Master of Physician Assistant Medicine
The University of Tampa's Physician Assistant Medicine program awards a Master of Physician Assistant Medicine (MPAM) degree. Students will engage in full time study for seven semesters (27 months). The program will follow the traditional medical model of training to include a didactic phase followed by clinical rotations.
Accreditation Information:
The ARC-PA has granted Accreditation-Provisional status to The University of Tampa's physician assistant medicine program.
Accreditation-Provisional is an accreditation status granted when the plans and resource allocation, if fully implemented as planned, of a proposed program that has not yet enrolled students appear to demonstrate the program’s ability to meet the ARC-PA standards or when a program holding Accreditation-Provisional status appears to demonstrate continued progress in complying with the standards as it prepares for the graduation of the first class (cohort) of students.
Accreditation-Provisional does not ensure any subsequent accreditation status. It is limited to no more than five years from matriculation of the first class.
Department of Physician Assistant Medicine Mission Statement
The mission of UT's physician assistant medicine program is to engage in collaborative training to produce competent graduates who provide quality medical care to their community.
Faculty:
Associate Professor and Chair/Program Director: Yealy, Professor: Doran, Associate Professors: Burns, Belote, Feldman, Assistant Professors: Kaczmarek, Mularoni
Admission:
- The admission process is highly competitive. Applications are reviewed relative to their undergraduate intensity of studies, last 60 hour and prerequisite GPA, patient care experience, personal narrative, letters of reference and life experiences that indicate maturity and leadership.
- Personal interviews are offered to the most qualified individuals and are required for admission.
Application/Timeline:
- Apply through CASPA (Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants) between May and September.
- Interview and notification of acceptance between November and December.
Minimum GPA/Academic Standards:
- Minimum last 60 credit hour GPA: 3.0
- Minimum pre-requisite GPA: 3.0
Degree Requirements:
- A completed baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution, or an equivalent institution as determined by The University of Tampa, is required before matriculation into the program.
Prerequisites:
- Students must earn a “C” or better in prerequisite coursework.
- Required prerequisite science courses (must include labs):
- Two general biology with lab
- One microbiology with lab
- Two human anatomy and physiology with lab (can be one semester anatomy and one semester physiology or combined A&P courses)
- Two general chemistry with lab
- One statistics (not a lab science)
- Recommended additional courses (prefer lab courses when applicable)
- Medical terminology
- Biochemistry
- Genetics
- Organic chemistry
- Statistics (can be met by completion of educational/psychology or biostatistics)
Direct Patient Care Experience:
- Direct patient care is not required; however, competitive applicants will have a minimum of 500 hours of hands-on patient care experience.
- Preference will be given to applicants having direct patient care experience that is in the moderate/high category.
PA Observation/Shadowing:
- PA observation/shadowing is not required. Though there are no minimum observation hours required, a competitive applicant will have observed a PA for as many hours as necessary to demonstrate that they are knowledgeable of the role of the PA.
Transfer or Advanced Standing:
- Matriculates may not transfer credits or courses from another PA program or school.
- There is no mechanism for entering the program with advanced standing.
- All students MUST complete all components of the program as full‐time students.
Technical Standards:
The technical standards set forth by UT’s PA program establish the essential qualities considered necessary for students to achieve the knowledge, skills and competencies of an entry-level physician assistant. The following essential function requirements must be met by all students after acceptance in order to enroll in or complete the PA program. Following their acceptance into the PA program, students are required to verify that they understand and meet these technical standards or that they believe that, with certain accommodations, they can meet the standards.
- Observation: Students must be able to observe demonstrations and experiments required by the PA curriculum and be able to participate in such with adequate vision and other sensory modalities, including the senses of hearing and smell. A student must be able to observe a patient accurately at a distance and close at hand.
- Communication: Students must be able to speak intelligibly and to hear sufficiently to affect an adequate exchange of information with patients, family members and other health professionals. A student must be able to read and write English effectively in order to fulfill academic requirements and to maintain accurate clinical records on patient care.
