiates periodic self–study
• 100% of first-time test takers pass the national certifying examination.
• Clinical students begin using PDA database to record patient encounters

• Program granted full accreditation by Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs
• First graduating class

• Program founded and provisionally accredited by Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs
• Program admits first students