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Course Descriptions - Didactic Phase

PA 5011 - BASIC SCIENCE I (2 credits) 

This is the first in a series of courses designed to develop an understanding of normal physiology, genetics, pathologic, and pathophysiologic concepts of diseases per organ system, and clinical anatomy with an emphasis on important anatomical landmarks required in physical evaluation of patients, anatomical relationships of structures to each other, and anatomical components of body systems. Sequence aligns with the clinical medicine organ system.

Prerequisites: Admission in the Physician Assistant Program.

 

PA 5012 - BASIC SCIENCE II (2 credits)

This is the second in a series of courses designed to develop an understanding of normal physiology, genetics, pathologic, and pathophysiologic concepts of diseases per organ system, and clinical anatomy with an emphasis on important anatomical landmarks required in physical evaluation of patients, anatomical relationships of structures to each other, and anatomical components of body systems. Sequence aligns with the clinical medicine organ system.

Prerequisites: Successful completion or remediation of prior semester’s didactic coursework.

PA 5013 - BASIC SCIENCE III (2 credits)

This is the third in a series of courses designed to develop an understanding of normal physiology, genetics, pathologic, and pathophysiologic concepts of diseases per organ system, and clinical anatomy with an emphasis on important anatomical landmarks required in physical evaluation of patients, anatomical relationships of structures to each other, and anatomical components of body systems. Sequence aligns with the clinical medicine organ system.

Prerequisites: Successful completion or remediation of prior semester’s didactic coursework.

PA 5021 - CLINICAL MEDICINE I (5 credits)

This is the first in a series of courses designed to provide an intensive study of human diseases and disorders, using a lifespan approach from pediatrics to geriatrics, in the areas of clinical medicine including epidemiology, etiology, historical data, clinical manifestations, progression, therapeutic management, prevention, laboratory medicine, and prognosis. This course will be facilitated through lecture and active-learning methods.

Prerequisites: Admission in the Physician Assistant Program.

 

PA 5022 - CLINICAL MEDICINE II (5 credits)

This is the second in a series of courses designed to provide an intensive study of human diseases and disorders, using a lifespan approach from pediatrics to geriatrics, in the areas of clinical medicine including epidemiology, etiology, historical data, clinical manifestations, progression, therapeutic management, prevention, laboratory medicine, and prognosis. This course will be facilitated through lecture and active-learning methods. 

Prerequisites: Successful completion or remediation of prior semester’s didactic coursework.

PA 5023 - CLINICAL MEDICINE III (6 credits)

This is the third in a series of courses designed to provide an intensive study of human diseases and disorders, using a lifespan approach from pediatrics to geriatrics, in the areas of clinical medicine including epidemiology, etiology, historical data, clinical manifestations, progression, therapeutic management, prevention, laboratory medicine and prognosis. This course will be facilitated through lecture and active-learning methods. 

Prerequisites: Successful completion or remediation of prior semester’s didactic coursework.

 

PA 5031 - CLINICAL LABORATORY MEDICINE I (1 credit)

This is the first in a series of courses designed to develop a functional understanding of the appropriate uses and interpretations of clinical diagnostic testing, including radiographic and EKG testing. Students will learn to select, interpret, and evaluate clinical laboratory, imaging, and other diagnostic tests used for diagnosing, treating, and managing patient needs.

Prerequisites: Admission in the Physician Assistant Program.

 

PA 5032 - CLINICAL LABORATORY MEDICINE II (1 credit)

This is the second in a series of courses designed to develop a functional understanding of the appropriate uses and interpretations of clinical diagnostic testing, including radiographic and EKG testing. Students will learn to select, interpret, and evaluate clinical laboratory, imaging, and other diagnostic tests used for diagnosing, treating, and managing patient needs.

Prerequisites: Successful completion or remediation of prior semester’s didactic coursework.