- Motor: Students are required to possess motor skills sufficient to elicit independently information from patients by palpation, auscultation, percussion and other manually based diagnostic procedures. Students should be able to conduct laboratory tests (urinalysis, CBC, etc.), carry out diagnostic procedures (paracentesis, etc.) and provide basic medical care (clearing the airway, placing catheters, controlling bleeding, simple obstetrical maneuvers, etc.) in the general care environment, and coordinate fine and gross muscular movements to treat patients in emergency situations. Emergency situations include any circumstance in which a patient experiences either a physical or a mental medical event requiring immediate remedy.
- Intellectual-Conceptual, Integrative and Quantitative Abilities: These abilities include an aptitude for rapid problem solving, the capability to access and interpret medical files independently, evaluate physical examinations, and formulate a logical diagnosis and effective medical treatment plan. Students must possess good judgment in patient assessment and the abilities to incorporate new information, comprehend three-dimensional relationships and retain and recall pertinent information in a timely fashion.
- Behavioral and Social Attributes: Students must possess the physical and emotional health required for the application of his/her intellectual abilities and the employment of sound judgment in an appropriate and prompt manner. Students must be able to function effectively under physically taxing workloads, and in times of physical and mental stress. Students must display compassion, sensitivity and concern for others, and maintain professional integrity at all times.
These five areas of skills are the minimum attributes required of applicants for admission to the PA program and of students who are candidates for graduation. The PA program is committed to meeting the special needs of students within established legal and institutional guidelines. However, the integrity of the PA curriculum, and the required mental and physical capabilities to fulfill the obligation of that education, must be sustained. Therefore, the program has set the following as disqualifying for admission: the inability to complete the skills required for certification in BLS, ACLS, PALS and/or PhTLS, and the inability to complete a head-to-toe physical examination within the allotted time. Applicants are encouraged to consider these requirements when applying to the program.
Advising:
Each student will be assigned to a physician assistant faculty member for advising purposes pertaining to course sequencing, academic performance, practicum placement and professional guidance. For matters related to registration, withdrawal and other academic issues, students should contact their advisor in the Office of Graduate and Continuing Studies.
Student Organization:
In addition to student organizations at UT, PA students have access to several professional and honorary organizations. These will reviewed during orientation
PA Student Handbook:
More information about the PA program can be found in the Department of Physician Assistant Medicine Student Handbook, which can be found on the PA student E*Value site. Policies and procedures in the handbook may exceed those outlined in this catalog. See the handbook for further details.
Program and Course Requirements:
Satisfactory completion of the MPAM program requires the student to complete the 112 hour credit program in the sequence outlined by the program.
To successfully complete the program and be recommended for graduation the student must: complete the program of study with a minimum of a 3.0 GPA and no course grade below “C”; demonstrate adherence to the AAPA Code of Ethics and UT PA Standards of Professional Conduct; and participate in all program required events, pass the graduation seminar course and meet all other UT graduation requirements.
Students may not withdraw from a single course or semester due to academic reasons. Students may request a leave of absence for personal (non-academic) circumstances.
Students will be placed on academic probation for the following reasons: semester cumulative GPA less than 3.0, remediation of a course the preceding semester, failure of a clinical phase course/rotation, two or more final course grades of “C” or a score of “1” on any category of the didactic professionalism assessment.
Students are not allowed to repeat didactic phase courses in which they have earned a failed grade and a course failure will result in deceleration or dismissal. Students may remediate didactic courses in which they are failing (before the end of the term) to convert their final score to a passing grade. A maximum of two didactic course remediation attempts may occur before the student must decelerate or be dismissed.
Students are allowed to repeat clinical phase courses but they will be repeated after the completion of the seventh semester resulting in a delayed graduation and additional tuition. Students may retake a maximum of two rotations during the clinical phase without deceleration (if there have been no didactic remediation attempts).
