Medical studies is the name of DeSales University’s 3+2 program that leads to a BS in medical studies and an MS in physician assistant studies. Students complete their undergraduate studies in three years, then continue in the physician assistant program for another two years. The first two semesters of the graduate program (Fall and Spring) are required for completion of the Bachelor’s Degree. Successful completion of this 5 year program will allow the student to sit for the Physician Assistant National Certification Examination (PANCE).
The mission of the physician assistant program is consistent with the enduring Christian Humanistic traditions of DeSales University and seeks to graduate physician assistants who dedicate themselves to the total well-being of the patient. Graduates of the program will deliver competent compassionate health care including preventative services and wellness education to patients of diverse populations in a variety of settings. They will consider the patient holistically in the context of family, community, and society, and incorporate ethical principles into a patient-focused practice. They will serve their patients by using evidence-based medicine and promoting life-long learning in the profession.
Technical Standards for Admission, Academic Progress, and Graduation
The technical standards for the DeSales University Physician Assistant Program have been established to ensure than students have the ability to demonstrate academic mastery, perform clinical skills, and communicate clinical information. These standards are aimed to ensure that each student has the academic and physical ability to acquire competencies defined by the National Commission on Accreditation of Physician Assistants (NCCPA), the Accreditation Review Commission on Education of the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA), the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA), and the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA). These technical standards also ensure that each student can participate in competency activities prescribed by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). These activities include patient care, medical knowledge, practice-based learning and improvement, interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, and systems-based practice. These technical standards are required for admission and must be maintained throughout a student’s progress through the Physician Assistant Program. In the event that a matriculated student is unable to fulfill these technical standards, with or without reasonable accommodations, then the student may be counseled to pursue alternate careers.
All students must be able to independently meet the following standards:
- General abilities - Students must possess:
- a functional sense of vision, touch, hearing, taste, and smell in order to be able to integrate, analyze, and synthesize data in a consistent and accurate manner
- the ability to perceive pain, pressure, temperature, position, vibration, equilibrium, and movement
- Observational abilities -Students must be able to:
- observe demonstrations, exercises, and patients accurately at a distance and close at hand
- note non-verbal as well as verbal signals
- Communication abilities - Students must be able to:
- speak intelligibly
- hear sufficiently
- elicit and transmit patient information in oral and written English to members of the healthcare team
- describe changes in mood, activity, and posture
- communicate effectively and sensitively with patients
- read at a level sufficient to accomplish curricular requirements and provide clinical care for patients
- write or type appropriate medical documents according to protocol in a thorough and timely manner
- Sensory and Motor ability- Students must:
- possess gross and fine motor skills sufficient to directly perform palpation, percussion, auscultation, and other basic diagnostic procedures
- be able to execute motor movements reasonably required to provide basic medical care, such as airway management, placement of catheters, suturing, phlebotomy, application of sufficient pressure to control bleeding, simple obstetrical maneuvers, and extended standing and retraction in surgery
- Critical thinking ability -Students must:
- be able to independently access and interpret medical histories or files
- identify significant findings from history, physical examination, and laboratory data to provide a reasoned explanation for likely diagnoses and prescribed medications and therapy
- recall and retain information in an efficient and timely manner
- calculate, reason, analyze, and synthesize
- incorporate new information from peers, teachers, and the medical literature in formulating diagnoses and plans
- Behavioral and Social Attributes - Students must:
- possess the ability to use their intellectual capacity, exercise good judgment, and promptly complete all responsibilities attendant to the diagnosis under potentially stressful circumstances, emergency situations, and extended hours
- be able to develop empathic, sensitive, and effective relationships with patients
- be able to adapt to changing environments and to learn in the face of uncertainties inherent in the practice of medicine
- be able to respond to supervision appropriately and act independently, when indicated
If an applicant states she/he is unable to meet the technical standards without accommodation, the University will determine whether the student can meet the technical standards with reasonable accommodation. This includes a review of whether the accommodations requested are reasonable, taking into account whether the accommodation would jeopardize patient safety or the educational process of the student or the institution, including all coursework and internships deemed essential to graduation. Students with a documented disability who wish to request academic accommodations should contact the Director of Student Accessibility (Dooling Hall, Room 20, extension 1453).
Non-traditional (Adult Studies) Students
The medical studies major does not allow part-time studies or transfer into the program.
Academic Requirements
Admission into the medical studies major is competitive. First, the applicant must be accepted by the University. Then, Admissions refers qualified applicants to the PA program for an individual interview. If accepted as a first-year student into the medical studies major, the articulation agreement guarantees a seat in the PA program without further application as long as all requirements have been met during the undergraduate phase.
Language Requirements
International applicants should refer to the language requirements detailed in International Students of the Undergraduate Catalog.
