James May June 2024 web - Flipbook - Page 47
ore than a century
ago, Martha Berry
was disturbed by
the daunting needs
and cyclical poverty
of families living in rural Northwest
Georgia. She believed that young
people were the region’s most important natural resource, and that
education provided an answer— a
gateway to opportunity. She offered
an education of the head, heart and
hands in a residential context to
inspire graduates known for their
work ethic, integrity, resourcefulness, and willingness to serve.
Northwest Georgia has
prospered in the intervening years,
but many residents still struggle with
poverty and chronic health issues.
Access to care is a vexing problem,
compounded by a regional shortage
in healthcare providers. As part of
its enduring mission to improve the
communities of the region, Berry
College is working with local medical
partners to increase the number
of frontline healthcare providers
by establishing a two-year Master
of Medical Science— Physician
Associate (PA) degree and expanding
the size of its nursing (BSN) program.
A GRADUATE PROGRAM
FOR PHYSICIAN ASSOCIATES
PA’s increase access to care
by supporting and extending the
work of physicians. Berry’s program
(scheduled to open in August 2025)
will enroll cohorts of 40 students,
for an annual PA enrollment of 80
students. It will include an emphasis
on rural health needs and will be the
first of its kind in Northwest Georgia.
Our accreditation review is scheduled for late August 2024, and we are
now accepting applicants for an entering class in August 2025. Admission preferences will include Berry
alumni, veterans, and applicants
from Appalachia and other medically
underserved areas.
THE PRESSING NEED FOR NURSES
Nursing is a challenging profession because it requires a helping
mindset combined with rigorous
standards of practice in contexts
that are often complicated and
stressful. Nurses are the point of
contact when people are anxious,
frustrated and impatient. We often
take our healthcare professionals
for granted. The pandemic slapped
us to attention. It stress-tested the
M AY/ J UNE 2024
M O R G A N - BA I L E Y H A L L H EALTH S CIEN CES BUILDING
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