College Catalog
One College Avenue, Williamsport PA 17701 · (570) 326-3761 or (800) 367-9222
Physician Assistant (BPA)
Academic School: Health Sciences
(Effective Fall 2006)
Bachelor of Science Degree (B.S.)
Physician assistants (PAs) are health professionals licensed to practice medicine with physician supervision. PAs exercise autonomy in medical decision making and provide a broad range of diagnostic and therapeutic services. The clinical role of physician assistants includes primary and specialty care in medical and surgical settings in rural and urban areas. Students will learn to work successfully in the health care environment, provide treatment for patients, problem solve, and value their professionalism.
The role of the physician assistant demands intelligence, sound judgment, intellectual honesty, appropriate interpersonal skills and the capacity to react to emergencies in a calm and reasoned manner. An attitude of respect for others, adherence to the concepts of privilege and confidentiality in communicating with patients, and a commitment to the patient's welfare are essential attributes. Individuals who can meet those requirements and become physician assistants will be able to provide the following services:
EVALUATION - elicit a detailed and accurate history; perform an appropriate physical examination; order, perform, and interpret appropriate diagnostic studies; delineate problems; develop management plans; and record and present data.
MONITORING - implement patient management plans, record progress notes, and participate in the provision of the community of care.
THERAPEUTICS - perform therapeutic procedures and manage or assist in the management of medical and surgical conditions, which may include assisting surgeons during operations and performing evaluation and therapeutic procedures in response to life-threatening situations.
PATIENT EDUCATION - counsel patients regarding issues of health care management, to include compliance with prescribed therapeutic regimens, normal growth and development, family planning, and emotional problems of daily living.
REFERRAL - facilitate the referral of patients to other health care providers or agencies as appropriate.
A master's degree is offered to interested students via distance learning from NOVA Southeastern University.
Graduates will be eligible to sit for the Physician Assistant National Certification Exam (PANCE). For further information, contact National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA), 157 Technology Parkway, Suite 800, Norcross, GA 30092-2913.
Career Opportunities: The majority of practicing physician assistants work in areas of primary care medicine, including family practice, internal medicine, OB/GYN, and pediatrics. However, an increasing number of PAs practice in surgical settings such as general, orthopedics, and cardiovascular surgery, and in emergency medicine. PAs can practice in any sub-specialty.
Salaries vary by geographic areas, practice setting, and job responsibilities.
Recommended High School Subjects: High school students should focus their academic course work on written and oral communication, upper level mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics courses with labs, and should excel in these areas.
Special Admissions Requirements: Eligibility for the Physician Assistant major requires completion of a college application, documentation of at least 300 hours of health care exposure including a minimum of 16 hours with a practicing physician assistant and completion/enrollment in program prerequisites. High school students must submit their application to the Admissions Office by January 15. Transfer students will be admitted on a space-available basis. For both high school and transfer students, health care hours and prerequisite courses must be documented by May 30 of the year a student enters the professional program. To view detailed information on acceptance criteria, testing requirements, performance expectations, and the admissions ranking system, consult the following Web site: http://www.pct.edu/catalog/specialadmission.htm
Remediation Strategies: All remediation must be done in the admission stage. No student with deficiencies will be considered for acceptance or accepted into the junior or senior level of the program.
Transfer Procedures: College-level courses less than ten years old will be evaluated for transfer equivalency by the Academic Advisement Center. The routine transfer guidelines established by the College apply.
NOTE: Course sequence for transfer students begins at fifth semester.
Program Goals: A graduate of this major should be able to:
- integrate ethical and moral behavior into the practice of medicine.
- serve as a role model for the physician assistant profession.
- demonstrate intelligence, sound judgment, and intellectual honesty.
- demonstrate effective communication with both written and verbal skills.
- develop and maintain clinical competence sufficient to address the needs of ambulatory and hospitalized patients.
- develop, demonstrate, and appreciate techniques and skills for problem solving and decision making.
- recognize and adapt to the changing health care environment.
- develop skills for and commit to the process of lifelong learning.
- evaluate professional/medical literature to maintain an operational knowledge of new medical evidence.
- appreciate and adapt to diverse/alternative cultures, processes, and ideas.
- approach patients, students, faculty, and colleagues with empathy.
- contribute service and knowledge to the community and the profession.
- demonstrate effective organizational, operational, and management skills in physician assistant practice.
- identify and appreciate the nature of the physician assistant relationship with physicians and other health care providers.
- demonstrate an understanding and devotion to primary care medicine.
- identify and deliver health promotion and disease prevention to patients.