 

PA 5041 - PHARMACOTHERAPEUTICS I (3 credits)

This is the first in a series of courses designed to develop skills related to the principles of pharmacology as they pertain to therapeutic agents, prescription and non-prescription. Discussion will include the principal mechanisms of action of the major classes of therapeutic agents, understanding of pharmacodynamics, uses, side effects, toxicities, compliance, monitoring parameters, drug interaction, and cost. A rational and evidence-based approach to the selection of medications to be prescribed, and studies of medications used in the treatment of acute and chronic illnesses across the lifespan will be presented.

Prerequisites: Admission in the Physician Assistant Program.

 

PA 5042 - PHARMACOTHERAPEUTICS II (3 credits)

This is the second in a series of courses designed to develop skills related to the principles of pharmacology as they pertain to therapeutic agents, prescription and non-prescription. Discussion will include the principal mechanisms of action of the major classes of therapeutic agents, understanding of pharmacodynamics, uses, side effects, toxicities, compliance, monitoring parameters, drug interaction, and cost. A rational and evidence-based approach to the selection of medications to be prescribed, and studies of medications used in the treatment of acute and chronic illnesses across the lifespan will be presented.

Prerequisites: Successful completion or remediation of prior semester’s didactic coursework.

 

PA 5043 - PHARMACOTHERAPEUTICS III (3 credits)

This is the third in a series of courses designed to develop skills related to the principles of pharmacology as they pertain to therapeutic agents, prescription and non-prescription. Discussion will include the principal mechanisms of action of the major classes of therapeutic agents, understanding of pharmacodynamics, uses, side effects, toxicities, compliance, monitoring parameters, drug interaction, and cost. A rational and evidence-based approach to the selection of medications to be prescribed, and studies of medications used in the treatment of acute and chronic illnesses across the lifespan will be presented.

Prerequisites: Successful completion or remediation of prior semester’s didactic coursework.

 

PA 5051 - PATIENT ASSESSMENT I (3 credits)

This is the first in a series of courses designed to develop the knowledge and skills required to obtain and record the complete medical history, use of appropriate equipment, proper techniques, and accurate medical terminology to document findings. The course will provide an overview of the medical record, as well as development of writing and organizational skills for medical recordkeeping and oral presentation skills. Physical exam skills will be developed through structured laboratory exercises, while problem-solving and medical decision-making skills will be developed through case scenario activities.

Prerequisites: Admission in the Physician Assistant Program.

 

PA 5052 - PATIENT ASSESSMENT II (3 credits)

This is the second in a series of courses designed to develop the knowledge and skills required to obtain and record the complete medical history, use of appropriate equipment, proper techniques, and accurate medical terminology to document findings. The course will provide an overview of the medical record, as well as development of writing and organizational skills for medical recordkeeping and oral presentation skills. Physical exam skills will be developed through structured laboratory exercises, while problem-solving and medical decision-making skills will be developed through case scenario activities.

Prerequisites: Successful completion or remediation of prior semester’s didactic coursework.

 

PA 5053 - PATIENT ASSESSMENT III (3 credits)

This is the third in a series of courses designed to develop the knowledge and skills required to obtain and record the complete medical history, use of appropriate equipment, proper techniques, and accurate medical terminology to document findings. The course will provide an overview of the medical record, as well as development of writing and organizational skills for medical recordkeeping and oral presentation skills. Physical exam skills will be developed through structured laboratory exercises, while problem-solving and medical decision-making skills will be developed through case scenario activities.

Prerequisites: Successful completion or remediation of prior semester’s didactic coursework.

 

PA 5061 - THE PATIENT AND THE PA I (1 credit)

This is the first in a series of courses designed to develop skills in the area of patient communication, patient counseling, and patient education and how they influence all aspects of medical practice. Instruction is focused on the detection and application of preventive measures and treatment of health risk behaviors including stress, abuse and violence, substance abuse, sexuality, end-of-life issues, and reaction to illness. The course will also have discussions on medical ethics to include confidentiality, truth telling, competency, making informed decisions, and other ethical issues.

