Within the P.A.-physician relationship, physician assistants exercise autonomy in medical decision making and provide a broad range of diagnostic and therapeutic services. A P.A.’s practice may also include education, research, and managerial/administrative services.
Physician Assistants, while trained in general medicine, often specialize in emergency medicine, surgery, orthopedics, obstetrics, pediatrics and other specialties. Students in the Franklin Pierce University MPAS program attend classes in West Lebanon, New Hampshire. Our facility includes classrooms, a computer lab and a clinical lab where students learn hands-on practical skills. Clinical experience is a vital part of the program and is conducted at sites throughout the country, with a focus on rural and underserved regions of New Hampshire and Vermont.
This full-time day program is designed to be completed in 27 calendar months. Graduates of the MPAS program will be skilled and compassionate clinicians who promote health and wellness, diagnose and treat acute illnesses and manage chronic disease.
Mission
The mission of the MPAS Program is to prepare P.A.s who demonstrate clinical excellence; embrace diversity, equity and inclusion; advocate for their patients; lead and advance the profession; and serve their communities.
Program Goals
• Prepare students to function as competent healthcare providers in primary care settings.
• Nurture student progress to optimize professional growth and retention.
• Recruit students from rural and underserved communities, particularly those from New Hampshire and Vermont.
• Train students in rural and medically underserved communities with a focus on New Hampshire and Vermont.
• Graduate students who practice in rural and medically underserved communities with emphasis on New Hampshire and Vermont
Program-level Student Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
• Demonstrate core medical knowledge regarding established and evolving biomedical and clinical sciences and the application of this knowledge to patient care. (Medical Knowledge)
• Employ interpersonal and communication skills (including oral and written) to enable effective information exchange with patients, their families, and members of the healthcare team. (Interpersonal & Communication Skills)
• Provide safe, entry-level patient care to include effective information gathering, appropriate diagnostic evaluation and implementation of therapeutic management plans. (Patient Care)
• Exhibit professionalism as demonstrated by assuming responsibility for actions, recognizing personal limitations, expressing sensitivity to diversity, and respecting colleagues, faculty/staff, preceptors, and patients. (Professionalism)
• Demonstrate ability to self-analyze current knowledge and clinical skills and enhance capabilities through reflection and critical appraisal of the medical literature. (Practice- based Learning & Improvement)
• Demonstrate awareness of the larger system of health services including access to healthcare, continuity of care, and community support services. (System-based Practice)
Technical Standards
The following technical standards establish the essential qualities necessary for students enrolling in the M.P.A.S. program. Students must possess these qualities in order to achieve the required level of competency stipulated for program advancement and graduation, must demonstrate the standards upon admission to the program and continue to demonstrate these standards throughout their matriculation in the M.P.A.S. program. Failure to do so will be grounds for dismissal from the program.
Sensation
Students must possess sufficient visual, auditory and tactile sensation to receive appropriate information in the classroom, laboratory and other education settings. Sensation must be sufficient to receive verbal and non-verbal information while interviewing patients and to perform inspection, auscultation and palpation techniques during physical examination of patients.
Communication
Students must be able to communicate effectively with patients, family members and other clinicians. This includes expressive and receptive modes of verbal, non-verbal and written communication.
Further it includes the ability to accurately assess receptive communication in order to make appropriate and timely responses. Finally, it includes the ability to communicate with attention, empathy and sensitivity.
Motor Function
Students must have sufficient strength and coordination to perform the activities required of a P.A. These include performing a physical examination involving techniques in palpation and percussion and utilizing diagnostic instruments.
Students must have sufficient stamina to sit, stand and move within the classroom, laboratory, examination rooms, treatment rooms and operating rooms for extended periods of time. They must have sufficient coordination to move about patient care environments and sufficient dexterity to use common medical instruments. All students must arrange their own transportation between educational and clinical settings.
Intellectual Capability
Clinical problem solving, a critical ability for P.A.s, encompasses abilities to accurately measure, calculate, reason, analyze, integrate, learn and retain information and make decisions in a timely manner. Students must be able to:
• Independently access and interpret medical data
• Identify significant findings from history, physical examination and laboratory data
• Perform a reasoned explanation for likely diagnoses and recommend treatment regimens
• Recall and retain information in an efficient and timely manner
Behavioral/Social Proficiency
Students must possess the ability to establish and maintain appropriate professional relationships. Factors included in this requirement are the abilities to prioritize competing demands, to function in stressful circumstances, to exercise good clinical judgment, to behave ethically, to be compassionate, empathetic, responsible and tolerant toward patients and other healthcare professionals.