| First Semester | Credits | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| BIO115 | Human Anatomy and Physiology I | 4 | |
| CHM111 | General Chemistry I | 4 | |
| ENL111 | English Composition I | 3 | |
| SPC | Speech Elective | 3 | |
| CSC110 | Introduction to Information Technology | 3 | |
| 17 | |||
| Second Semester | Credits | ||
| BIO125 | Human Anatomy and Physiology II | 4 | |
| CHM203 | Organic Chemistry I | 4 | |
| MTS | Math Elective (160 or higher) | 3 | |
| ENL121 | English Composition II | 3 | |
| or | |||
| ENL201 | Technical and Professional Communication | 3 | |
| PSY111 | General Psychology | 3 | |
| 17 | |||
| Third Semester | Credits | ||
| BIO213 | Human Cellular and Molecular Biology | 3 | |
| MTS | Math Elective (160 or higher) | 3 | |
| HUM | Humanities Elective | 3 | |
| SSE | Social Science Elective | 3 | |
| 12 | |||
| Fourth Semester | Credits | ||
| BIO241 | Medical Microbiology for PA Students | 3 | |
| BPA | Directed Physician Assistant Elective | 3 | |
| ART | Art Elective | 3 | |
| HUM | Humanities Elective | 3 | |
| or | |||
| SSE | Social Science Elective | 3 | |
| or | |||
| ART | Art Elective | 3 | |
| or | |||
| FOR | Foreign Language Elective | 3 | |
| or | |||
| AAE | Applied Arts Elective | 3 | |
| or | |||
| IFE | International Field Experience Elective | 3 | |
| FIT | Fitness and Lifetime Sports Elective | 2 | |
| 14 | |||
| Fifth Semester | Credits | ||
| PHA310 | History Taking and Interviewing Techniques | 3 | |
| PHA315 | Pathophysiology | 3 | |
| PHA322 | Pharmacology I | 2 | |
| PHA327 | Clinical Procedures I | 2 | Science, Technology and Society Requirement |
| PHA328 | Physical Assessment I | 2 | |
| PHA346 | Principles of Clinical Medicine I | 3 | |
| HTH330 | Medical Ethics | 2 | |
| HTH333 | Human Cadaver Anatomy | 4 | |
| 21 | |||
| Sixth Semester | Credits | ||
| PHA305 | Clinical Laboratory Medicine | 3 | |
| PHA337 | Clinical Procedures II | 4 | |
| PHA338 | Physical Assessment II | 3 | |
| PHA342 | Pharmacology II | 2 | |
| PHA351 | Pediatrics | 2 | |
| PHA348 | Psychopathology | 1 | |
| PHA366 | Principles of Clinical Medicine II | 4 | |
| 19 | |||
| Summer Session | Credits | ||
| PHA353 | Issues in Physician Assistant Practice | 1 | |
| PHA352 | Community and Public Health | 2 | Writing Enriched Requirement & Cultural Diversity Requirement |
| PHA357 | Clinical Procedures III | 2 | Science, Technology and Society Requirement |
| PHA362 | Clinical Pharmacology III | 1 | |
| PHA367 | Principles of Clinical Medicine III | 4 | |
| PHA368 | Physical Assessment III | 3 | |
| PHA370 | Clinical Decision Making | 3 | |
| 16 | |||
| Seventh Semester | Credits | ||
| PHA411 | Family Practice Internship | 4 | |
| PHA412 | Internal Medicine Internship | 4 | |
| PHA421 | Pediatrics Internship | 3 | |
| PHA409 | Physician Assistant Internship Seminar I | 1 | |
| 12 | |||
| Eighth Semester | Credits | ||
| PHA419 | Obstetrics and Gynecology Internship | 4 | |
| PHA415 | Emergency Medicine Internship | 4 | |
| PHA416 | Psychiatry Internship | 3 | |
| PHA422 | Physician Assistant Internship Seminar II | 1 | |
| 12 | |||
| Summer Session | Credits | ||
| PHA417 | Surgery Internship | 4 | |
| PHA418 | Elective Internship | 3 | |
| PHA490 | Clinical Preceptorship | 4 | |
| PHA496 | Senior Capstone | 1 | Writing Enriched Requirement & Cultural Diversity Requirement |
| 12 | |||
A full listing of Directed Physician Assistant Electives can be found at http://www.pct.edu/catalog/courses/BPAELC.SHTML
Successful completion of an accredited PA program is required for eligibility to take the National Certification Exam (PANCE), which is required to obtain credentials for licensure/registration.
Additional Information: In addition to tuition, fees, books and other standard student costs, physician assistant students will be responsible for all costs related to travel to clinical sites, living expenses incurred while in clinical site rotations, a complete medical and dental examination, student malpractice insurance, health insurance, lab coats, instruments, laptop computer, criminal record clearance, child abuse clearance, drug screen, and assessment exam. The PA student's estimated costs for books and the items listed above, excluding travel and living expenses, are $6,075 the first year and $1,495 the second year.
Employment While Enrolled in the PA Major: Students generally find that maintaining employment while enrolled in the Physician Assistant major is extremely difficult and can have detrimental effects on their academic performance. Because of the rigorous program of study, students are strongly advised not to maintain outside employment while enrolled as a PA student. Students who choose part-time work in addition to their academic responsibilities should be aware that work requirements or responsibilities will never be an acceptable excuse for absenteeism or submission of incomplete assignments. The academic, clinical, and travel requirements during the junior and senior year of the program will make part-time work during that time period impossible.
The main emphasis of the 24-month professional-level program is primary care. Rigorous and intense didactic course work will take place during the first 12 months of the professional-level program and will be conducted on the main campus. The clinical internships, involving 45 weeks of practice of at least 40-hour weeks, are designed to provide a variety of experiences for the PA student, and will take place during the second 12 months of the professional-level program. For academic reasons it is highly likely that the student will have to temporarily relocate during some clinical internships.
Notice of Conviction: Child-abuse clearance, criminal background checks, and drug screens are required. Students desiring entrance into the Physician Assistant major should be aware that clinical institutions could bar them from their sites if a criminal record exists or if a positive drug test is noted. Inability to gain clinical education experience results in inability to meet program objectives and outcomes. The presence of a criminal record can result in agencies refusing to issue credentials necessary for employment.
Accreditation: The Physician Assistant major is fully accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA).