This is a one-week preparatory session prior to students beginning clinical rotations. Students will review preceptor expectations, professionalism, intellectual honesty, and appropriate academic and professional conduct. This course will provide instruction regarding reimbursement, coding and billing, and documentation of care with a focus on electronic medical records. Basic clinical and surgical skills will be covered in this course. Patient safety, quality improvement, prevention of medical errors, risk management, and quality assurance will be also be addressed.

HEAL I is an extended course comprised of on-campus seminars that occur throughout the clinical components of the program’s curriculum. This course reinforces the knowledge of important medical practitioner attributes including humanities, ethics, altruism, and leadership. Students will learn about the principles and practice of intellectual honesty, academic and professional conduct, medical ethics, medical law, cultural competency, diversity, spirituality, patient centered care, medical team practice, and preparing students to work collaboratively in interprofessional patient centered teams. Interprofessional patient centered team instruction will emphasize the importance of the team approach to patient centered care beyond the traditional physician-PA team approach. It assists students in learning the principles of interprofessional practice and include opportunities for students to apply these principles in interprofessional teams. This course provides additional instruction on the constantly changing health care system and the impact of racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic health disparities on health care delivery. Instruction related to medical care and diversity aims to prepare students to evaluate their own values and avoid stereotyping. It assists them in becoming aware of differing health beliefs, values and expectations of patients and other health care professionals that can affect communication, decision-making, compliance and health outcomes. This course also provides instruction and assessment in the development of problem solving, medical decision-making skills, patient evaluation, diagnosis, and management related to individualized patient care (across the lifespan to provide preventive, emergent, acute, chronic, rehabilitative, palliative, and end-of life care). It includes content relevant to prenatal, infant, children, adolescent, adult, and elderly populations. Students will receive instruction and training in their progression from active student to practicing physician assistant.

Evidence Based Medicine and Research I course is an extended course comprised of on-campus seminars that occur throughout the clinical components of the program’s curriculum. This course will provide instruction to prepare students to search, interpret and evaluate the medical literature with the application to individualized patient care. Specifically, this course will assist students in maintaining a critical, current and operational knowledge of new medical findings required for the prevention and treatment of disease. Instruction for the following topics are included in this course: fundamentals of research, sampling methods, interpretation of basic biostatistical methods, and the role of the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI). The use of common medical databases to access medical literature is also included in this course.

This core clinical rotation provides students with exposure to the principles and practice of inpatient internal medicine. This supervised clinical practice experience enables students to assess patients seeking medical care across the life span with an emphasis on caring for the acutely and chronically ill adult and elderly patient in the inpatient setting. Students will assist in the evaluation and treatment of hospital patients, participate in patient rounds and presentations, and learn how to function as part of the internal medicine and interprofessional medical teams. This supervised clinical practice experience will enable students to achieve the learning outcomes needed to attain the competencies in the management of acute, emergent, chronic conditions, and implement preventive care strategies. This clinical experience will enable the student to provide care as an entry level physician assistant upon graduation.

This core clinical rotation provides students with exposure to the principles and practice of internal medicine. This supervised clinical practice experience enables students to assess patients seeking medical care across the life span with an emphasis on caring for the acutely and chronically ill adult and elderly patients in an outpatient medical setting. Students will assist in the evaluation and treatment of patients, participate in patient rounds and presentations, and learn how to function as part of the internal medicine and interprofessional medical teams. This clinical rotation experience will enable students to achieve the learning outcomes needed to attain the competencies in the management of acute, emergent, chronic conditions and implement preventive care strategies. This clinical experience will enable the student to provide care as an entry level physician assistant upon graduation.

This core clinical rotation provides students with exposure to the principles and practice of surgery. This supervised clinical practice experience enables students to assess patients seeking medical care across the life span with an emphasis on caring for adults and elderly patients with surgically manageable diseases in the operating room and outpatient setting. Emphasis of learning is on the pre-operative evaluation and preparation of the patients for surgery; assisting during the intra-operative period; and the post-operative care of surgical wounds, recovery, and possible complications. Students will learn how to participate as a member of an interprofessional surgical team. This clinical rotation experience will enable students to achieve the learning outcomes needed to attain the competencies in the management of acute, emergent, chronic conditions and implement preventive care strategies. This clinical experience will enable the student to provide care as an entry level physician assistant upon graduation.

This is a continuation of the HEAL I course comprised of on-campus seminars that occur throughout the clinical components of the program’s curriculum. This course continues to reinforce the knowledge of important medical practitioner attributes including humanities, ethics, altruism, and leadership. Students will learn about the principles and practice of intellectual honesty, academic and professional conduct, medical ethics, medical law, cultural competency, diversity, spirituality, patient centered care, medical team practice, and preparing students to work collaboratively in interprofessional patient centered teams. Interprofessional patient centered team instruction will emphasize the importance of the team approach to patient centered care beyond the traditional physician-PA team approach. It assists students in learning the principles of interprofessional practice and include opportunities for students to apply these principles in interprofessional teams. This course provides additional instruction on the constantly changing health care system and the impact of racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic health disparities on health care delivery. Instruction related to medical care and diversity aims to prepare students to evaluate their own values and avoid stereotyping. It assists them in becoming aware of differing health beliefs, values and expectations of patients and other health care professionals that can affect communication, decision-making, compliance and health outcomes. This course also provides instruction and assessment in the development of problem solving, medical decision-making skills, patient evaluation, diagnosis, and management related to individualized patient care (across the lifespan to provide preventive, emergent, acute, chronic, rehabilitative, palliative, and end-of life care). It includes content relevant to prenatal, infant, children, adolescent, adult, and elderly populations. Students will receive instruction and training in their progression from active student to practicing physician assistant.

Evidence Based Medicine and Research II is a continuation of the EBMR I course that is an extended course comprised of on-campus seminars that occur throughout the clinical components of the program’s curriculum. This course continues to provide instruction to prepare students to search, interpret and evaluate the medical literature with the application to individualized patient care. Specifically, this course will assist students in maintaining a critical, current and operational knowledge of new medical findings required for the prevention and treatment of disease. Instruction for the following topics are included in this course: analyzing, interpreting, and evaluating literature as well as discussing the limitations of medical research.

This core clinical rotation provides students with exposure to the principles and practice of women’s health, obstetrics, and gynecology. This core rotation provides students with experience in managing common women’s health prevention and diseases in both the inpatient and outpatient medical settings. This clinical rotation enables students to assess adolescent, adult, and elderly female patients seeking medical care with an emphasis on menarche, family planning, childbearing, peri-menopause, menopause and post-menopause. Prevention, recognition, and treatment of prenatal, gynecologic care, sexually transmitted diseases, cancers, will be addressed. Students will gain exposure to labor and deliver, surgical aspects of gynecology, as well as function as a part of the interprofessional healthcare team. This clinical experience will enable students to achieve the learning outcomes needed to attain the competencies in the management of acute, emergent, chronic conditions, and implement preventive care strategies. This clinical rotation will enable the student to provide care as an entry level physician assistant upon graduation.

This core clinical rotation provides students with exposure to the principles and practice of pediatric medicine. This supervised clinical practice experience enables students to assess neonates, infants, children, and adolescent patients seeking medical care in the pediatric outpatient medical setting. This rotation is intended to provide the opportunity to refine techniques of history-taking and physical examination specific to the pediatric population. In addition to providing students with an experience in parental education, parental guidance, and milestone recognition, this rotation aims to expose students to illnesses and injuries that are unique to the pediatric patient. Students will learn how to function as part of a pediatric interprofessional team. This clinical practice experience will enable students to achieve the learning outcomes needed to attain the competencies in the management of acute, emergent, chronic conditions, and implement preventive care strategies. This clinical experience will enable the student to provide care as an entry level physician assistant upon graduation.

This core clinical rotation provides students with exposure to the principles and practice of behavioral and mental health. This supervised clinical practice experience enables students to assess patients seeking medical care across the life span with an emphasis on caring for the child, adolescent, adult and elderly patient with a psychiatric illness, behavioral or mental health disorder. Emphasis will be placed on the development of communication and behavior modification skills. Students will also develop an increased understanding of the social, economic and psychological factors related to the patient and family members of a patient with a mental illness. Students will learn how to participate as a member of an interprofessional mental healthcare team. This clinical rotation experience will enable students to achieve the learning outcomes needed to attain the competencies in the management of acute, emergent, chronic conditions and implement preventive care strategies. This clinical experience will also enable the student to provide care as an entry level physician assistant upon graduation.

This is a continuation of the HEAL II course comprised of on-campus seminars that occur throughout the clinical components of the program’s curriculum. This course continues to reinforce the knowledge of important medical practitioner attributes including humanities, ethics, altruism, and leadership. Students will learn about the principles and practice of intellectual honesty, academic and professional conduct, medical ethics, medical law, cultural competency, diversity, spirituality, patient centered care, medical team practice, and preparing students to work collaboratively in interprofessional patient centered teams. Interprofessional patient centered team instruction will emphasize the importance of the team approach to patient centered care beyond the traditional physician-PA team approach. It assists students in learning the principles of interprofessional practice and include opportunities for students to apply these principles in interprofessional teams. This course provides additional instruction on the constantly changing health care system and the impact of racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic health disparities on health care delivery. Instruction related to medical care and diversity aims to prepare students to evaluate their own values and avoid stereotyping. It assists them in becoming aware of differing health beliefs, values and expectations of patients and other health care professionals that can affect communication, decision-making, compliance and health outcomes. This course also provides instruction and assessment in the development of problem solving, medical decision-making skills, patient evaluation, diagnosis, and management related to individualized patient care (across the lifespan to provide preventive, emergent, acute, chronic, rehabilitative, palliative, and end-of life care). It includes content relevant to prenatal, infant, children, adolescent, adult, and elderly populations. Students will receive instruction and training in their progression from active student to practicing physician assistant.

Applied Research I is an extended course comprised of on-campus seminars that occur throughout the clinical components of the program’s curriculum. This course provides students the opportunity to conduct research. Students will search, interpret, and evaluate medical literature to develop a research project individualized to patient care. Instruction for this course will guide students to develop a research question, determine a research study design, and collect data. Students will utilize statistical methods to appraise the data obtained and determine best application of their results for the improvement of patient care.

This core clinical rotation provides students with exposure to the principles and practice of emergency medicine. This supervised clinical practice experience enables students to assess patients seeking medical care (in the emergency department) across the life span with an emphasis on caring for the acutely and chronically ill adolescent, adult, and elderly patient. Students will gain exposure to the triage, evaluation, and management of patients in the emergent medical setting. Emphasis is on students assessing patient acuity, disease state, and appropriate management within the confines of the emergency medicine department. Students are expected to participate as a member of an interprofessional team in the assessment and care of major and minor medical emergencies. This clinical rotation will also enable students to achieve the learning outcomes needed to attain the competencies in the management of acute and emergent conditions. This clinical experience will enable the student to provide care as an entry level physician assistant upon graduation. This core clinical rotation provides students with exposure to the principles and practice of behavioral and mental health. This supervised clinical practice experience enables students to assess patients seeking medical care across the life span with an emphasis on caring for the child, adolescent, adult and elderly patient with a psychiatric illness, behavioral or mental health disorder. Emphasis will be placed on the development of communication and behavior modification skills. Students will also develop an increased understanding of the social, economic and psychological factors related to the patient and family members of a patient with a mental illness. Students will learn how to participate as a member of an interprofessional mental healthcare team. This clinical rotation experience will enable students to achieve the learning outcomes needed to attain the competencies in the management of acute, emergent, chronic conditions and implement preventive care strategies. This clinical experience will also enable the student to provide care as an entry level physician assistant upon graduation.

This advanced core rotation provides students with opportunities to gain additional experience in one of the core disciplines or to supplement the foundational core rotations with specialty medical or surgical experiences.

This advanced core rotation provides students with opportunities to gain additional experience in one of the core disciplines or to supplement the foundational core rotations with specialty medical or surgical experiences.

This is a preparatory course prior to graduation. During this course, students are exposed to multiple resources for preparation of graduation and post-graduation employment. This course will review instruction about physician assistant licensure, credentialing, and laws/regulations regarding professional practice. This course will also consist of a summative evaluation requirement for each student prior to graduation. The summative evaluation correlates with the didactic and clinical components of the program’s curriculum and will measure each student’s knowledge, interpersonal skills, patient care skills, and professionalism required to enter clinical practice.

This is a continuation of the HEAL III course comprised of on-campus seminars that occur throughout the clinical components of the program’s curriculum. This course continues to reinforce the knowledge of important medical practitioner attributes including humanities, ethics, altruism, and leadership. Students will learn about the principles and practice of intellectual honesty, academic and professional conduct, medical ethics, medical law, cultural competency, diversity, spirituality, patient centered care, medical team practice, and preparing students to work collaboratively in interprofessional patient centered teams. Interprofessional patient centered team instruction will emphasize the importance of the team approach to patient centered care beyond the traditional physician-PA team approach. It assists students in learning the principles of interprofessional practice and include opportunities for students to apply these principles in interprofessional teams. This course provides additional instruction on the constantly changing health care system and the impact of racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic health disparities on health care delivery. Instruction related to medical care and diversity aims to prepare students to evaluate their own values and avoid stereotyping. It assists them in becoming aware of differing health beliefs, values and expectations of patients and other health care professionals that can affect communication, decision-making, compliance and health outcomes. This course also provides instruction and assessment in the development of problem solving, medical decision-making skills, patient evaluation, diagnosis, and management related to individualized patient care. (across the lifespan to provide preventive, emergent, acute, chronic, rehabilitative, palliative, and end-of life care) . It includes content relevant to prenatal, infant, children, adolescent, adult, and elderly populations. Students will receive instruction and training in their progression from active student to practicing physician assistant.

Applied Research II is a continuation of the Applied Research I course. It is an extended course comprised of on-campus seminars that occur throughout the clinical components of the program’s curriculum. This course continues to provide students the opportunity to conduct research. Students will search, interpret, and evaluate medical literature to develop a research project individualized to patient care. Instruction for this course will guide students to develop a research question, determine a research study design, and collect data. Students will utilize statistical methods to appraise the data obtained and determine best application of their results for the improvement of patient care.

This advanced clinical rotation provides students with exposure to the principles and practice of family medicine. This supervised clinical practice experience enables students to assess patients seeking medical care across the life span with an emphasis on caring for the acutely and chronically ill infant, child, adolescent, adult, and elderly patients in an outpatient medical setting. Students will develop the skills necessary to evaluate, monitor, and manage health problems encountered in family medicine. Emphasis is on disease prevention and health maintenance. Students will develop an increased understanding of social, economic and environmental factors related to family medicine. Students will learn how to engage as a member of an interprofessional family medicine team. This advanced rotation experience will also enable students to achieve the learning outcomes needed to attain the competencies in the management of acute, emergent, chronic conditions and implement preventive care strategies. This clinical experience will enable the student to provide care as an entry level physician assistant upon graduation.

This advanced core rotation provides students with opportunities to gain additional experience in one of the core disciplines or to supplement the foundational core rotations with specialty medical or surgical experiences.