ACCESS TO OPPORTUNITY: THE DUKE-EAST CAROLINA PARTNERSHIPS FOR TRAINING PROGRAM

Duke University and East Carolina University through their Schools of Nursing and Physician Assistant Programs are in the third year of the Partnerships for Training Program (PFT). The goal of PFT is to prepare primary care providers to increase access to care in medically underserved and health professional shortage areas. This paper discusses how an asynchronous online mode was used to bring the universities and all of their resources to rural students in North Carolina. In addition, preparing students to access the online university and preparing faculty to teach using this new medium are discussed.