A student is allowed seven years from the time graduate work has begun, whether at UT or elsewhere, in which to complete a degree. Under certain circumstances, the student, with approval from the respective program director, may revalidate, by examination, courses that are outdated by the time limit.
The PA curriculum is a lock-step design. Students move through the curriculum as a cohort. During the didactic phase of study, each course must be successfully completed before beginning the next semester of study.
During the clinical phase: if the student fails PAM 624, PAM 625, PAM 710, PAM 711 or PAM 712 they will be required to retake the course the following semester or at the end of the clinical phase (with no delay in graduation). If the student fails PAM 800 they will be required to retake after the course in the spring, resulting in a delayed graduation. If the student fails a clinical rotation, they will be required to delay graduation and retake it the following spring semester.
Degree Requirements-Course Study
Fall 1
| PAM 600 | Applied Human Anatomy & Physiology | 4 |
| PAM 601 | Applied Human Anatomy Lab | 2 |
| PAM 602 | Applied Medical Science | 3 |
| PAM 610 | Physical Diagnosis | 3 |
| PAM 611 | Physical Diagnosis Lab | 4 |
| PAM 620 | Medical Practice: Professionalism & Ethics | 1 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 17 |
Spring 1
| PAM 621 | Medical Practice: Communication & Patient Education | 1 |
| PAM 630 | Clinical Medicine I | 6 |
| PAM 640 | Phamacotherapeutics I | 3 |
| PAM 650 | Applied Patient Care Skills I | 4 |
| PAM 661 | Community Medicine | 2 |
| PAM 670 | Medical Diagnostics | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 19 |
Summer 1
| PAM 622 | Medical Practice: Evidence Based Medicine | 1 |
| PAM 631 | Clinical Medicine II | 4 |
| PAM 641 | Pharmacotherapeutics II | 2 |
| PAM 651 | Applied Patient Care Skills II | 4 |
| PAM 660 | Population, Preventive and Mental Health Medicine | 2 |
| PAM 674 | Specialty Medicine I | 2 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Fall 2
| PAM 623 | Medical Practice: Legal and Regulatory Issues | 1 |
| PAM 632 | Clinical Medicine III | 6 |
| PAM 642 | Pharmacotherapeutics III | 3 |
| PAM 652 | Applied Patient Care Skills III | 4 |
| PAM 675 | Specialty Medicine II | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 17 |
Spring 2
| PAM 624 | Medical Practice: Systems Based Practice | 1 |
| PAM 700 | Family Medicine Rotation | 4 |
| PAM 701 | Internal Medicine Rotation | 4 |
| PAM 702 | Pediatric Medicine Rotation | 4 |
| PAM 710 | Physician Assistant Competencies I | 2 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Summer 2
| PAM 625 | Medical Practice: Personal and Professional Development | 1 |
| PAM 703 | Surgical Medicine Rotation | 4 |
| PAM 704 | Emergency Medicine Rotation | 4 |
| PAM 707 | Elective Experience Rotation I | 3 |
| PAM 711 | Physician Assistant Competencies II | 2 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 14 |
Fall 3
| PAM 705 | Behavioral Medicine Rotation | 4 |
| PAM 706 | Women’s Medicine Rotation | 4 |
| PAM 708 | Elective Experieince Rotation II | 3 |
| PAM 712 | Physician Assistant Competencies III | 2 |
| PAM 800 | Graduation Seminar | 2 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Clinical rotations may be taken in any order as long as the total credit hours remain as outlined above. Elective experience #1 must be taken in summer 2 and elective experience #2 must be taken in fall 3.
Clinical rotations are completed at healthcare institutions with educational affiliation agreements in place with the UT PAM program. All institutions are in the Tampa Bay area. Orientation to the clinical phase of training will be provided the semester before rotations begin. The clinical director will determine rotation assignments. Students may not solicit or select their clinical rotation sites. Students may request specific elective experiences but are not guaranteed those sites.
Total Credit Hours: 112