Physician Assistant Program
Director: Karen E. Arscott, D.O., M.Sc.
Mission || Academic
Flexibility || Program
Overview || Pre-Professional Phase || Professional
Phase || Clinical Concentration || Community
Health || Emergency Medicine || General
PA Studies | Degree Conferral and Certification || Gerontology || Orthopedics & Exercise
Medicine || Accreditation & Memberships
Mission
The Physician Assistant Program at Marywood University is committed
to providing students with an exceptional education in a supportive
and nurturing environment. This professional education will include
the knowledge necessary to diagnose, treat, educate, and empower patients
in a variety of settings.
This program is committed to preparing the student to deal with the
changing health care environment while promoting the physician assistant
profession.
Marywood's Physician Assistant Program will emphasize
the importance of sharing their knowledge with future Physician
Assistant students while providing leadership in the community.
We acknowledge that a patient is more than his/her physical body
and so the program is dedicated to teaching the students the appreciation
of the patient's spirit as well as caring for the body.
The Marywood Physician Assistant Program has an awareness of the
need for quality health care, both regionally and globally: and this
program will assist our students in carrying out Marywood's
goal for all students -- learning
to live/practice responsibly in a interdependent world.
Academic Flexibility
Muliple Points of Entry:
- Enter as a Freshman -- Five year program
- Enter as a Transfer -- Two to five year program based
on approved credits for advanced standing
- Enter as a Graduate Student -- Those with a B.S. may
earn their Master's in PA studies after 27 monthes
Clinical Diversity: Students may choose to focus
their studies and clinical experience in any one of the following
areas of concentration:
- Primary Care
- Community Health
- Geriatrics
- Emergency Medicine
- Orthopedics/Sports Medicine
Dual Degree Program: M.S./M.H.S.A. available
Program Overview
The five-year program consists of two distinct phases: The Pre-Professional
phase
(years 1-3), and the Professional phase (years 4 -5). The curriculum
for the Professional
phase is further divided into a Didactic and Clinical period.
The Pre-Professional Phase
During this phase of the program students undertake a period of study
to meet the
liberal arts core requirements and the science requirements to prepare
for admittance
to the Professional phase of the program. A description of this program
can be seen
in the undergraduate catalog.
The Professional Phase
This consists of 27 months of continuous study in the clinical sciences.
The first 12
months are didactic and include classroom and laboratory work in basic
and applied
medical science. The final 15 months are clinical and include six 6-week
rotations and
two 3-month preceptorships. These are performed at local and regional
clinical sites
such as hospitals and medical offices, providing experiences in the
areas of pediatrics,
surgery, orthopedic surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, and emergency
room medicine.
During this phase students, according to their area of concentration,
will be
required to complete three graduate courses from within their track
and a Professional
Contribution paper/project, or thesis after project.
Clinical Concentration
In the fifth year of the program students will be able to select specialty
tracks to
focus their graduate education and clinical acumen. These tracks are
General PA
Studies (Primary Care), Orthopedics and Exercise Medicine, Gerontology,
Community Health, and Emergency Medicine. Students will have to petition
to
enter the Specialty tracks and the enrollment will be limited to 3-4
students per
track. The preceptorship and thesis and/or Professional Contribution
will likewise be
defined by the track the student has chosen. The tracks serve to allow
the student an
opportunity to refine their clinical abilities within an area of specialization.
These
tracks do not make them a specialist. No certification is conferred
beyond that of
their M.S. in PA Studies. The Tracks are flexible. Students may select
from the
following EXISTING graduate level courses to complete their elective
requirements
(3 courses per track required):
Community Health
Other courses from the Human Development Doctoral or MHSA programs
by
special request.
Emergency Medicine
This is a completely "Clinical" track. Clinical rotations
will include Toxicology, Burn
Center, Trauma, and Preceptorship in Emergency Medicine. No new Marywood
courses will be required.
General PA Studies
This also is a Clinical track with emphasis on Primary Care (Pediatrics,
Internal
Medicine or Family Practice.) The student may also select from any
of the courses
noted above plus existing graduate courses in Psychology and from the
Human
Development Doctoral Program (requires special arrangement with instructor.)
Degree Conferral and Certification
Those students entering the program as undergraduates will be awarded
the B.S. in
Health Sciences upon successful completion of the PA curriculum through
year four.
Students successfully completing the Professional Phase (years 4 and
5) of the PA
Program are awarded the Master of Science degree in Physician Assistant
Studies and
are eligible to take the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination
(PANCE) administered by the National Commission on Certification of
Physician
Assistants. Once a candidate passes the examination, he/she is certified
to perform a
broad range of diagnostic and therapeutic services under the supervision
of a licensed
physician.
Gerontology
Other courses from the Human Development Doctoral or MHSA programs
by
special request.
Orthopedics and Exercise Medicine
Accreditation & Memberships
Marywood University's Physician Assistant Program is fully accredited
by the
Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant
(ARCPA).
We are institutional members of the Association of Physician Assistant
Programs
(APAP) and The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA), the
only
national organization that represents physician assistants in all specialties
and all
employment settings.
Year 4 -- PA Didactic Phase
Summer
| PA 510 |
Clinical Assessment and Diagnosis I |
| PA 520A |
Pathophysiology I |
| PA 522 |
Medical Anatomy and Physiology I |
| PA 530 |
Clinical Medicine I |
| PA 540 |
Diagnostic Methods I |
| PA 570 |
Developmental Medicine I |
| PA 580 |
Epidemiology/Research Methods |
Fall
| PA 511 |
Clinical Assessment and Diagnosis II |
| PA 521A |
Pathophysiology II |
| PA 523 |
Medical Anatomy and Physiology II |
| PA 531 |
Clinical Medicine II |
| PA 541 |
Diagnostic Methods II |
| PA 550 |
Basic Medical Science I |
| PA 571 |
Developmental Medicine II |
| PA 581 |
Research Methods II |
| PA 590 |
Seminar I |
Spring
| PA 532 |
Clinical Medicine III |
| PA 551 |
Basic Medical Science II |
| PA 560 |
Behavioral Sciences |
| PA 572 |
Developmental Medicine III |
| PA 591 |
Seminar II |
| BIOL 583 |
Emergency Medical Technology |
| GER 510 |
Concepts and Issues in Gerontology |
Year 5-PA Clinical Phase
Summer
| PA 610 |
Clerkship I |
| PA 611 |
Clerkship II |
| PA |
Course specific to track |
Fall
| PA 612 |
Clerkship III |
| PA 611 |
Clerkship IV |
| PA 614 |
Clerkship V |
Spring
| PA 615 |
Clerkship VI |
| PA 640 |
Preceptorship I |
Summer
| PA 650 |
Preceptorship II |
| P A |
Professional Contribution or thesis |
| 
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