Prerequisites: Admission in the Physician Assistant Program.

 

PA 5062 - THE PATIENT AND THE PA II (1 credit)

This is the second in a series of courses designed to develop skills in the area of patient communication, patient counseling, and patient education and how they influence all aspects of medical practice. Instruction is focused on the detection and application of preventive measures and treatment of health risk behaviors including stress, abuse and violence, substance abuse, sexuality, end-of-life issues, and reaction to illness. The course will also have discussions on medical ethics to include confidentiality, truth telling, competency, making informed decisions, and other ethical issues.

Prerequisites: Successful completion or remediation of prior semester’s didactic coursework.

 

PA 5063 - INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION (1 credit)

This course is designed to familiarize students with basic concepts, approaches, processes, and contexts, which form the foundation for critical discussion of cross-cultural interaction. Students will develop communication strategies to interact with patients of diverse cultures, socioeconomic statuses, health beliefs, values, and expectations in an effective, ethical, and professional manner. The course will also discuss health disparities and its foundations.

Prerequisites: Successful completion or remediation of prior semester’s didactic coursework.

 

PA 5071 - PA PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE (1 credit)

This course is designed to aid the student in the transition into the medical profession and serves as an introduction to professional practice issues. Areas of discussion include history of the physician assistant profession, the PA-Physician team, professional organizations, licensing and credentialing, malpractice, professionalism, healthcare delivery, and reimbursement issues.

Prerequisites: Admission in the Physician Assistant Program.

 

PA 5072 - MEDICAL INFORMATICS (1 credit)

This course will cover the importance of evidence-based medicine and review basic statistics, research methods, and ethical standards in research. It will also cover the interpretation and application of various types of clinical articles to answering a clinical question and prepare the student for the Master’s research project to be completed during the clinical year.

Prerequisites: Successful completion or remediation of prior semester’s didactic coursework.

 

PA 5081 - COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROJECT I (0 credits)

This is the first in a series of three courses designed to support several aspects of the �ձ�һ��Ƭ’s mission to promote a more just and humane society while providing services to the medically underserved. Students will select a topic of interest on health promotion/disease prevention to present to a target group. Through collaboration, students will create and present the educational information to the community in order to improve health outcomes. (Pass/Fail) 

Prerequisites: Admission to the Physician Assistant Program.

PA 5082 - COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROJECT II (0 credits)

This is the second in a series of three courses designed to support several aspects of the �ձ�һ��Ƭ’s mission to promote a more just and humane society while providing services to the medically underserved. Students will select a topic of interest on health promotion/disease prevention to present to a target group. Through collaboration, students will create and present the educational information to the community in order to improve health outcomes. (Pass/Fail)

Prerequisites: Successful completion or remediation of prior semester’s didactic coursework.

PA 5083 - COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROJECT III (0 credits)

This is the third in a series of three courses designed to support several aspects of the �ձ�һ��Ƭ’s mission to promote a more just and humane society while providing services to the medically underserved. Students will select a topic of interest in health promotion/disease prevention to present to a target group. Through collaboration, students will create and present educational information to the community in order to improve health outcomes. (Pass/Fail) 

Prerequisites: Successful completion or remediation of the prior semester’s didactic coursework.

 

PA 5221 – PA Inter-Professional Experience (1 credit):

This course is designed to prepare clinical PA students to work collaboratively in inter-professional patient-centered teams. It provides students with an experience to learn and apply the principles of interprofessional practice by directly communicating with health care professionals of different disciplines beyond the traditional physician-PA team. 

