LECOM welcomes new students; launches Accelerated Physician Assistant Pathway As the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine welcomed three new classes of medical students to its campuses in Erie, Pennsylvania; Bradenton, Florida; and Greensburg, Pennsylvania this July, new and innovative programs were already in place to expand the horizons for LECOM students. One of those programs, the Accelerated Physician Assistant Pathway (APAP), makes it possible for certified physician assistants to attend medical school and to complete their D.O. (doctor of osteopathic medicine) degree in three years instead of the expected four-year program – saving students one year of time, tuition, fees, and living expenses. As the Erie campus welcomed its 19th class of medical school students, Bradenton its eighth class, and Seton Hill its third LECOM leads the way nationally by offering its APAP curriculum to certified physician assistants who expressed a desire to practice independently. The cost of medical school and the time away from clinical practice posed concerns for some students who feared that their dream of pursuing the calling of medicine may be unattainable due to those factors. LECOM’s firm commitment to providing affordable and innovative medical education remains ever in the forefront as certified physician assistants now appreciate the opportunity to become physicians in three years. The APAP is available on the Erie and Seton Hill campuses and it “is the only accelerated medical school curriculum specifically designed to help PAs meet their self-identified need for increased medical knowledge and autonomy in their practice,” explained Mark Kauffman, D.O., M.S.,
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Director of the Accelerated Physician Assistant Pathway. “Their prior clinical experience and real world understanding of the practice of medicine allows for maturity and provides the opportunity to be leaders in their studies and among their peers,” Dr. Kauffman added. Six APAP students are attending classes in Erie and one is studying on the Seton Hill campus. Taylen Peaden, a certified physician assistant from Gainesville, Florida, is enrolled in APAP program in Erie. “You work as a team in medicine, but I reached a point where I was ready to step to the head of the table and lead the team,” Peaden explained. Peaden welcomes LECOM’s progressive teaching style and the variety of learning pathways attracted him to LECOM. “The APAP program is appealing to a person in my position who has already committed to over six college years studying science and medicine and then practicing for six years,” he affirmed. “Receiving credit for this experience, by shaving off some of the cost and time associated with becoming an osteopathic physician, is a wonderful opportunity.”
Along with the expanding innovations in program offerings in Erie and Greensburg, the Bradenton campus is enjoying equally exciting progress. “We are finding that LECOM’s innovative curriculum, high quality of educational programs, and affordable tuition attracts more applicants each year,” noted Robert J. George, D.O., LECOM Bradenton Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. “LECOM’s reputation as a top quality medical school continues to grow and medical school candidates are taking note of the student-centered pathways coupled with the low tuition.” To be sure, this year alone, LECOM Erie welcomed 250 medical students into its Class of 2015 with another 104 students matriculating at LECOM at Seton Hill. LECOM Bradenton registered 182 students in its Class of 2015 making it the largest class to enroll at the Bradenton campus since the school opened in 2004. Last year, the American Osteopathic Association Council on Osteopathic College Accrediation (AOACOCA) approved a class-size increase at the Bradenton campus from 150 students to 182 and the portent is clear for LECOM’s presence in Florida to grow at accelerated rates. Starting in 2012, Bradenton will continue to see higher enrollment numbers as the School of Dental Medicine opens with a class size of 100 students. With 57 percent of the incoming LECOM Bradenton class from the Sunshine State, Morgan Pyne of Bradenton, Florida has observed the growth of LECOM firsthand. She attended Lakewood Ranch High School, located only one block away from the College. Pyne was also among the first high