ATSU’s Arizona campus hosts Med-Start program of pre-admissions high school students
Posted: July 9, 2019
A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Health Sciences (ATSU-ASHS) Physician Assistant Studies (PA) program welcomed high school junior and senior students with interest in pursuing careers in health sciences during a summer enrichment program called Med-Start.
Med-Start’s goal is to help improve healthcare in rural, reservation, and economically disadvantaged communities in Arizona. The residential program lasts six weeks throughout the summer, and students visit multiple health training programs and earn college-level credits in chemistry and English.
A group of second-year ATSU-ASHS’ PA program students and faculty educated 50 students and their five counselors on AED use, airway placement, and heart sounds. Med-Start participants also received a tour of the new ATSU Interprofessional and Culturally Proficient Standardized Patient Experience Center.
Jessica Woolgar, PA, ’20, is an alumna of the Med-Start program from 2009, and led a question and answer session at the end of the day. “Med-Start introduced me to the art of science and medicine. The program provided me with the guidance and comfort that I needed to start my journey in becoming a physician assistant. Most importantly, Med-Start opened the door to the continuous support that comes along with the pursuit of a career in the medical field. I learned that the journey would be long but that there would be resources, advisors, and mentors along the way,” Woolgar said.
Med-Start participants were also given information about ATSU’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion scholarship opportunities and Admissions departments. Med-Start is hosted by the University of Arizona’s Health Sciences Office of Diversity and Inclusion.