Nov 23, 2024

Catalog 2016-17

Catalog 2016-17 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Physician Assistant

Program Checklist (opens a new window) |

Important Information

Short Description

Physician Assistants are highly skilled health care providers who practice medicine with the supervision of licensed physicians. This collaborative program of CCBC and Towson University Graduate School is designed for students who hold a bachelor’s degree prior to admission and prepares individuals with strong academic science backgrounds and clinical experiences for careers as Physician Assistants. Full-time, continuous enrollment is required throughout the 26-month program.

Students must be admitted to the Physician Assistant Program to register for PA Program courses. Students must have completed a bachelor’s degree, all PA Program prerequisites and a minimum of 800 hours of patient contact experience to apply for admission. Final acceptance into the PA Program will occur through a selective interview process. Not all students who apply are accepted. (Please review the PA Program Application and Admissions Information booklet to review all admission requirements. The booklet may be found at www.towson.edu/pa.)

Students will progress through the PA Program as a member of a cohort.

Type of Credential

Credit Certificate from CCBC and Masters degree from Towson University

Program Code

S 830

Contacts and Additional Information

Program Director:

CCBC Essex
Jack Goble, Jr. MHA, PA-C
443-840-1159 or jgoblejr@ccbcmd.edu

Additional Information:

Collaborative Master’s Degree and Physician Assistant Certificate Program
Certificate courses offered only through CCBC Essex
Master of Science courses offered through Towson University Graduate School
Selective Admissions
No opportunities for Prior Learning Assessment (PLA).
No articulation and transfer agreements.

Semester Sequence

This is a full-time schedule required of all students who are accepted into the Physician Assistant Program.

Short Session 1*

PAST 212 - Public Health and Preventive Medicine 2 Credit(s).
PAST 224 - Gross Anatomy 2 Credit(s).
PAST 236 - Basic Physical Diagnosis 2 Credit(s).
PAST 602 - Ethics, Issues in PA Practice 3 Credit(s).

Short Session 2

PAST 214 - Psychosocial Issues in Medicine I 2 Credit(s).
PAST 225 - Human Pathophysiology 2 Credit(s).
PAST 603 - Medicine I 2 Credit(s).

Semester 1

PAST 216 - Psychosocial Issues in Medicine II 2 Credit(s).
PAST 230 - Diagnostic Studies I 2 Credit(s).
PAST 237 - Advanced Physical Diagnosis 2 Credit(s).
PAST 604 - Medicine II 6 Credit(s).
PAST 606 - Pediatrics I 2 Credit(s).
PAST 609 - Pharmacology I 2 Credit(s).

Short Session 3

PAST 231 - Diagnostic Studies II 2 Credit(s).
PAST 605 - Medicine III 2 Credit(s).

Semester 2

PAST 232 - Diagnostic Studies III 2 Credit(s).
PAST 250 - Introduction to Clinical Practice 4 Credit(s).
PAST 601 - Research Methods 3 Credit(s).
PAST 607 - Pediatrics II 2 Credit(s).
PAST 608 - Medicine IV 6 Credit(s).
PAST 610 - Pharmacology II 2 Credit(s).

Short Session 4

PAST 251 - Clinical Practicum I 6 Credit(s).

Semester 3

PAST 252 - Clinical Practicum II 12 Credit(s).
PAST 730 - Clinical Management I 2 Credit(s).
PAST 801 - Research Seminar I 1 Credit(s).

Short Session 5

PAST 253 - Clinical Practicum III 3 Credit(s).

Semester 4

PAST 254 - Clinical Practicum IV 11 Credit(s).
PAST 731 - Clinical Management II 2 Credit(s).
PAST 802 - Research Seminar II 1 Credit(s).

Short Session 6

PAST 255 - Clinical Practicum V 5 Credit(s).

Courses Needed for This Program*

Program Requirements and Electives - 97 Credits

Program Requirements:

All 200-level courses are offered through CCBC Essex. Higher-level courses are offered through Towson University.

PAST 212 - Public Health and Preventive Medicine 2 Credit(s).
PAST 214 - Psychosocial Issues in Medicine I 2 Credit(s).
PAST 216 - Psychosocial Issues in Medicine II 2 Credit(s).
PAST 224 - Gross Anatomy 2 Credit(s).
PAST 225 - Human Pathophysiology 2 Credit(s).
PAST 230 - Diagnostic Studies I 2 Credit(s).
PAST 231 - Diagnostic Studies II 2 Credit(s).
PAST 232 - Diagnostic Studies III 2 Credit(s).
PAST 236 - Basic Physical Diagnosis 2 Credit(s).
PAST 237 - Advanced Physical Diagnosis 2 Credit(s).
PAST 250 - Introduction to Clinical Practice 4 Credit(s).
PAST 251 - Clinical Practicum I 6 Credit(s).
PAST 252 - Clinical Practicum II 12 Credit(s).
PAST 253 - Clinical Practicum III 3 Credit(s).
PAST 254 - Clinical Practicum IV 11 Credit(s).
PAST 255 - Clinical Practicum V 5 Credit(s).
PAST 601 - Research Methods 3 Credit(s).
PAST 602 - Ethics, Issues, and Trends in PA Practice 3 Credit(s).
PAST 603 - Medicine I 2 Credit(s).
PAST 604 - Medicine II 6 Credit(s).
PAST 605 - Medicine III 2 Credit(s).
PAST 606 - Pediatrics I 2 Credit(s).
PAST 607 - Pediatrics II 2 Credit(s).
PAST 608 - Medicine IV 6 Credit(s).
PAST 609 - Pharmacology I 2 Credit(s).
PAST 610 - Pharmacology II 2 Credit(s).
PAST 730 - Clinical Management I 2 Credit(s).
PAST 731 - Clinical Management II 2 Credit(s).
PAST 801 - Research Seminar I 1 Credit(s).
PAST 802 - Research Seminar II 1 Credit(s).

