PA 654 CLINICAL GENETICS
A one semester 30 contact hour course that will introduce the student to the field of genetics and teach skills in identifying and referring families for evaluation. Basic genetic principles will be discussed and their relevancy in counseling patients and disease processes. Ethical and legal issues will be discussed as well. The course will be taught congruently with Clinical Biochemistry. The course will be taught via lecture and discussion.

PA 655 PRINCIPLES OF PHARMACOLOGY
A one semester 60 contact hour course that will instruct the student in the basic principles of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. The course will lay the foundation of the value of therapeutics in treating disease as well as preventive modalities. Included in the course are the principles of prescription order writing, patient compliance and design and optimization of dosage regimens. The course will be taught via lecture and discussion

PA 656 CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY and MICROBIOLOGY
A one semester 45 contact hour course that will familiarize the student to basic microbiology and immunology principles as they relate to the disease process. The course is a pre-requisite to the Infectious Disease course and discusses the body’s responses to 8mmunity, autoimmunity, and tissue damage as well as microorganisms and their growth. An emphasis is place on immunological disorder4s and viral, bacterial, and fungal diseases. The course will be taught via lecture and discussion.

PA 657 HUMAN SCIENCE
A one semester 204 contact hour integrated lecture-laboratory course that will instruct the student in gross anatomy, neuroanatomy, biochemistry and physiology. The course is taught by body systems in order to facilitate learning with an emphasis on clinical relevancy. The student will develop an awareness of how the various parts and systems of the human body are related spatially, functionally, and clinically which will provide a framework to understanding Clinical Medicine I, II, III as well as Pharmacology, Surgery, Emergency Medicine and Infectious Disease.

PA 670 DIAGNOSTIC MODALITIES
A one semester 45 contact hour course that will instruct the student of the value of utilizing various modalities in the diagnosis of diseases and medical conditions. It will include different laboratory tests, radiologic tests, and some specialty tests that will aid the student in the diagnostic process. The course will augment Clinical Medicine I, II, and III, Infectious Disease, Emergency Medicine, and Surgery. The course will be taught via lecture and discussion.

PA 671 CLINICAL MEDICINE I
A one semester 75 contact hour course that will instruct the student on illnesses related to pulmonology and cardiology. The student will learn the pathology of each organ system in relation to disease processes. Integration of this material as well as clinical presentation and history and physical findings will aid the student in developing a differential diagnosis and treatment plan. Information taught in this course will be utilized in the physical diagnosis courses. The course will be taught via lecture and discussion.

PA 672 PHYSICAL DIAGNOSIS I
A one semester 60 contact hour course that will instruct the student on how to competently perform a comprehensive history and physical. Emphasis is placed on proper technique, efficiency, and patient sensitivity. The student will be able to recite a complete history and perform a complete physical without the benefit of teaching aids and in a timely manner. The course will be taught via lecture and small group instruction. The students will be encouraged to study in a collaborative manner.

PA 673 CLINICAL MEDICINE II
A one semester 150 contact hour course that will instruct the student on illnesses related to otolaryngology, gastroenterology, urology/nephrology, endocrinology, ophthalmology and hematology/oncology. The student will learn the pathology of each organ system in relation to the disease processes. Integration of this material as well as clinical presentation, and history and physical findings will aid the student in developing a differential diagnosis and treatment plan. Information taught in this course will be utilized in the physical diagnosis courses. The course will be taught via lecture and discussion.

PA 674 PHYSICAL DIAGNOSIS II
A one semester 60 contact hour course that will instruct the student on the problem oriented history and physical examination. The student will learn to identify and utilize relevant components of the history and physical examination in order to address and treat an illness or condition. The sequencing of the clinical topics will be coordinated with Clinical Medicine I, II, and III. The course will be problem based and taught in small groups.

PA 675 CLINICAL MEDICINE III
A one semester 150 contact hour course that will instruct the student on illnesses related to neurology, obstetrics and gynecology, dermatology, rheumatology/orthopedics, pediatrics, and geriatrics. The student will learn the pathology of each organ system in relation to disease processes. Integration of this material as well as clinical presentation, and history and physical findings will aid the student in developing a differential diagnosis and treatment plan. Information taught in this course will be utilized in the physical diagnosis courses. The course will be taught via lecture and discussion.

PA 676 PHYSICAL DIAGNOSIS III
A one semester 30 contact hour course that will instruct the student on the problem oriented history and physical examination. The student will learn to identify and utilize relevant components of the history and physical examination in order to address and treat an illness or condition. The sequencing of the clinical topics will be coordinated with Clinical Medicine I, II, and III. The course will be problem based and taught in small groups.

