CBU’s physician assistant program expands with new home, set to open doors to more students
Riverside, Calif. (Nov. 13, 2024) – California Baptist University recently received approval to double its Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies program. The class size will go from 30 students to 60 for the two-year program.
The increase was approved by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant and will take effect in fall 2025.
CBU’s PA program prepares graduates to provide quality health care in their communities and to underserved populations, said Dr. Heather Ontiveros, chair of the Department of Physician Assistant Studies.
“Increasing the number of students will help us accomplish our program mission and goals in addition to aiding those regions in California that are medically underserved,” Ontiveros said.
Given the high demand for medical professionals, CBU’s PA program receives about 1,300 applications for each class and will interview 240 applicants for the fall 2025 class. CBU has one of the strongest PA programs in Southern California, Ontiveros said, with a low attrition rate and a high pass rate on the certifying examination.
“CBU has garnered an excellent reputation,” Ontiveros said. “We're growing, and we're filling that need not just in our community but around the country.”
To better equip students, the PA program’s facilities moved from the College of Health Science Campus to a building CBU owns on Hemet Street, across from the Galleria at Tyler. They grew from one classroom to two — with one capable of holding up to 180 students — and from four clinical exam rooms to 16. The new facility also has a bigger clinical skills lab, a new science lab and 13 study spaces. Classes started at the Tyler location on July 23.
“We now have much needed space for students to study, collaborate and develop their clinical skills,” said Dr. David Pearson, dean of the College of Health Science. “The new facility is a true blessing that demonstrates CBU’s commitment in advancing the PA profession to better serve our community. Program growth allows us to have a greater impact on the lingering shortage of healthcare providers.”
A highlight for faculty and students is the science lab equipped with state-of-the-art technology, including an anatomage virtual table, which provides 3D visualization of human bodies.
Dr. Nathanael Heyman, professor of biology, assisted in planning the new space.
“I am very excited to use these new resources to better teach and engage the students,” Heyman said. “All of these things will allow us to more effectively teach foundational material and concepts that are vital to the success of the students in the program in a much more dynamic manner.”
The new science lab gives students their own dedicated student learning space, Ontiveros said.
“We're able to do so much more,” she said. “It changed our ability to expand our teaching in the foundational sciences and we're excited for what that will look like.”
The clinical lab is also more spacious, with more than 20 outpatient beds and four hospital beds.
“The hospital beds allow students to be taught all levels of medicine instead of just outpatient,” Ontiveros said.
The students are enjoying the new facility, especially the study areas.
“It gives the students space to decompress or study in areas that are very private and accommodating, whether for a group study session or a solo study session,” said Alyssa Perry, a second-year PA student.
Lucy Esber (’22), a second-year student, said the new facility better mimics what they will see in a clinic or hospital. Esber chose CBU because she has friends who are alumni from the program.
“CBU is able to produce successful providers who are really good at their job and measure up to other programs and medical students,” Esber said.
Perry said CBU’s Christian worldview gives students a solid foundation for their career.
“Having that faith background is tied to being a caring provider,” she said. “The program does an excellent job of preparing us. We have faculty and staff who really care about us. What we're doing here is very rigorous, so it's nice to have the support from the faculty and staff who want you to do well both in class and as a person.”
Ontiveros had to make a lot of decisions for the move, such as selecting the tables for the labs and frosted windows for the exam rooms. She made her decisions with students in mind.
“It's very state-of-the-art. CBU gave us what we needed, so I feel very blessed and grateful,” Ontiveros said.
Facilities
The Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies program is now housed on the second and third floors in the building that previously housed CBU Online on Hemet Street. The remodel and furnishing of the new location cost $6.8 million.
Remodel: The remodel included demolishing about 7,000 square feet of office space on the second floor to create two classrooms and a library/faculty breakroom. On the third floor, about 8,800 square feet of office space was demolished to create spaces, including the physical exam room, science labs and student lounge. Additional office space was remodeled and turned into study rooms and clinic exam rooms.
Science lab: The science lab includes an anatomage virtual table, which provides 3D visualization of human bodies; 16 anatomage tablets for students; equipment to measure numerous physiological functions; and microscopes. The lab also has a fume hood, allowing work with chemicals and grow cultures.
Technology: The larger classroom has three projection screens to accommodate the class size. The other classroom has large LED monitors around the room allowing for breakout groups. These displays can mirror what is on the instructor’s screen or show direct input from student computers. The science lab has a similar setup along with the ability to show views from the anatomage table and a document camera.
The clinical lab is equipped with large LED monitors around the room for students to work at patient beds while still viewing shared presentations. It also has a document camera and bedside camera to display work to the whole room. All four of the rooms have a ceiling microphone that can be used for remote instruction. Each clinical exam room is equipped with two cameras.