PAMS 6101 Physician Assistant Profession

This course is an overview of the major healthcare systems and medical industry in the United States to include the physician assistant (PA) profession and the role of PAs in the health care field. This course includes instruction in the PA profession, historical development, and current trends.  Students will receive instruction in PA professional issues, physician-PA team relationships, political issues that affect PA practice, and PA professional organization.  This course includes many aspects of being a successful student as well as practitioner.  Students will be taught a variety of study skills along with receiving instruction on intellectual honesty and appropriate academic and professional conduct.  Students will be taught how to use common medical databases to access medical literature.  Students will receive instruction in quality health care with special consideration of the impact of racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic health disparities on health care delivery.  Students will receive instruction in the different health beliefs, values and expectations of patients and other health care professionals that can affect communication, decision-making, compliance, and health outcomes. The concepts of public health as they relate to the role of the practicing PA including an appreciation of the public health system and the role of health care providers participating in disease surveillance, reporting, and intervention are delivered in this course.  In addition to the PA practice, students will receive instruction in the roles and responsibilities of various health care professionals, emphasizing the team approach to patient centered care beyond the traditional physician-PA team approach.  Medical ethics, PA licensure, credentialing, laws and regulations regarding professional practice, patient safety, quality improvement, prevention of medical errors, and risk management are introduced topics in this course.

Credits

1

Distribution

Physician Assistant