PA 677 INFECTIOUS DISEASE
A one semester 30 contact hour course that will instruct the student on specific infectious diseases that impact on the community. Included in this course will be discussion on HIV, hepatitis, tuberculosis, parasitic diseases, lyme disease, opportunistic infections and various diseases that world travelers may be in contact with. This course will enhance the microbiology and immunology course by discussing related clinical syndromes in depth. The course will be taught via lecture and discussion.

PA 678 EMERGENCY MEDICINE
A one semester 45 contact hour course that will introduce the student to the principles of the emergent patient, triage, and management. Included in patient management will be the management of the undifferentiated patient and development of a comprehensive differential diagnosis. The student will also develop skills in interventional procedures and successfully complete ACLS. The course will be taught via lecture, class participation, and discussion.

PA 679 SURGERY
A one semester 45 contact hour course designed to discuss general surgical concepts in the management of the surgical patient. Included in the course are illnesses that require surgical intervention and their signs, symptoms, diagnostic modalities, and outcomes. Included in the course is the surgical sub-specialty, orthopedics. Procedures such as suturing, sterile techniques, wound irrigation, and excision of lesions will be taught. The course will be taught via lecture, class participation and discussion.

PA 680 CLINICAL INTERVIEWING AND COUNSELING
A one semester 30 contact hour course that will teach the student interviewing and counseling skills when dealing with different patient personalities and problems. The course is designed to augment physical Diagnosis I, Ii, and III and prepare the student for the clinical rotations. The course will be taught via small discussion groups and include role playing.

PA 681 MENTAL HEALTH AND HUMAN SEXUALITY
A one semester 45 contact hour course that will introduce the student to common psychiatric and mental health disorders frequently encountered in outpatient settings. Included in the topics covered will be depression, anxiety, phobia, substance abuse, psychosis, neurosis, and personality disorders. Sexual concerns and dysfunction will also be discussed. The course will be taught via lecture and discussion.

PA 682 US HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS
A one semester 30 contact hour course that will introduce the student to the changing health care system in the US. The student will be exposed to financial and ethical issues that challenge today’s system and ways to address it. Included also will be an exposure to quality of care and the health care work force.

PA 683 INTRODUCTION TO EPIDEMIOLOGY
A one semester 45 contact hour course that will introduce the student to the study of the distribution and determinants of health and disease in the human population and the application of this study to the control of disease. The student will develop basic conceptual and analytical skills in the design and conduct of epidemiologic studies and understand the process of epidemiologic surveillance.

PA 684 BIOSTATISTICS and RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
A one semester 30 contact hour course that will provide the student with the basic knowledge and skills to effectively use biostatistics in different research design and data analysis, and to understand articles in related professional journals. Topics include choosing correct statistical methods and study designs in public health research and practice, descriptive statistics, probability and probability distributions, estimation and hypothesis testing, simple linear regression, introduction to analysis of variance and an introduction to the use of statistical software packages.

PA 690 PA ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
A one semester 15 contact hour course that will introduce the student to the history of the Physician Assistant profession and provide an overview of the PA scope of practice in medicine. Students will acquire relevant knowledge of the existing relationships, similarities and differences among different health care providers and be able to articulate to any audience in oral or written form, who PAs are and the critical role Physician Assistants play in today’s health system. The course will be taught via discussion, student presentation, readings and lecture.

PA 691 CULTURAL COMPETENCY
A one semester 30 contact hour course that is designed to teach the student interventional methods in patient management. The course is composed of three components: cultural competency, communication skills, and familiarization with government efforts to reach diverse groups. The course is designed to compliment the Physical Diagnosis courses by integrating cultural considerations, improving communication among patient, clinician and others, and developing counseling techniques pertinent to individual patients. The course will teach some basic Spanish language medical terminology. Lecture, discussion, and interactive scenarios will be used.

PA 693 A CASE APPROACH TO ETHICS AND JURISPRUDENCE
A one semester 30 contact hour course designed to expose the student to medical ethical issues. The course will highlight situations that a practitioner may encounter while practicing medicine and will include issues not only related to patient care, but professional practices as well. The course will be taught via readings, discussion, and student presentations. Class participation is an integral component of this course.

PA701 ADULT MEDICINE
A twelve week, 12 semester hour clinical experience in an urban or rural location that is designed to expose the student to a wide range of medical problems including cardiac, endocrine, pulmonary, renal, neurological and gastrointestinal disease, as seen in adult medical practice. The student will apply the principles of geriatric and internal medicine as taught in the classroom phase. This rotation will familiarize the student with the settings in which care is delivered to the adult patient, to include the office, clinic, hospital, nursing home, and hospice. The student will gain experience with the therapeutic requirements appropriate for management of patients with medical problems, as well as the indications, availability, reliability, limitations, and possible untoward side effects of these therapeutic efforts. Identification and management of social issues such as end of life issues, advanced directives and elder abuse will be addressed.

