Goals and Competencies
Physician Assistant Studies
The PCOM Physician Assistant (PA) program provides students with the knowledge, interpersonal,
clinical and technical skills, professional behaviors, clinical reasoning, and problem-solving
abilities required for PA practice.
Program Competencies
Clinical and technical skills
- Elicit a detailed and accurate history, and perform a comprehensive physical exam.
- Obtain a directed history based on patient presentation, and perform a focused physical
exam.
- Perform the following clinical skills as dictated by the situation:
- Venipuncture; splinting; suturing; urinary catheterization; Pap smear; EKGs; injections.
Clinical reasoning and problem-solving abilities
- Manage life-threatening emergencies by employing ACLS and/or BLS.
- Interpret the appropriate diagnostic studies.
- Formulate and document an individual management plan.
- Utilize information databases to select evidence-based literature for application
to patient care.
Interpersonal skills
- Communicate effectively as a healthcare professional.
- Provide health education to the patient or his/her caregiver.
Medical knowledge
- Apply knowledge of basic sciences with a focus on clinical application.
- Provide care across the lifespan to a diverse patient population.
- Analyze, integrate, and synthesize data from the patient medical record.
- Draw upon a fund of medical knowledge in order to formulate a differential diagnosis.
- Critically appraise the medical literature.
Professional behaviors
- Work collaboratively with other members of the healthcare team in providing appropriate
patient care.
- To care for all members of our diverse community with human dignity and respect.
Program Goals
1. To provide a comprehensive didactic and clinical curriculum that will prepare the
graduate for entry level practice.
- We are proud of the rigorous curriculum that enables our graduates to be successful and consistently earn exam scores above
the national average on the national certifying board exam.
- The below table represents the percentage of students that performed at or above the
national mean score on the End of Curriculum (EOC) exam.
|
Class of 2022 |
Class of 2023 |
Class of 2024 |
Georgia (%) |
24/29 (83) |
23/26 (88) |
20/30 (67) |
Philadelphia (%) |
49/53 (92) |
44/49 (90) |
36/48 (75) |
Program (%) |
73/82 (89) |
67/75 (89) |
56/78 (72) |
National Mean Score |
1495 |
1495 |
1516 |
2. To provide instruction and experiences that allow students to demonstrate collaboration
as part of a patient-centered team.
- Students participate in a longitudinal interprofessional (IPE) course in the didactic phase of the program. At the completion of each IPE module,
the students complete a survey evaluating rated items on a scale ranging from strongly
disagree to strongly agree. Below are the percentage of student responses that agreed
and strongly agreed with the statement, “I feel that using interprofessional small
groups is overall positive and helpful.”
|
Class of 2024 |
Class of 2025 |
Georgia (%) |
168/190 (88) |
167/187 (89) |
Philadelphia (%) |
270/301 (89) |
293/343 (85) |
Program (%) |
438/491 (89) |
460/530 (87) |
- Preceptors evaluate student performance on each preceptorship. Students are rated
on a scale of 1-10 with a score of 8 equating to the program determined expected level
of performance. Below is the average student performance on the rated item, “Demonstrates
positive interactions with members of the health care team.”
|
Class of 2022 |
Class of 2023 |
Class of 2024 |
Georgia |
9.86 |
9.67 |
9.86 |
Philadelphia |
9.83 |
9.75 |
9.71 |
Program |
9.80 |
9.71 |
9.78 |
3. The program will graduate 90% or more of students that matriculate into the program.
|
Class of 2021 |
Class of 2022 |
Class of 2023 |
Class of 2024 |
Georgia (%) |
29/32 (91) |
30/32 (94) |
31/32 (97) |
29/32 (91) |
Philadelphia (%) |
60/60 (100) |
56/59 (95) |
48/55 (87) |
48/60 (80) |
Program (%) |
89/92 (97) |
86/91 (95) |
79/87 (91) |
77/92 (84) |
4. To utilize application-based learning modalities to enhance student learning.
- Simulation Activities: Students participate in simulation activities in the didactic
phase of the program. At the completion of each simulation activity, the students
complete a survey evaluating rated items on a scale ranging from strongly disagree
to strongly agree. Below are the percentage of student responses that agreed and strongly
agreed with the statement, “The simulation learning experience with use of the manikin
will be useful in applying my skills to real patients.”
|
Class of 2025 |
Georgia (%) |
59/62 (95) |
Philadelphia (%) |
79/81 (98) |
Program (%) |
138/143 (97) |
- Standardized Patient (SP) Encounters: Students participate in SP encounters in multiple
didactic courses. At the completion of each course, the students complete a course
evaluation and rate items on a 5-point likert scale. The program defined benchmark
is a score of 3.5 or higher. Below is the average score on the rated item, “The use
of standardized patients aided in my learning.”
|
Class of 2023 |
Class of 2024 |
Class of 2025 |
History Taking & Physical Examination |
G: 4.59 P: 4.49 Program: 4.52 |
G: 4.36 P: 4.50 Program: 4.47 |
G: 4.43 P: 4.38 Program: 4.40 |
Clinical Medicine I |
G: 4.62 P: 4.43 Program: 4.50 |
G: 4.40 P: 4.60 Program: 4.55 |
G: 4.37 P: 4.63 Program: 4.56 |
Clinical Medicine II |
G: 4.55 P: 4.32 Program: 4.41 |
G: 4.55 P: 4.25 Program: 4.34 |
G: 4.13 P: 4.50 Program: 4.38 |
Clinical Medicine III |
G: 4.59 P: 4.27 Program: 4.38 |
G: 4.50 P: 4.52 Program: 4.51 |
G: 4.50 P: 4.38 Program: 4.41 |
- Labs: Students participate in cadaver lab and clinical skills labs in multiple didactic
courses. At the completion of each course, the students complete a course evaluation
and rate items on a 5-point likert scale. The program defined benchmark is a score
of 3.5 or higher. Below is the average score on the rated item, “The lab section of
the course aided in my learning.”
|
Class of 2023 |
Class of 2024 |
Class of 2025 |
Human Anatomy |
G: 4.52 P: 4.13 Program: 4.28 |
G: 4.47 P: 4.80 Program: 4.72 |
G: 4.50 P: 4.25 Program: 4.34 |
History Taking & Physical Examination |
G: 4.69 P: 4.58 Program: 4.62 |
G: 4.45 P: 4.52 Program: 4.51 |
G: 4.29 P: 4.67 Program: 4.56 |
Clinical Medicine I |
G: 4.62 P: 4.40 Program: 4.47 |
G: 4.50 P: 4.63 Program: 4.59 |
G: 4.35 P: 4.55 Program: 4.50 |
Clinical Medicine II |
G: 4.73 P: 4.41 Program: 4.54 |
G: 4.55 P: 4.52 Program: 4.53 |
G: 4.36 P: 4.55 Program: 4.49 |
Clinical Medicine III |
G: 4.50 P: 4.33 Program: 4.40 |
G: 4.50 P: 4.68 Program: 4.63 |
G: 4.44 P: 4.54 Program: 4.52 |
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