MPAS Curriculum - Detailed Description

Semester One (Summer)

Anatomy 429 Human Anatomy Laboratory for Physician Assistants: 5 cr. Prosected specimens and supervised dissection of human cadavers.

PA 550 Fundamentals of Clinical Medicine: 3 cr. Introduces the student to information fundamental to understanding clinical medicine principles. Topics addressed include select areas of physiology-pathophysiology, pharmacology, laboratory medicine, and common systemic disease processes. There will also be instruction relative to cognitively approaching the patient.

PA 616 Professional Seminar I: 1 cr.The first in a sequence of professional seminars that will occur in each semester throughout didactic and clinical year training. Focus will be an introduction to the profession and professional issues specific to PAs. Additionally, the student will be assigned a faculty mentor and begin to conceptualize a capstone project which will continue development throughout their didactic and clinical years.

PA 619 History and Physical Examination for Physician Assistants: 4 cr. This course is designed to provide physician assistant students with the knowledge and physical exam skills to evaluate patients in a variety of settings. Normal and pathological physical findings are discussed. Students learn interview skills and physical exam skills applicable to primary care patients. Selected physical exam techniques are emphasized.

Semester Two (Fall)

Medical Microbiology 504 Infectious Diseases of Human Beings: 3 cr. Course content covers pathogenesis, clinical descriptions, and prevention. It is an interdisciplinary course directed primarily to physician assistant, pharmacy, and nursing students.

PA 600 Clinical Medicine for Physician Assistants I: 5 cr. Clinical medicine modules in psychiatry, neurology, hematology/oncology, ophthalmology, ENT, endocrinology, dermatology and genetics. Clinical medicine is an in-depth course, which covers pathophysiology, signs and symptoms, differential diagnosis, prevention, and management. Lectures are given by medical school and other faculty, program staff, community physicians and certified physician assistants. Case studies will be heavily utilized for development of clinical problem-solving skills.

PA 610 Clinical Prevention and Community Practice I: 1 cr. This course addresses individually-oriented and population-oriented preventive efforts and interaction between the two. Four major components will be addressed: evidence-based practice, clinical preventive services and health promotion, health systems and health policy, and community aspects of practice. Case examples, service-learning, problem-based learning and community-oriented primary care learning experiences will be incorporated into the course.

PA 617 Professional Seminar II: 1 cr. Emphasis will be medical ethics and principles of evidence-based medicine. Case-studies and evaluation of the literature will be utilized. Continued development of capstone project. P: PA 616.

PA 620 Advanced Patient Evaluation in the Primary Care Setting I: 2 cr. The course will build on PA 619 and promote advanced comprehensive skills in physical examination, patient evaluation techniques with an emphasis on the musculoskeletal system, and advanced medical interviewing skills. Prerequisite: PA 619.

PA 630 Women’s Health: 2 cr. Course content includes the fundamentals of pre/postnatal care, normal/abnormal labor and delivery, gynecological problems encountered in primary care, and overriding concepts of women’s health and preventive medicine.

PA 640 Clinical Pharmacology I: 2 cr. Emphasis will be placed on pharmacological, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of drugs and drug classes; specifically, pharmacology and clinical pharmacotherapeutics related to disease processes of the psychiatric, neurologic, hematologic/oncologic, ophthalmologic, otolaryngologic, endocrinologic, dermatologic systems, plus infectious disease, women’s health and pain management. Discussion of treatment guidelines, indications, contraindications, PA prescriptive practice, prescription writing, drug law, drug information resources and case studies. Emphasis will be placed on interpretation of the medical literature using principles of evidence-based medicine.

PA 650 Diagnostic Methods I: ECG, Laboratory Medicine: 1 cr. Emphasizes the utilization of laboratory methods for the diagnosis and treatment of disease. ECG and laboratory medicine will be taught in integrated relationship to the clinical medicine course, and other focused curriculum, and in readiness for cardiology and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) in the beginning of the spring semester.

Elective: 1-2 cr. (optional)

Semester Three (Spring)

PA 601 Clinical Medicine for Physician Assistants II: 5 cr. Clinical Medicine II modules will include cardiology, pulmonology, gastroenterology, nephrology, urology, rheumatology, geriatrics and family medicine. This is an in-depth course, which covers pathophysiology, signs and symptoms, differential diagnosis, prevention and management. Lectures will be given by medical school and other faculty, program staff, and community physicians and certified physician assistants. Case studies will be utilized for the development of clinical problem solving skills. P: PA 600.

PA 603 Pediatrics: 2 cr. This course serves as an introductory pediatrics course which covers problems encountered in the general pediatric population and reinforces basic primary care clinical principles.

PA 611 Clinical Prevention and Community Practice II: 1 cr. Continuation of course content described in Clinical Prevention and Community Practice I; where appropriate, integration with clinical medicine and other curriculum (described above). P: PA 610.

PA 618 Professional Seminar III: 1 cr. Emphasis on research methods and project design. The student will work with a faculty mentor to create and shape a clinical question/project and implement a literature search. Allows for independent focus on capstone project. P: PA 617.

PA 621 Advanced Patient Evaluation in the Primary Care Setting II: 1 cr. This course will build on PA 620 and promote advanced comprehensive skills in physical examination, patient evaluation techniques, and advanced medical interviewing skills. Emphasis on developing differential diagnoses, ordering appropriate laboratory and imaging studies, and completing assessment and plan components of a comprehensive history and physical examination. The content focuses on those aspects pertinent to the provision of ambulatory, primary care.

PA 641 Clinical Pharmacology II: 2 cr. This is the second of a two-course sequence to introduce the principles of pharmacology and pharmacotherapeutics for the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of disease. The second semester will give specific emphasis to the cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal, renal, urologic, and rheumatologic systems. There will be consideration of the rational use of drugs in the care and treatment of pediatric, adult and geriatric patients in primary care settings. Continued emphasis will be placed on interpretation of the medical literature using principles of evidence-based medicine. P: PA 640.

PA 648 Emergency Medicine: 2 cr. This course provides fundamental instruction in the diagnosis and management of both common and life-threatening patient presentations to the Emergency Department.

PA 651 Diagnostic Methods II: Heart Sounds, Radiology, Laboratory Medicine: 3 cr.Advanced evaluation of heart sounds with comprehensive radiology content. Laboratory medicine content will correlate with clinical medicine and other courses. P: PA 650.

PA 660 Clinical Skills Laboratory: 1 cr.This is a hands-on clinical skill laboratory to include: dermatologic procedures, splinting, casting, suturing, venipuncture, injections, and advanced cardiac life support (ACLS).

Semester Four (Summer)

PA 622 Field Experience in Patient Assessment: 2 cr. Clinical experience in the evaluation of hospitalized medical and surgical patients. Students participate in team activities related to patient care. Refinement of skills in patient evaluation and case presentations to faculty and other students.

PA 670 Fundamentals of Surgery: 1 cr. This course provides an introduction to the role of the physician assistant in surgery, fundamental principles of pre-, intra- and post-operative surgical care, operating room aseptic technique, and common strategies to avoid and to treat surgical complications.

PA 716 Professional Seminar IV: 1 cr. Emphasis during this course will be on refining the clinical question/project and writing an initial paper draft. P: PA 618.

Semester Five (Fall)

PA 717 Professional Seminar and Capstone I: 1 cr. Emphasis during the capstone component of this course will be on completion of the capstone, paper revision and capstone presentation. Professional seminar will focus on providing senior physician assistant students information about certification and registration, employment, economics, professional organizations and political/legislative topics. P: PA 716.

Semester Six (Spring)

PA 718 Professional Seminar and Capstone II: 1 cr. This will be a continuation of Professional Seminar and Capstone I. Emphasis during the capstone component of this course will be on completion of the capstone, paper revision and capstone presentation. The professional seminar will focus on providing senior physician assistant students information about certification and registration, employment, economics, professional organizations and political/legislative topics. P: PA 717.

Semesters Four, Five and Six: Preceptorships (Summer, Fall and Spring)

PA 729-769 Clinical Preceptorships: Preceptorships are intensive clinical learning experiences under the direction of physician preceptors and other licensed healthcare professionals at a variety of off-campus clinical settings.

• Five 2-month rotations/Preceptorships
  • One each in surgery, internal medicine, family medicine and emergency medicine and one 8-week or two 4-week rotations in elective disciplines.