Clarkson University's Terri Joyce was recently awarded a Certificate of Added Qualifications in Hospitalist Medicine.

Joyce is director of clinical education for Clarkson's Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies program. She received the certificate after passing a voluntary national examination by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants, the organization responsible for credentialing physician assistants.

Joyce has worked as a certified PA for the past 17 years, most recently as one of the founding hospitalists at Canton-Potsdam Hospital (CPH).

Joyce said this certification signifies that her experiences have made her well-qualified to take care of hospitalized patients.

"I'm just proving what I already know about myself and my hospitalist PA colleagues at CPH, that we do have the education and qualifications to take care of hospital admitted patients," she said.

Physician assistants are trained in general medicine, but many go on to develop specialized skills, Joyce said. A Certificate of Added Qualifications in Hospitalist Medicine is earned by working a minimum of 3,000 hours in hospital medicine, completing 150 credits of hospitalist medicine-relevant continuing medical education, a supervising physician’s sign-off on the PA's ability regarding hospitalist related procedures and patient care requirements derived from the Society of Hospitalist Medicine’s core competencies.

Joyce said PA professors with different areas of expertise enhance the education experience for students at Clarkson. "It helps diversify the staff for teaching purposes," she said.

Learn more about Clarkson's physician assistant studies program at http://clarkson.edu/pa/.