Physician Assistant Program Curriculum
All physician assistant studies courses are limited to physician assistant studies students, unless permission is obtained from the program director.
Chatham University’s Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS) Program produces knowledgeable, compassionate, ethical, and clinically skillful graduates that are ready to provide healthcare services to all persons regardless of race, culture, spiritual beliefs, gender or socioeconomic status and are willing to become the future leaders and educators of the profession. This will be accomplished by:
- Providing a student-centered curriculum which promotes self-directed and lifelong learning as well as professionalism and service;
- Educating competent physician assistants to practice as primary care providers to all populations;
- Contributing to the advancement of knowledge in the discipline and in medicine;
- Encouraging students to serve local, national, and international communities through active involvement in service-oriented programs for medically underserved populations; and
- Promoting participation in professional organizations and the education of future PAs
The curriculum is a 24 month (85 semester credits) professional course of study leading to the MPAS degree. Basic medical sciences, research, clinical methods, and clinical experiences are integrated from the beginning of the program and continued throughout the course of study.
The program produces physician assistants capable of providing primary medical care in an ethical, legal, safe, and caring manner. To achieve this, students must acquire knowledge and the ability to use that knowledge in the practice of medicine. Students are expected to consistently retrieve and apply their knowledge appropriately in the area of their patients and reason effectively. Self-directed learning skills are necessary in order to keep their knowledge current. Self-knowledge, knowledge and understanding of others and continued professional development beyond the degree are necessary for success. Problem-based learning is the basis for the entire curriculum. In this learning process, the student encounters a clinical problem which serves as stimulus for the application of clinical-reasoning, self-directed learning, and teamwork skills. They are encouraged to seek out all available resources, thus developing skills necessary for the life-long learning that a medical practitioner must use.
The MPAS program is competency-based, requiring all students to master the required material. The grading system is pass/fail. Any student receiving a failing grade may remediate the course work with the approval of the respective instructor of record.
A student in the MPAS program must be in good academic standing to remain enrolled in the program. To be eligible for graduation, students must be in good academic standing and successfully complete all required courses.
Accreditation
The MPAS program is accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA). Only graduates of an accredited program are permitted to sit for the certification examination, which is administered by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA).