Prerequisites: Successful completion or remediation of all didactic coursework with a grade of a C, a cumulative GPA of a 3.0 or higher, and successful completion or accommodation for deficiencies for all prior SCPEs required for all rotations

 

PA 5093 - CLINICAL INTEGRATION (2 credits)

This course will prepare the student for the upcoming clinical year. The focus will be on bedside and surgical procedures, including sterile technique, air, and blood-borne pathogen transmission prevention, venipuncture, IV placement, Foley catheter insertion, lumbar puncture, injections, surgical techniques, and casting. The course will also include the emergency management of a wide variety of diseases and disorders.

Prerequisites: Successful completion or remediation of the prior semester’s didactic coursework.

 

Course Descriptions – Clinical Phase

PA 5111 – Family Medicine (4 credits)

This 4 week clinical course will be within a Family Medicine clinic discipline.  Students in this course will be able to refine their skills in performing a history and physical exam, ordering and interpreting diagnostic tests and developing treatment plans for patients. This course provides the PA student with experience in the outpatient evaluation and treatment of patients, including preventive medicine, acute and chronic illness, and patient education. Prerequisites: Successful completion or remediation of all didactic coursework with a grade of a C, a cumulative GPA of a 3.0 or higher, and successful completion or accommodation for deficiencies for all prior SCPEs required for all rotations.

PA 5121 – Internal Medicine (4 credits)

This 4 week clinical course will be within an Internal Medicine practice. It will include a substantial inpatient experience for the PA student to gain knowledge of the evaluation and treatment of the multiple diseases and conditions of the adult and geriatric population requiring hospitalization. Students will perform history and physical examinations, obtain diagnostic testing and present their data along with proposed differential diagnoses and treatment plans. 

Prerequisites: Successful completion or remediation of all didactic coursework with a grade of a C, a cumulative GPA of a 3.0 or higher, and successful completion or accommodation for deficiencies for all prior SCPEs required for all rotations.

PA 5131 – Pediatrics (4 credits)

This 4 week clinical course will provide the PA student with experience in outpatient and/or in-patient management of pediatric patients. The student will have the opportunity to perform well child exams, problem oriented exams, evaluate common pediatric illnesses, and the care of the newborn, infants, children, and adolescents. 

Prerequisites: Successful completion or remediation of all didactic coursework with a grade of a C, a cumulative GPA of a 3.0 or higher, and successful completion or accommodation for deficiencies for all prior SCPEs required for all rotations.

 

PA 5141 – General Surgery (4 credits)

This 4 week clinical course will be within a surgical practice. PA students will participate in Operating Room (OR) cases and hospital consultations as well as clinic based cases and visits in caring for conditions that require surgical management. This will include pre-operative, intra-operative, and post-operative care. 

Prerequisites: Successful completion or remediation of all didactic coursework with a grade of a C, a cumulative GPA of a 3.0 or higher, and successful completion or accommodation for deficiencies for all prior SCPEs required for all rotations.

PA 5151 – Emergency Medicine (4 credits)

This 4 week clinical course will be within a hospital Emergency Department. PA students will gain knowledge and learn skills relevant to the triage, stabilization, diagnosis, and management of acute, life-threatening injuries and illnesses as well as the care of less threatening conditions. 

Prerequisites: Successful completion or remediation of all didactic coursework with a grade of a C, a cumulative GPA of a 3.0 or higher, and successful completion or accommodation for deficiencies for all prior SCPEs required for all rotations.

PA 5161 – Behavioral Medicine (4 credits)

This 4 week clinical course will provide the PA student with a behavioral medicine experience in caring for ambulatory and/or hospitalized patients with psychiatric disorders. The student will perform basic psychiatric evaluations, monitor medications, and support the clinical management plan for patients after psychiatric evaluation and treatment. 

Prerequisites: Successful completion or remediation of all didactic coursework with a grade of a C, a cumulative GPA of a 3.0 or higher, and successful completion or accommodation for deficiencies for all prior SCPEs required for all rotations.

 

PA 5171 – Women’s Health (4 credits)

This 4 week clinical course provides the PA student with experience in managing common gynecologic disorders. Emphasis is placed on learning experiences in family planning and birth control, the recognition and treatment of sexually transmitted infections, cancer detection and prevention, prenatal care and the evaluation and treatment of common ambulatory gynecologic problems. The obstetric experience will include routine prenatal and postpartum care. It will include labor & delivery when possible.

Prerequisites: Successful completion or remediation of all didactic coursework with a grade of a C, a cumulative GPA of a 3.0 or higher, and successful completion or accommodation for deficiencies for all prior SCPEs required for all rotations.

PA 5181— Supervised Practice – Elective (4 credits): 

This 4 week clinical course is intended to provide the student with supervised experiential training in an area that he/she might have a special interest in but was unable to experience during other clinical rotations. 

Prerequisites: Successful completion or remediation of all didactic coursework with a grade of a C, a cumulative GPA of a 3.0 or higher, and successful completion or accommodation for deficiencies for all prior SCPEs required for all rotations.

 

PA 5191 – Supervised Practice – Elective (4 credits):

This 4 week clinical course is intended to provide the student with supervised experiential training in an area that he/she might have a special interest in but was unable to experience during other clinical rotations. 

Prerequisites: Successful completion or remediation of all didactic coursework with a grade of a C, a cumulative GPA of a 3.0 or higher, and successful completion or accommodation for deficiencies for all prior SCPEs required for all rotations.

 

 PA 5211 – PA Externship Elective I (3 credits):

This 3 week clinical course is intended to provide the student with more advanced supervised experiential training in an area that he/she might have a special interest in or in an area that a student may be assessed by a preceptor for the possibility of employment. 

Prerequisites: Successful completion or remediation of all didactic coursework with a grade of a C, a cumulative GPA of a 3.0 or higher, and successful completion or accommodation for deficiencies for all prior SCPEs required for all rotations.

 

PA 5212 – PA Externship Elective II (3 credits):

This 3-week clinical course is intended to provide the student with more advanced supervised experiential training in an area that he/she might have a special interest in or in an area that a student may be assessed by a preceptor for the possibility of employment. 

Prerequisites: Successful completion or remediation of all didactic coursework with a grade of a C, a cumulative GPA of a 3.0 or higher, and successful completion or accommodation for deficiencies for all prior SCPEs required for all rotations

 

PA 5231 – Summative Course (2 credits):

This course, presented at the end of the clinical year, provides a comprehensive appraisal of a student’s readiness and eligibility for graduation through the use of several evaluation tools. In order to graduate from the program, students are required to pass a written summative exam, comprehensive OSCE (observed simulated clinical experience), and final clinical skills exam to demonstrate their mastery of important didactic knowledge and clinical skills acquired throughout the program. The written summative exam is based on the NCCPA PANCE Content Blueprint and may include the development of differential diagnosis, identification of disorders based on clinical scenarios, interpretation of laboratory and diagnostic studies, focused physical exam performance, and patient education and counseling. In addition, this course includes intensive board review in preparation for the PANCE, review for clinical skills testing, curriculum vitae (CV) preparation, and job interviewing skills. 

Prerequisites: Successful completion or remediation of all didactic coursework with a grade of a C, a cumulative GPA of a 3.0 or higher, and successful completion or accommodation for deficiencies for all prior SCPEs required for all rotations.

 

PA 5251 – Capstone Project (1 credit):

This course is a follow up to Medical Informatics (PA 5072). It is designed to allow the PA student to complete a capstone project under the guidance of a faculty advisor. Students may select an area of medicine, disease process, condition, or public health issue as the basis for a clinical paper. Students will be guided through the complete process of designing, developing, and submitting a clinical article for publication. The course will conclude with the student preparing and presenting oral and poster presentations on their selected clinical topic. 

Prerequisites: Successful completion or remediation of all didactic coursework with a grade of a C, a cumulative GPA of a 3.0 or higher, and successful completion or accommodation for deficiencies for all prior SCPEs required for all rotations.