The PA Studies program curriculum combines didactic courses with clinical rotations to equip students with the necessary skills to become health care leaders as PAs at the end of the two-year program.
Each student must complete the program within five calendar years of their first day of class in their first term.
Plan of Study
The first three terms (12 total months) are made up of didactic instruction presented through a mix of:
Traditional lectures (in-person and pre-recorded lectures)
Out-of-the-classroom learning opportunities
Case-based individual and group activities
Hands-on skills labs
Instruction is provided by PAs and other health care providers who have expertise in their respective specialties and fields.
The last three terms (12 total months) consist of Supervised Clinical Practice Experiences (SCPE) in:
Internal Medicine
Family Medicine
Emergency Medicine
Pediatrics
Surgery
Behavioral Health
Obstetrical and Gynecological Medicine
Electives
The PAS course “Transition to Professional Practice” must be completed within the final four months of the program, during the clinical year.
Students benefit from specialty instruction in:
Point of care ultrasound (POCUS)
Telemedicine
Anatomy with cadaver lab
Transgender and gender diverse curriculum in the clinical year and an opportunity for gender affirming medicine elective rotations
The program works to build and maintain a strong pool of clinical sites and preceptors across the United States, including accepting suggestions from prospective and enrolled students. The program evaluates clinical sites and preceptors for educational suitability, among other important considerations.
Didactic Component (Year 1)
All didactic courses are sequential and must be successfully completed in order to progress to the next term of the curriculum. Since each course in the program is offered only once during each academic year, any departure from completing a course in its planned sequence (e.g. failure to receive a passing grade of ‘C’ or better, leave of absence from the program) will result in a delay by retaking the course the following year, as well as delays in completing the program. Each student must complete the program within five calendar years of their first day of class in their first term.
Spring Term (15 Credits)
Introduction to the Physician Assistant Profession
Human Anatomy/Lab
Health Policy
Interpreting and Evaluating the Medical Literature
Introduction to Clinical Medicine with Lab
Medical Physiology and Pathophysiology
Summer Term (15 Credits)
Genetic and Molecular Mechanisms of Health and Disease
Patient Education & Counseling
History Taking and Physical Examination 1/Lab
Clinical Medicine 1/Lab
Diagnostic & Therapeutic Procedures in Medicine 1/Lab
Pharmacology 1
Fall Term (15 Credits)
History Taking and Physical Examination 2/Lab
Clinical Medicine 2/Lab
Diagnostic & Therapeutic Procedures in Medicine 2/Lab
Pharmacology 2
Health Issues Across the Life Span
Fundamentals of Surgery
Clinical Year (Year 2)
The order in which a student completes all of the below clinical courses may vary, so course numbers are not listed by discipline.
This course will be taught by our clinical education faculty members, and it will incorporate the world-renowned experts and resources of the Winter Institute for Simulation, Education and Research (WISER) of UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh, among other state-of-the-art simulation and immersive learning technologies, as students progress through its learning activities.
The course combines instruction and immersive learning opportunities on practical issues as they relate to the practicing PA, especially the new graduates, with evaluation instruments that measure if and verify that the learner has met the learning outcomes of the program and has the knowledge, interpersonal skills, clinical and technical skills, professional behaviors, clinical reasoning and problem-solving abilities required for PA practice. This course includes a summative assessment of each student that must occur within four months of their graduation.
