NSU Horizons Winter 2008 - 2009

can work in any of 29 states. On a 10-month con- tract, a school psychologist with a master’s degree can make $55,000 per year and increase earning po- tential with a doctorate or 12-month contract. De- spite a Miami-Dade County budget crunch that put the positions of its school psychologists in jeopardy, Cash sees “steady growth and ready absorption of graduates, particularly for training positions.” Physical Therapist Physical therapists help people improve their mobility, relieve pain, and prevent or limit perma- nent physical disabilities of patients suffering from injuries, aging, or disease. The Bureau of Labor Sta- tistics considers this to be an extremely high-demand occupation, with an estimated growth rate of 27 per- cent projected for 2006 through 2016. The increas- ing elderly population, particularly here in Florida, is driving demand. At the same time, new treatments and techniques are expanding the scope of physical therapy practice. The job requires a master’s degree and pays an av- erage of $66,000 annually. Six in ten physical thera- pists work in hospitals or physical therapy offices. Stanley Wilson, PT, Ed.D., CEAS, associate dean of NSU’s Department of Physical Therapy, says he receives an average of 10 emails daily from companies soliciting NSU stu- dents for jobs. He notes, “We usually have to limit the number of companies who would like to participate in our career fairs.” Registered Nurse A Florida Center for Nursing survey last year showed that va- cancy rates for registered nurses exceed nine per- cent in Sunshine State hospitals, nursing homes, home health agencies, public health agencies, and hospices. The need, always chronic, is expected to grow even more urgent in the future as Florida’s population ages and grows. A major impediment is a lack of nursing program capacity. NSU is doing its part to help remedy this situation. In 2004, the university began its nursing program with 36 students. Most recently, the pro- gram admitted 240 students in Fort Lauderdale, Kendall, and Fort Myers. There are between 400 and 600 applicants for each class. One reason for NSU’s nursing program’s popu- larity is “We ranked second for pass rate on the state exam of more than 100 R.N. programs in Florida,” according to Diane Whitehead, R.N., B.S.N., M.S.N., Ed.D., dean of the Nursing Department in NSU’s College of Allied Health and Nursing. Baptist Health South Florida offers full scholar- ships to 80 NSU students, according to Deborah S. Mulvihill, corporate vice president and chief nurs- ing officer for Baptist Health. Those who accept the scholarships agree in return to work in a Baptist Health Miami-area hospital for at least three years. Physician Assistant A physician assistant (PA) practices medicine under the supervision of a licensed physician. Nearly half of PAs practice primary care medicine, often in rural settings or otherwise medically underserved ar- eas. The rest enter medical and surgical specialties or sub-specialties, some extremely exotic. “PAs are involved in every segment of medicine,” according to William H. Marquardt, M.A., PA-C, DFAAPA, chair of NSU’s Physician Assistant De- partment. In the past 40 years, Marquardt has seen what was once a limited opportunity for a handful of ex-military medics to stay in the health care field ex- pand into a full-fledged profession. Most students enter NSU’s program with bachelor’s degrees. They graduate 27 months later with master’s degrees in medical science and the ability to earn $75,000 or more per year. NSU has one of the larger programs in the state, of- fering classes on the main campus as well as in Fort Myers, Orlando, and (beginning June 2009) in Jacksonville. “Practicing under the supervision of a physician doesn’t mean a doctor is standing over your shoulder,” Marquardt said. “You might be practicing in one location and stay in contact with a doctor in the next town by phone.” Marquardt is pleased that “most students have jobs well before graduation.” 28 horizons