Program Curriculum
The Logan University Physician Assistant (PA) Program is a graduate-level program whose mission is to educate students to become caring, competent PAs who will practice evidence-based medicine, exhibit cultural sensitivity, demonstrate effective leadership qualities, and are devoted to whole health minded care. Students will complete a rigorous 24-month curriculum leading to a Master of Medical Science, Physician Assistant degree. This curriculum will integrate didactic and clinical education, with a strong emphasis on clinical reasoning, interprofessional collaboration, and community engagement.
Didactic Phase
The didactic year will consist of 12 months, three trimesters of 16 weeks each, of course work encompassing the breadth and depth of medical education to prepare students for the clinical phase of their education. The 16th week is an intensive week of skills, hands-on activities, and lectures. Six sequenced courses will focus on units of study for each organ system, behavioral health, and infectious disease. The sequenced courses include Clinically Oriented Anatomy and Medical Sciences (including cadaver dissection and Anatomage), Medical Assessment and Documentation, Diagnostic Medicine and Procedures, Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapeutics, Clinical Reasoning, and Pathophysiology and Clinical Medicine. The remaining two courses – PA Professional Studies and Fundamentals of Clinical Practice – will work to round out the didactic learning and develop skills necessary for the clinical practice of medicine.
511 – PA Professional Studies I (1.5)
521 – Diagnostic Medicine and Procedures I (2.5)
531 – Patient Assessment and Documentation I (3)
541 – Fundamentals of Clinical Practice I (3)
551 – Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapeutics I (1.5)
561 – Clinically Oriented Anatomy and Medical Sciences I (3)
571 – Clinical Reasoning I (3)
581 – Pathophysiology and Clinical Medicine I (6.5)
512 – PA Professional Studies II (1.5)
522 – Diagnostic Medicine and Procedures II (2.5)
532 – Patient Assessment and Documentation II (3)
542 – Fundamentals of Clinical Practice II (3)
552 – Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapeutics II (1.5)
562 – Clinically Oriented Anatomy and Medical Sciences II (2.5)
572 – Clinical Reasoning II (3)
582 – Pathophysiology and Clinical Medicine II (6.5)
513 – PA Professional Studies III (1.5)
523 – Diagnostic Medicine and Procedures III (2.5)
533 – Patient Assessment and Documentation III (3)
543 – Fundamentals of Clinical Practice III (3)
553 – Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapeutics III (1.5)
563 – Clinically Oriented Anatomy and Medical Sciences III (2.5)
573 – Clinical Reasoning III (3)
583 – Pathophysiology and Clinical Medicine III (6.5)
Clinical Phase
The clinical year will also consist of 12 months, three trimesters of 16 weeks each, of course work further developing the skills necessary to practice medicine as well as evaluating medical literature and participation in an applied thesis project. Following the 16 weeks, a week of intensive education occurs including panel presentations, lectures, and testing. The last trimester of the clinical year is 17 weeks adding a week of board preparation, testing, and program completion requirements.
Nine supervised clinical practice experiences (SCPEs) (three 5 week rotations per trimester), seven core rotations with two electives, serve as the bulk of the clinical year learning and occur in varied order. The core rotations include Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Surgery, Emergency Medicine, Pediatrics, Women’s Health, and Behavioral Health. The Graduate Seminar course will serve to build upon didactic learning, assessment, professional development, and will encompass research methods and application for the applied thesis.
The clinical year of education will use the knowledge and skills developed in the didactic year to prepare students to complete NCCPA board certification and begin the clinical practice of medicine as graduate PAs. Prior to graduation, summative examinations will ensure the competency of all graduates in the areas of:
- Clinical and technical skills
- Clinical reasoning and problem-solving abilities
- Interpersonal skills
- Medical knowledge
- Professional behaviors
Logan University Physician Assistant Program offers an application-based international rotation as an elective option during the clinical year. The cost of all travel, food, insurance, etc for the international rotation is the responsibility of the student and is in addition to the costs associated with tuition, fees, housing, transportation, etc at the LU PA Program.
600s – Supervised Clinical Practice Experiences, three total (15)
611 – Graduate Seminar I (1)
600s – Supervised Clinical Practice Experiences, three total (15)
612 – Graduate Seminar II (1)
600s – Supervised Clinical Practice Experiences, three total (15)
613 – Graduate Seminar III (1)
601 – Behavioral Health (5)
602 – Emergency Medicine (5)
603 – Family Medicine (5)
604 – Internal Medicine (5)
605 – Pediatrics (5)
606 – Surgery (5)
607 – Women’s Health (5)
608 – Elective I (5)
609 – Elective II (5)
Program Total: (119) hours
Clinical Anatomy and Integrated Sciences
In Clinical Anatomy and Integrated Sciences students learn to identify the various components comprising the human body and how their structures and locations relate to their functions and to clinical medicine. There will be focused dissection of the human body complemented by prosected cadavers and organs, anatomy models, and a state of the art Anatomage table for 3D views of the internal structure of the human body. The course provides students with much of the new language they will need to accurately and specifically communicate with patients and other clinicians.