Program Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the PA program, the student will have acquired the knowledge, interpersonal and communication skills, clinical reasoning and problem-solving abilities, clinical and technical skills, and professional behaviors to practice as an entry-level physician assistant.

1. Knowledge
  1. Demonstrate the acquisition of broad-based medical knowledge to provide healthcare to patients across the lifespan in various healthcare settings.
  2. Exhibit knowledge of health systems science that fosters the delivery of effective healthcare.
2. Interpersonal and Communication Skills
  1. Accurately elicit a medical history.
  2. Provide evidence-based counseling and patient education that is patient-centered.
  3. Accurately and concisely orally communicate a patient encounter or research outcomes.
  4. Demonstrate accurate medical record documentation.
  5. Demonstrate interpersonal and communication skills that result in effective information exchange with patients, their families, and other health professionals.
3. Clinical Reasoning and Problem-Solving
  1. Recognize emergent and urgent conditions and/or the need for specialty referral and initiate care accordingly.
  2. Select and interpret diagnostic studies necessary for the evaluation of common medical conditions.
  3. Integrate findings from a medical history, physical examination, and diagnostic studies to develop and prioritize differential diagnoses.
  4. Integrate findings from medical history, physical examination, and diagnostic studies to formulate patient-centered care plans, including health maintenance and preventative measures when appropriate.
4. Clinical and Technical Skills
  1. Perform comprehensive and focused physical exams on patients across the lifespan in various healthcare settings.
  2. Safely perform clinical procedures common to general medical practice.
5. Professional Behaviors
  1. Display professional and ethical behaviors consistent with the PA profession.
  2. Demonstrate professional behavior by critically evaluating the medical literature as a means of fostering lifelong learning.