Total Credits Required: 97

Total Credits Required at CCBC: 61

Total Credits Required at Towson University: 36

Note

ACDV 101 is not required, since students must already have a Bachelor’s degree to be admitted into the program.

Program Description

Physician Assistants are highly skilled health care providers who practice medicine with the supervision of licensed physicians. This collaborative program between CCBC and Towson University is designed for students who hold a bachelor’s degree prior to admission and prepares individuals with strong academic science backgrounds and clinical experiences for careers as Physician Assistants. Full-time, continuous enrollment is required throughout the 26-month program. The curriculum is approved by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education of Physician Assistants (ARC-PA). Individuals who successfully complete the program are eligible for certification by the National Commission on the Certification of Physician Assistants.

Entry into the program requires admission to the Physician Assistant Program, CCBC, and the Towson University Graduate School.

Enrollees must successfully complete all requirements of the Physician Assistant (PA) program and the Towson University Graduate School. The PA Certificate and the M.S. degree in PA Studies will be awarded upon successful completion of all 97 program credits, which includes 36 graduate credits.

Tuition and fees for 200-level courses are paid to CCBC Essex. Tuition and fees for 600, 700 and 800 level courses are paid to Towson University. Applicants will pay appropriate application fees to both institutions.

All classes are taken at CCBC Essex. Students will register for 200 level courses with CCBC Essex and will register for 600, 700 and 800 level courses with the Towson University Graduate School.

Please log on to the Towson University Website (www.towson.edu/pa) for complete PA Program and course information.

The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status to the Towson University CCBC Essex Physician Assistant Program sponsored by Community College of Baltimore County. Accreditation-Continued is an accreditation status granted when a currently accredited program is in compliance with the ARC-PA Standards.

Accreditation remains in effect until the program closes or withdraws from the accreditation process or until accreditation is withdrawn for failure to comply with the Standards. The approximate date for the next validation review of the program by the ARC-PA will be September 2023. The review date is contingent upon continued compliance with the Accreditation Standards and ARC-PA policy.

School of Health Professions Policies

Students in the School of Health Professions are expected to conduct themselves according to an honor code; exhibit professional behavior; communicate effectively in English; provide proof of health insurance, immunizations, and a tuberculosis (TB) test; and submit to a criminal background check and random drug testing. Students are expected to pay the costs associated with these requirements.

Admission

Admission to this program is a separate process from admission to the college. Admission to the School of Health Professions programs is competitive and selective and is based on published criteria. Applications to the Physician Assistant program must be submitted to the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA), www.caspaonline.org.

Minimum Admission Requirements:

Bachelor’s degree (science/biology discipline preferred)
Acceptance to Towson University Graduate School (Submit CASPA Application before applying to Towson University)
3.0 GPA (last 60 undergraduate credits) – minimum 3.2 GPA preferred
Eight hundred (800) hours of patient contact or medical/health related experience or equivalent experience – 1400 hours preferred
Completion of specific prerequisite courses with a minimum grade of “B”: Human Anatomy and Physiology, 8 credits; Microbiology, 4 credits; Biochemistry, 3 credits; Statistics, 3 credits; Medical Terminology, 2 or 3 credits.

As the program requires full-time attendance (minimum 40 hours per week) throughout the 26-month program, students are strongly encouraged to complete financial preparation so that employment is not necessary during enrollment. No special consideration will be given to students who choose to work during their time in the PA Program.

Program Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this combined Master’s Degree and Physician Assistant Certificate program, students will be able to:

perform, order, and interpret diagnostic studies, including radiographs, imaging studies, electrocardiograms, and those tests necessary to assess complaints common to the ambulatory, hospitalized, and emergency medicine patient;
demonstrate proficiency in basic clinical skills, especially those focusing on the diagnostic process and elements of clinical management, including eliciting patient history, physical assessment, recording patient data and case presentation, diagnosis and basic management plans, and performing basic clinical skills with actual patients in the clinical setting;
operate as highly skilled health care providers who practice medicine with the supervision of licensed physicians through experience gained in the successful completion of ten clinical rotations in family practice, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, surgery, emergency medicine, community medicine, psychiatry, and two general elective areas in primary care and general medicine;
apply principles of the practice of medicine covered throughout the program in a primary care or rural/underserved location and students will function as a full member of a medical team and be responsible for patient care from presentation through follow-up including diagnostic evaluation and patient management; and
incorporate the knowledge, responsibilities, and standards essential in the practice of medicine as a professional physician assistant.

Other

Physician Assistant graduates:

Promote the public’s interest and patient needs before any other considerations.
Serve as ethical health care professionals.
Serve as advocates for patients.
Provide patient education and preventive health care services.
Demonstrate commitment to lifelong learning.
Work with other health care professionals in providing coordinated health care.