PA 702 FAMILY MEDICINE
The twelve week, twelve semester hour Family Practice Medicine rotation is designed to provide the PA student with an opportunity to expand his or her primary care skills. Students will develop an understanding of family medicine as practiced in the ambulatory care setting. This rotation will provide the PA student with practical opportunities to incorporate the multiple medical and surgical disciplines necessary in a diverse practice setting, integrating pediatric, adult, and geriatric populations. Students will gain exposure to a wide range of medical problems, as well as concerns related to family dynamics, including psychosocial interventions and psychiatric disorders seen in primary care practices

PA 703 EMERGENCY MEDICINE
A four week, four semester hour clinical experience in an urban or rural location that is intended to provide the student with practical clinical experience working in an acute care emergency room. It is intended to augment and strengthen the physician assistant student’s skills in developing a systematic approach to common medical and surgical emergency problems. This rotation teaches the student the indications, limitations, and methodology of emergency room diagnostic procedures and therapeutic strategies. It affords the student the opportunity to formulate organized and complete emergency room records and problem lists. The clerkship is also intended to introduce the student to the contributions of other health professions in the overall delivery of health care.

PA 704 OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY
The purpose of the four week, four semester hour Obstetrics and Gynecology rotation is to provide the student with practical clinical experience in the diagnosis, evaluation, and management of normal and abnormal obstetrical and gynecological conditions. The rotation is intended to augment and strengthen the student Physician Assistant’s skills in regard to a variety of problems of primary care obstetrics and gynecology. PACR 635 may be completed in a Women’s Health Clinic, Family Planning Clinic that sees GYN cases, or private facility, as long as the clinical objectives are met.

PA 705 PEDIATRICS
A four week, four semester hour clinical experience in an urban or rural location that provides an introduction to pediatrics, to include history and physical examination specific to children, identification and treatment of childhood illness, and the techniques, procedures and therapeutics useful in the management of pediatric patients. The student will also gain experience in growth and development parameters and in interviewing and counseling parents.

PA 706 SURGERY
A four week, four semester hour clinical experience that provides an introduction to the surgical service. The student will gain experience in establishing and maintaining a sterile field, practice with surgical instruments and equipment, study the approach to the surgical patient, gain familiarization with surgical techniques, and learn how to function in the surgical environment.

PA 709 COMMUNITY MEDICINE
A four week, four semester hour clinical experience in an urban or rural location. Students will gain exposure to a wide range of community medical problems and concerns affecting a diverse population, including communicable diseases, cultural differences, psychosocial interventions, preventive medicine, and the potential impact on the public health by bioterrorism. During this rotation the student will apply his clinical knowledge, and principles learned in classroom exposure to US health care systems and cultural competency. The time on the rotation is spent attending public health clinics and observing health planning, educational and administrative functions. A paper authored by the student concerning health care delivery to underserved populations is due at the end of this rotation.

PA 707 ELECTIVE I
A four week clinical experience in an urban or rural location that meets the clinical objectives based on a specialty or primary care setting. PA 638 Elective-I is chosen by the student in consultation and approval by the Clinical Coordinator. This rotation is designed to give the individual student the opportunity to enhance their areas of interest or to possibly secure a position upon graduation. In Elective I, the student is encouraged to experience an area of medicine that he or she has been curious about, or one in which the student desires more experience. Foreign rotations in areas of medical interest, such as Tropical Medicine, International Health, or studies in malnutrition, for example, will be considered. All electives will be submitted at least 6 weeks in advance to the Clinical Coordinator for approval. All rotations will meet the requirements as stated in Item B, above. It is the policy of the Program to allow the student as much freedom as possible in selecting an elective, but school criteria for learning must be met, and an affiliation agreement must be in place prior to the start of the rotation.

PA 708 ELECTIVE II
A four week clinical experience in an urban or rural location that meets the clinical objectives based on specialty or primary care setting as described in course objectives. PA 639 Elective-II is chosen by the student in consultation and approval by the Clinical Coordinator. This rotation is designed to give the individual student the opportunity to enhance their areas of interest or to possibly secure a position upon graduation. This rotation may be used as a time for remedial training in a clinical area where the student needs more experience. This will be determined by the Clinical Coordinator, based upon student performance and needs. All electives will be submitted at least 6 weeks in advance to the Clinical Coordinator for approval. It is the policy of the Program to allow the student as much freedom as possible in selecting an elective, but school criteria for learning must be met, and an affiliation agreement must be in place prior to the start of the rotation.