With the signing of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, Franklin Pierce University received $825,000 for healthcare simulation training equipment, which will support specialized equipment for the University’s Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS) program in its Lebanon, academic center, with a focus on rural and medically underserved communities.
“This funding speaks directly to our commitment to innovation in teaching and learning, as outlined in our current strategic plan, Pierce@60,” said stated college President Kim Mooney. “As we teach and train the next generation of health care workers, this simulation training equipment is one more example of how Franklin Pierce has become a destination institution in the allied health field.”
The request for funding was spearheaded by the offices of U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and Rep. Annie Kuster. The project also received letters of support from Kristina Fjeld-Sparks, director of the New Hampshire Area Health Education Center (NH AHEC), and Scott Colby, president and CEO, and Ed Laverty, chief medical officer, of Upper Connecticut Valley Hospital.
“The university is grateful for the efforts of Senator Shaheen and Representative Kuster,” Mooney stated. “Their commitment to New Hampshire’s higher education institutions cannot be overstated.”
Clinical simulation is an instructional design that substitutes real patient encounters with artificial models, live actors or virtual-reality patients. For clinical simulation structured to improve rural health care delivery, special attention is focused on conditions such as heart disease, cancer, chronic lower respiratory disease and stroke.
“Intensive, high-quality simulated training is key to preparing our students for success upon graduation.” stated Priscilla Marsicovetere, dean of the College of Health and Natural Sciences. “By focusing on rural health care scenarios, we are addressing the vital need for skilled providers in New Hampshire’s rural and medically underserved communities.”
Franklin Pierce’s MPAS program emphasizes collaborative medicine and support of lifelong learning. The Class of 2022 had a 100 percent pass rate on the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE). In 2016, the Lebanon, program was ranked No. 2 in the country by the Rural Health Research Center for percentage of graduates who go on to practice in a rural setting, and in November 2022, MPAS Program Director Kristi Collins was named New Hampshire’s 2022 Community Star by the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH).