|
CURRICULUM: MASTER IN PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT STUDIES
The Masters Program is 24 months in length. The Program begins in June of Year 1 and ends in May of Year 3. Prior to beginning the program, students participate in a week-long, on-line orientation preparing them for the many components of on-line course work. This is done through real-time on-line interaction.
The first two semesters consist entirely of on-line courses in basic sciences and other health care topics needed by the PA student. These begin in June and continue through December. While the course work is all on-line, there are selected dates and times for on-line tests and/or phone conferences.
In January, the clinical portion of the program begins. For the next year, the student will be coming to the UND campus 3 different times, each time for 4 weeks. Each four week didactic instruction time is followed by supervised clinical time with their primary preceptor in the students’ home states. The classes (didactic instruction) and the clinical experiences are conducted on a rotating basis with each didactic session followed by a clinical phase. This allows students to develop clinical competencies on a more individualized basis and provides for correlation of didactic instruction and clinical experience.
During this time the student also completes additional on line-courses in evidence-based medicine and PA Role.
The final semester consists of 12 weeks of specialty clerkship clinical rotations, completion of a scholarly project, and a final three weeks on campus for testing, review, and additional instruction on office practice and management.
During the clinical phases, a program faculty member serving as advisor communicates with the student/ preceptor team to monitor specific areas of experience needed by the student to meet the educational goals of the Program and to facilitate role development. This is done by site visit, video conferencing and/or conference calling. The Program is individualized as much as possible to meet the needs of the individual student.
Throughout the Program, computer technology is used extensively. Prior to beginning the Program, students need to have a working knowledge of the use of e-mail, including sending attachments, and navigation within the world-wide-web with the use of search engines.
The Program is competency-based, that is, in order to graduate, each student must be able to demonstrate competencies in performing patient assessment and patient management functions, successfully complete comprehensive testing, and have completed a research project.
REQUIRED COURSES
PA 500 |
Introduction to the PA Role |
2 credits |
PA 505 |
Anatomy and Medical Terminology Review |
3 credits |
PA 510 |
Pathophysiology for the Physician Assistant |
3 credits |
PA 515 |
Investigative Studies for the Physician Assistant |
3 credits |
PA 516 |
Introduction to Pharmacology and EKG’s |
2 credits |
PA 540 |
Primary Care I |
8 credits |
PA 541 |
Primary Care I Clinical |
4 credits |
PA 520 |
Evidence Based Medicine I |
2 credits |
PA 550 |
Primary Care II |
8 credits |
PA 551 |
Primary Care II Clinical |
6 credits |
PA 525 |
Evidence Based Medicine II |
2 credits |
PA 565 |
PA Role |
3 credits |
PA 560 |
Primary Care III |
8 credits |
PA 561 |
Primary Care III Clinical |
5 credits |
PA 585 |
Current Trends and Issues for the Physician Assistant Practitioner |
2 credits |
PA 580 |
Specialty Clerkship |
6 credits |
PA 995 |
Scholarly Project |
2 credits |
|
|
|
|
TOTAL REQUIRED CREDITS: |
69 credits |
[ back to top ]
PROGRAM AT A GLANCE
[ back to top ]
|
COURSE CONTENT: REQUIRED COURSES
PA 500. Introduction to the PA Role. 2 credits. Prerequisite: Enrolled in Physician Assistant Program. This on-line course introduces the student to the profession. It reviews the history of the profession, the history of the UND PA Program, and the challenges to be faced in role transition. It covers the different techniques of interviewing including interviewing of different age groups or ethnic or cultural backgrounds for the purpose of obtaining information for a patient’s medical history.
PA 505. Anatomy and Medical Terminology. 3 credits. Prerequisite: Enrolled in the Physician Assistant Program. This on-line, self directed course is a review of the basic principles of anatomy and medical terminology in preparation for the clinical phase of the Program, especially physical assessment, medical interviewing, and medical charting.
PA 510. Pathophysiology for the Physician Assistant. 3 credits. Prerequisite: Enrolled in the Physician Assistant Program. This on-line course covers the pathophysiologic function of the human body and its organ systems.
PA 515. Investigative Studies for the Physician Assistant. 3 credits. Prerequisite: Enrolled in the Physician Assistant Program This on-line course discusses basic diagnostic tests, including their role in diagnoses and treatment, acceptable normals for individual tests, and interpretations of abnormals. Components studied include hematology, chemistry, urinalysis, immunology, molecular diagnostics and microbiology.
PA 516. Introduction to Pharmacology and Basic EKG. 2 credits. Prerequisite: Enrolled in the Physician Assistant Program. This 2 part, on-line survey course reviews: pharmacokinetics in preparation for clinical pharmacology taught in Primary Care II and III; and Basic EKG’s, in preparation for EKG interpretation taught in Primary Care I and II.
PA 520. Evidence-based Medicine I. 2 credits. Prerequisite: Enrolled in Physician Assistant Program. This on-line course provides the PA student with an overview of statistical and epidemiological principles used in medical literature. The units build sequentially to provide the student with a solid foundation, which includes applied statistics and in-depth literature reviews, to provide a basis of comparison for understanding the medical literature and translating research findings into the clinical setting.
PA 525. Evidence-based Medicine II. 2 credits. Prerequisite: Enrolled in Physician Assistant Program. This on-line course is a continuation of PA 520, with the discussions and application of Evidence-based Medicine. Epidemiology and research principles that apply to the analysis of medical literature are discussed. The course is designed to prepare the student for the writing of the scholarly project.
PA 540. Primary Care I. 8 credits. Prerequisite: Enrolled in the Physician Assistant Program. This four week didactic course on the UND campus uses the analytical approach to the theory and techniques required to elicit a complete health history, perform a complete physical examination, and document findings on patients of all ages. Variances due to normal growth and development, pregnancy and aging are studied. Numerous clinical skills labs are utilized to apply techniques of systematic physical exam skills.
PA 541. Primary Care I Clinical. 4 credits. Prerequisite: Enrolled in the Physician Assistant Program. Following four weeks of didactic instruction in PA 540, this eight week clinical practicum, supervised by a physician in a primary care setting, is required to assist students in the application of physical examination techniques.
PA 550. Primary Care II. 8 credits. Prerequisite: Enrolled in Physician Assistant Program. This 4 week course on the UND campus uses the problem solving process to instruct students in the diagnosis and management of acute and emergent conditions seen in the child, adult, elderly, and pregnant women in the primary care setting. The pharmacology portion of this course discusses pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic principles of drug therapy; the scheduling of drugs; and the use of generic vs. brand name drugs. It emphasizes pharmacological preparations used in acute and emergent conditions through teaching the principles of rational drug therapy: selection, initiation, and monitoring, with current information regarding efficacy, toxicity, and the cost of pharmacological agents. Skills labs in suturing, casting and splinting are completed.
PA 551. Primary Care II Clinical. 6 credits. Prerequisite: Enrolled in Physician Assistant Program. Following four weeks of didactic instruction in Primary Care II, an extensive clinical practicum of twelve weeks supervised by a physician is required to assist students in the synthesis and application of theoretical and scientific concepts in the care of patients with acute and emergent conditions in a primary care setting. Included in this time is an 80 hour experience in an Emergency Room setting.
PA 560. Primary Care III. 8 credits. Prerequisite: Enrolled in the Physician Assistant Program. This 4 week didactic course uses the problem solving process to instruct students in the diagnosis and management of chronic conditions seen in the child, adult, elderly, in the primary care setting. Management of patients with multiple problems is emphasized. The pharmacology portion of this course emphasizes pharmacological preparations used in chronic conditions through teaching the principles of rational drug therapy: selection, initiation, and monitoring, with current information regarding efficacy, toxicity, and the cost of pharmacological agents. Special emphasis is given to drug interactions. Skills labs in joint injection and punch biopsies are completed.
PA 561. Primary Care III Clinical. 5 credits. Prerequisite: Enrolled in the Physician Assistant Program. Following 4 weeks of didactic instruction in PA 560, this 10 week clinical practicum supervised by a physician is required to assist students in the synthesis and application of theoretical and scientific concepts as it relates to patients with chronic conditions in a primary care setting. Clinical experience in hospitals and nursing homes must be obtained by the completion of this course.
PA 565. PA Role. 3 credits. Prerequisite: Enrolled in the Physician Assistant Program.
This on-line course introduces the PA student to a more complete role definition in varied sectors of the health care industry. It introduces the PA student to: the PA organizations on both the state and national level; the role of the PA in rural and underserved primary care settings; credentialing; licensure; professional liability; malpractice insurance and other legal issues. It also prepares the student for transition from PA-S to PA-C: office risk management; practice preparation; role expectations, national certification and recertification, licensure, the impaired professional, leadership within the profession, and the life-long learner.
PA 580. Specialty Clerkship. 6 credits. Prerequisite: Enrolled in the Physician Assistant Program. Specialty clinical rotations, each from two to four weeks in length, for a total of ten weeks as determined by the faculty advisor and student in discussion with the clinical preceptor, that increases knowledge in areas of interest, or is required to fulfill the Program requirements for types of patients, patient settings, and age groupings.
PA 585. Current Trends and Issues for the Physician Assistant Practitioner. 2 credits. Prerequisite: Enrolled in the Physician Assistant Program. This on-line course covers the following areas: Ethical issues; End of Life/Palliative Care; Rehabilitative Medicine; Complementary and Alternative Medicine; and Bioterrorism.
PA 995. Scholarly Project. 2 credits. Prerequisite: Enrolled in the Physician Assistant rogram. The scholarly project requires the student to investigate a topic related to an area of interest within primary care and/or the PA profession. This can be done individually or in groups. Before initiating the project, the student must obtain approval from designated faculty.
[ back to top ]
|
