Shurgalla makes transition from preceptor to instructor
Richard Shurgalla, the department’s new director of professional development, can easily relate to health care preceptors who are in search of well-trained and hardworking interns. He knows what these administrators and managers expect and can prepare HPA students for their real-life, hands-on experiences of their internships. A preceptor turned instructor, Shurgalla will teach HPA 390 (Professional Development), HPA 395 (The Undergraduate Internship), and HPA 497B (Physician Practice Management).
Shurgalla comes to Penn State after serving as vice president of operations with Family Health Associates at Lewistown (PA) Hospital. In this role, he had the opportunity to supervise HPA students on their internships. Shurgalla has also served as vice president of an air medical services company in Rialto, California, and as an administrative director in the emergency department at LeHigh Valley Health Network in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Shurgalla plans to use his experiences as a preceptor and administrator to teach students about current and specific challenges facing health care today. He also hopes to leave lasting impressions on students, similar to his experiences as a student.
“I really valued those professors who could tie the textbook into real-life activities,” he says. “My whole life I have worked in health care. I know the value of education and the value of a good internship.”
Shurgalla holds a master’s degree in health administration from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia and a bachelor’s degree in safety management from De Sales University in Center Valley, PA.
In addition to helping students hone their networking and career development skills, Shurgalla plans to use his own contacts in the health care field to assist students in securing internships.
He and his wife, Sharon, live in State College. Their older son, Ryan, is a Penn State senior studying economics and business law, and their younger son, Stephen, is a Penn State freshman majoring in kinesiology.