Courses of Instruction

Primary Care Physician Assistant (PCPA)

The terms indicated are expected but are not guaranteed. For the courses offered during any given term, consult the Schedule of Classes.

299 Introduction to the Medical Setting (3) Students who intend to apply to the Physician Assistant program but have no prior clinical experience are placed as volunteers in a medical site for 120 hours.

301 Cross-Cultural Competency (3, Fa) Current concepts in behavioral sciences are applied to patient management and the physician assistant's sensitivity to ethnically and culturally diverse groups underserved in health care. Open only to PCPA majors.

302 Health Behavior (1, Fa) Application of current concepts in behavioral sciences to the health field in managing patient behavior. Open only to PCPA majors.

303 Medical Spanish (2, Sp) Survey of basic medical terminology; introduction to cultural idioms and customs common to health care in a Spanish-speaking population. Open only to PCPA majors.

311 Physical Assessment (3, Fa) Review of skills and techniques necessary to gather complete and appropriate history and to conduct a thorough physical exam. Open only to PCPA majors.

312 Specialties in Medicine I (3, Fa) Basic instruction in normal and abnormal states of organ systems in the study of human disease. This is the first of five courses in the series. Open only to PCPA majors.

313 Specialties in Medicine II (3, Fa) Basic instruction in normal and abnormal states of organ systems in the study of human disease. This is the second of five courses in the series. Open only to PCPA majors.

314 Specialties in Medicine III (3, Fa) Basic instruction in normal and abnormal states of organ systems in the study of human disease. This is the third of five courses in the series. Open only to PCPA majors.

315 Specialties in Medicine IV (3, Sp) Basic instruction in normal and abnormal states of organ systems in the study of human disease. This is the fourth of five courses in the series. Open only to PCPA majors.

316 Specialties in Medicine V (3, Sp) Basic instruction in normal and abnormal states of organ systems in the study of human disease. This is the fifth of five courses in the series. Open only to PCPA majors.

321ab Clinical Skills Practica I and II (a: 1, Fa; b: 1, Sp) a: Laboratory experiences with basic clinical skills essential to medical practice. Open only to PCPA majors. b: Laboratory experiences with advanced clinical skills essential to medical practice. Open only to PCPA majors.

401 Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (3, Fa) Principles of adult education are applied to patient education in the health care setting. Open only to PCPA majors.

402 Primary Care Medicine (2, Fa) Selected topics in primary care are reviewed with regard to current thinking on clinical evaluation and management. Open only to PCPA majors.

403 Physican Assistant Profession (1, Sp) Application of current concepts in the behavioral sciences to the professional role of the physician assistant in health care. Open only to PCPA majors.

421ab Clinical Placement I (9, 0, Sp) Three "intensives"; discrete, consecutive, five-week long field placements under a program-approved supervising physician in a program-approved clinical setting. Course grade awarded under the "b" section in following summer session. Open only to PCPA majors.

422 Clinical Placement II (9, Fa) Three "intensives"; discrete, consecutive, five-week long field placements under a program-approved supervising physician in a program-approved clinical setting. Open only to PCPA majors.

423 Clinical Placement III (6, Sp) Two "intensives"; discrete, consecutive, five-week long field placements under a program-approved supervising physician in a program-approved clinical setting. Open only to PCPA majors.

424ab Preceptorship (8, 0, Sp) Thirteen consecutive weeks of clinical experiences in a program-approved family medicine setting under supervision of a preceptor physician. Course grade awarded under the "b" section in following summer session. Open only to PCPA majors.

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