HPD Perspectives Magazine Summer/Fall 2019

38 | DR. PALLAVI PATEL COLLEGE OF HEALTH CARE SCIENCES Big Apple Dreams, One Alumna’s Journey to PA Program Director BY NICOLE SUÁREZ AND KANDEE N. GRIFFITH, M.ED ., M.S., HRM ALUMNI PERSPECTIVE En route to a career in medicine, Charlene Bolton, Ed.D., M.S.Ed., M.M.S., PA-C, did not follow a direct path. She began in New York in the field of social work, then transitioned to elementary education in the New York public school system, all the while hoping to one day study medicine. While teaching, Bolton earned her Master of Science in Education with an advanced certification in guidance and counseling from CUNY Brooklyn College in New York. After completing her master’s degree, she served as a guidance counselor for nine years. Over the course of nearly a decade, she often spent her lunchtime reading medical books. In 2001, Bolton moved to Florida and applied only to NSU. Starting the following summer, NSU’s dual-de- gree program allowed her to earn both a Bachelor of Health Science and a Master of Medical Science Physician Assistant degrees. Bolton, who has three children, admits that she made a huge sacrifice by moving away from her family for 27 months. Thankfully, the hard choice paid off when she graduated in 2004 with both degrees and gained clinical experience practicing in family medicine, cardiology, and internal medicine. “I knew I had the drive and was emotionally ready. Failure was not an option,” she said. According to Bolton’s faculty adviser Hugh Rappa, M.D., associate program director and professor, “Charlene was a no-nonsense student who was very conscientious about why she was there. She was a determined student who did all that was required of her to be successful.” In September 2013, after practicing for nine years, Bolton joined the Physician Assistant Program faculty at NSU’s Jacksonville Campus. Her reunion with NSU allowed her to reconnect with her former adviser, Rappa, who is now her colleague and mentor. Bolton recalled Rappa telling her, “It takes five years until a new assistant professor gets comfortable with the teaching. You must ensure the information you’re giving the students is what they need. Find the balance.” Within a four-year span at the Jacksonville Campus, Bolton obtained her doctorate in organizational leadership and received two promotions. Currently, she is the program director and an assistant professor in the program. Bolton’s transition to program director came with a few challenges. Although she knew and understood the role of being a faculty member, she had to adjust from being a colleague to a leader. “She listens to everyone before she makes a decision, especially when she doesn’t know the topic,” said Rappa about seeing Bolton soar to such great heights. “She hears all sides and makes a balanced decision.” In her role as program director, Bolton is committed to preparing competent health care providers, focusing on the patients, and changing the program’s culture to be fair, thoughtful, and compassionate. As the program grows, Bolton remarked that she works hard to create and maintain a culture where faculty and staff members are treated equitably and everyone works together to move the program forward. She believes this will ultimately benefit the students, because people who are happy in their jobs work hard because they want to—not because they feel obligated to do so. o Nicole Suárez was an editorial intern in NSU’s Office of Publications and Creative Services, and Kandee N. Griffith is an admissions counselor III at the Jacksonville Campus. ALUMNI Perspective NSU Solutions