Physician Assistant Studies Indianapolis – About Our Program
Mission
The mission of the South College Physician Assistant Studies Program is to educate qualified PA students, preparing them to become competent, compassionate healthcare providers who meet the needs of the communities they serve, with a commitment to community engagement and improving care for underserved populations.
Vision
Our vision is that our graduates will be leaders in the healthcare community, continuously striving for excellence in their professional endeavors.
Goals
The program has five primary goals that are designed to achieve our mission for educating the next generation of highly qualified physician assistants.
- Evaluate and select highly qualified applicants for admission into the program.
- Provide students with a rigorous educational curriculum that prepares them for evidence-based clinical decision-making.
- Prepare students to pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE) at a rate at or above the national average.
- Prepare students to practice patient-centered care.
- Develop a highly effective faculty team that contributes to the success of the program.
Success of the Program in Achieving Its Goals
This information will be available following the graduating class of 2029.
Commitment
The South College Master of Health Science Physician Assistant Studies Program is committed to excellence in education. As in any learning process, the content and methodology in our program reflect a mixture of objectivity, intuition, and good faith. Our faculty and staff want to provide a creative environment for individual learning and growth, within a curriculum that by necessity is highly structured and intense. Viewing learning as a reciprocal, collaborative interaction between faculty and students, we endeavor to be responsive to perceived needs for change and welcome comments and suggestions from all who participate in the program for its ongoing evaluation and continued growth. Our program continues to strive for educational excellence, focusing on preparing our graduates to become lifelong learners.
Roles, Competencies, and Performance Criteria
Each student is expected to achieve and demonstrate mastery of the following entry-level core competencies of the physician assistant upon graduation.
Medical Knowledge
- MK-1: Apply knowledge of anatomical and physiological processes to analyze states of health and disease.
- MK-2: Differentiate normal and abnormal states of health based on clinical presentation.
- MK-3: Analyze age-specific considerations in health and disease management.
- MK-4: Evaluate the risks and benefits of common pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic therapies.
- MK-5: Appraise current and credible sources of medical information to inform clinical decision-making
Interpersonal Skills
- IS-1: Apply effective communication strategies to facilitate accurate and meaningful information exchange.
- IS-2: Compose accurate and adequate documentation following a clinical encounter.
- IS-3: Collaborate with healthcare professionals to support team-based care.
Professional Behaviors
- PB-1: Ethically adhere to professional standards of care in the role of the PA within the healthcare team.
- PB-2: Integrate patient-specific factors into clinical decision-making.
Clinical Skills
- CS-1: Synthesize an appropriate medical history to inform clinical assessment.
- CS-2: Perform a physical examination to support clinical decision-making.
- CS-3: Formulate an appropriate diagnostic evaluation following a patient encounter.
Technical Skills
- TS-1: Perform essential technical skills required for clinical practice in accordance with current standards.
Clinical Reasoning and Problem-Solving Abilities
- CR-1: Determine the significance of clinical findings.
- CR-2: Determine patient acuity for a given clinical scenario.
- CR-3: Apply evidence-based medicine principles to establish the most likely diagnosis.
- CR-4: Prioritize differential diagnoses based on case-specific clinical information
- CR-5: Formulate an evidence-based treatment plan following a clinical encounter.
- CR-6: Evaluate indications for referral with other healthcare professionals.
Clinical Competencies
Prior to progressing to the clinical learning year of the program, students will develop and demonstrate proficiency in several psychomotor skill sets involved in procedural medicine, such as suturing, casting and splinting, nasogastric and endotracheal intubation, and sterile technique. The clinical phase of the program is designed to reinforce knowledge and skills developed during the didactic phase. Eight clinical learning rotations, each six weeks in length, are conducted at a variety of outpatient and inpatient clinical sites. Students are expected to develop competency in those areas listed above. During this period, students will be exposed to a wide variety of live patient encounters to assist them in the building of understanding in the diagnoses, pathophysiology, risk factors, laboratory interpretation, and therapeutic strategies involved in patient evaluation and treatment.