Engage in service of medically underserved populations.
The GWU PA program upholds its commitment to serving medically underserved populations through multiple intentional initiatives. A majority of our clinical rotation sites are located in medically underserved areas, ensuring that students gain hands-on experience providing care to communities with limited access to healthcare. Additionally, the program emphasizes service learning through the annual PA Service Day, a required community service event with a 90% attendance benchmark, reinforcing the value of compassion, advocacy, and social accountability. Together, these experiences prepare graduates to engage meaningfully and responsibly in the care of underserved populations.
A. Underserved Supervised Clinical Practice Experience
The Underserved/EBM Supervised Clinical Practice Experience (SCPE) is a five-week rotation arranged and approved by the Director of Clinical Education in collaboration with the Clinical Scheduling Manager and Data Analyst. This SCPE may encompass inpatient or outpatient care, core specialty rotations, or other clinical experiences that align with program criteria. To ensure meaningful engagement with vulnerable populations, the rotation sites are specifically selected from Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs), as designated by the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA). Site eligibility is verified through the HRSA Data Warehouse, maintained by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
B. At least one SCPE is within a medically underserved community for every PA student during their clinical year. However, many of the SCPE sites utilized for core rotations are within MUAs. The table below demonstrates the percentage of rotations that are completed in an MUA by cohort.
Furthermore, members of our program faculty continue to practice medicine one day each week, working in clinics within rural, underserved communities of Western North Carolina.
C. Programmatic Community Service
The program aims to achieve at least 90% cohort attendance annually for PA Service Day.
Since the inaugural 2016 cohort, GWU PA students have demonstrated a strong commitment to serving the local community through ongoing outreach initiatives. Each month, students conduct health screenings for homeless and underserved individuals in Cleveland County at a local homeless ministry hosted by First Baptist Church of Shelby. This opportunity allows didactic-year students to engage in meaningful service early in their education, with faculty members volunteering to provide oversight and support.
The clinical year students were eager to continue to participate in the annual community service. In 2023, the clinical year students began participating in a program that was designed for healthcare professionals working in their communities to be able to assist in registering the general public to vote. This collaboration was done in conjunction with Vot-ER and their Badge program. The program is designed using a badge-buddy that has a QR code that allows patients to access a non-partisan, self-service voter platform where they can register, request a mail-in ballot, and learn more about upcoming elections. This will be continued in subsequent cohorts. (Info taken from https://vot-er.org/about/ )
In 2021, the program formalized its Annual PA Service Day in celebration of National PA Week, during which students and faculty serve at a variety of local organizations, including hurricane relief distribution centers, the Children’s Home of Cleveland County, Habitat for Humanity, Feeding Kids Cleveland County, the Boys and Girls Club, and the Cleveland County Rescue Mission.
During the 2025 PA Service Day, 96.7% of the class participated—exceeding the program’s 90% attendance benchmark. On this day, students and faculty volunteered at the Children’s Home of Cleveland County, Cleveland County YMCA, Hearts and Hooves, the Pregnancy Resource Center, Cleveland County Animal Services, and Feeding Kids Cleveland County, further strengthening the program’s mission of compassionate service and community engagement.
