FAIRFIELD, Conn.—Two students in Sacred Heart University’s physician assistant (PA) studies program, Samantha Kennedy and Michaela Davies, are completing their clinical rotation where no SHU graduate student ever has before–in a rural town on Ireland’s Atlantic coast.
Their venture coincides with the first year the University’s PA students have been able to return to clinical rotations since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
The opportunity, facilitated by Maura Daly Iversen, dean of SHU’s College of Health Professions, offers the students four weeks in which they learn from physicians and nurses in Dingle, a seaside town where SHU has a campus.
“They’ll see patients from all age groups with range of medical conditions,” said Reynold Jaglal, chair and program director of SHU’s physician assistant studies. “The students will practice physical assessments, medical decision-making, prescribing medications and performing minor procedures such as suturing and splinting. So, it’s a very broad experience. It’s a really wonderful opportunity.”
Kennedy and Davies, both second-year graduate students, traveled to Ireland in early October.
Kennedy, who is from West Haven, is being mentored in Dingle by solo practitioner Paul Morrison, known to his patients as “Dingle Doc.” Under Morrison’s watch, Kennedy has been recording patient histories, conducting physical exams and discussing medications and lab tests with doctors and patients.
“He’s very collaborative with me, and he definitely knows where I should be academically. He’s very professional; really nice,” Kennedy said, noting that seeing how primary care is conducted in Dingle has been enlightening.
“The doctor does a lot on his own, whereas in America, we would have a medical assistant doing things. I didn’t expect that. He runs the visit from beginning to end, so he often will draw the blood and he’ll measure all the vitals himself,” she explained.
Kennedy said her experience in Ireland has helped her understand the scope of primary care medicine.
Promoting the physical assistant career
Davies, from Northborough, MA, is stationed at the only other practice in town–Dingle Medical Centre–under the tutelage of Connor Brosnan, and nurse Fiona Barton. Davies said she occasionally observes when Brosnan performs medical procedures and also spends time with Barton.
“Nurse Fiona is incredible at interpreting EKGs, so I’ve learned so much just from working with her,” Davies said.
In addition, Davies has been assisting with the center’s vaccine clinics, administering flu vaccines and COVID boosters.
She said she was surprised to learn that the doctors and nurses in Dingle were unfamiliar with the physician assistant profession. As a result, she said, “I feel like part of our role here is to promote the PA career and educate the medical staff, along with the patients, about what a physician assistant is and what we do.,”
Jaglal said he hopes the college will be able to offer more PA students the opportunity to carry out their clinical rotation in Ireland in years to come.
Visit the PA webpage to learn more about the high-quality program and visit the SHU in Dingle webpage to learn more about the beautiful campus and its many learning opportunities.
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About Sacred Heart University
As the second-largest independent Catholic university in New England, and one of the fastest-growing private doctoral institutions in the U.S., Sacred Heart University is a national leader in shaping higher education for the 21st century. SHU offers nearly 90 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs on its Fairfield, Conn., campus. Sacred Heart also has a campus in Dingle, Ireland, and offers online programs. More than 10,000 students attend the University’s nine colleges and schools: Arts & Sciences; Communication, Media & the Arts; Social Work; Computer Science & Engineering; Health Professions; the Isabelle Farrington College of Education & Human Development; the Jack Welch College of Business & Technology; the Dr. Susan L. Davis, R.N., & Richard J. Henley College of Nursing; and St. Vincent’s College. Sacred Heart stands out from other Catholic institutions as it was established and led by laity. The contemporary Catholic university is rooted in the rich Catholic intellectual tradition and the liberal arts, and at the same time cultivates students to be forward thinkers who enact change—in their own lives, professions and in their communities. The Princeton Review includes SHU in its Best 388 Colleges–2023 Edition, and Best Business Schools–2022 Edition. Sacred Heart is home to the award-winning, NPR-affiliated radio station, WSHU, a Division I athletics program and an impressive performing arts program that includes choir, band, dance and theatre. www.sacredheart.edu