Medical Studies Major
In addition to the requirements of the core curriculum, the required sciences are:
First year
Sophomore year
Junior year
The above courses should be taken in the appropriate year and semester to allow for proper progression. Please refer to the additional requirements for the major below, and to the to the Medical Studies Graduation Requirements form for all other classes. The first two semesters of the graduate program (Fall and Spring) are required for completion of the Bachelor’s Degree.
The required science courses must be taken at DeSales University or at an LVAIC institution (Lehigh University, Lafayette College, Moravian College, Muhlenberg College, Cedar Crest College), except for advanced placement credit earned prior to starting college. This is to allow for reporting of grades required for the above GPA requirements. Students may take non-science courses at other institutions of their choice; however, there are important considerations if deciding to do this. The Medical Studies major was designed to help students prepare for the rigors of the didactic and clinical years in the graduate PA program. Diluting a semester by taking a course over the summer may make the student less prepared to succeed in the future. Students must take MD 301 , MD 302 , MD 306 , and MD 1001 at DeSales University. Additionally, students who desire to take coursework over the summer at another institution must have the course(s) approved by the Director of the Academic Success Center or the Associate Dean of Academic Life.
Progression Policy for Students in Medical Studies
- Each semester of first year, the student must average at least a 3.0 GPA overall and at least a cumulative 3.0 GPA for the required science courses. For each semester of Sophomore and Junior year, the student must average at least a 3.2 GPA overall and at least a cumulative 3.2 GPA for the required science courses. The first semester in which the student fails to meet these requirements, they will be placed on probation. If the student fails to meet either of these requirements in any subsequent semester of the first three years, the student will lose their guaranteed seat in the PA Program and they must transfer out of Medical Studies to another major to remain at DeSales University.
- The Program also requires the same academic standards to be met for any additional semesters taken at DeSales, such as winter and summer semesters.
- The student must complete at least 500 hours of health care work (paid or as a volunteer). This must include a minimum of 250 hours involved in direct contact with patients. Additionally, within the required 500 hours, each student must shadow a Physician Assistant for a minimum of 50 hours. These hours must be documented and submitted to the Program Assistant by July 1st prior to matriculation into the graduate phase of the Physician Assistant Program.
- Students will not be able to do a semester abroad in the undergraduate portion of the Medical Studies program due to strict progression policies. There are summer abroad trips available.
- The student must also have earned a grade of C or better (C- is not acceptable) in each individual required science course. In the event a student fails to achieve a grade of C or better in an individual science course, the course must be repeated with an earned grade of C or better prior to matriculation into the graduate phase of the Physician Assistant Program.
- The student must have an overall cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better and a required science cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better to enter the PA Program (the fourth year).
- The student will be required to complete background checks prior to the PA Program. A positive result may affect the student’s ability to matriculate into the Program, complete clinical rotations, or obtain state licensure.
- The student will be required to maintain and document health insurance during the two years of the graduate PA Program.
Typical Program of Study (available at www.desales.edu/gradforms):
First Year
Fall
BI - 151 Introductory Biology I
CH - 101 General Chemistry I
EN - 103 Composition and Rhetoric I
Foreign Language/World Cultures
Spring
BI - 152 Introductory Biology II
CH - 102 General Chemistry II
EN - 104 Composition and Rhetoric II
Foreign Language/World Cultures
MD - 1001 PA as a Profession
Second Year
Fall
CH - 231 Organic Chemistry I
BI - 255 Molecular Biology
MOT/Literature
Humanities I
MA - 111 Probability and Statistics: MOT/Mathematics
Physical Education (Activities)
Spring
BI - 256 Cell Biology
BI - 352 Medical Microbiology
Humanities II
PS - 109 Introduction to Psychology: MOT/Social Science
TH - 109 Catholic Theology
Physical Education (Activity)
Third Year
Fall
BI - 355 Human Structure and Function I
Humanities III
TH 200/300: Intermediate Theology
BI - 353 Immunology
PL - 109 Philosophical Thinking: MOT/Philosophy
Spring
BI - 356 Human Structure and Function II
Humanities IV
MD - 301 Selected Medical Topics
MD - 302 Medical Terminology
MD - 306 Pharmacology and Toxicology
The fourth and fifth years are completed in the graduate PA program, though the fourth year is required to earn a Bachelor’s Degree. Please see the Graduate Catalog for details. Additionally, the PE 100 general education requirement is satisfied by PA 619, which is taken during the graduate phase.
Professional Requirements
Students matriculating into the PA Program are required to attend clinical sites during the first and second year of the Program. Criminal Background and Child Abuse Clearance checks are performed as a requirement of the rotation. If a student has a positive history in these regards, it is possible that the student will not be able to be placed at the clinical sites. All rotations must be successfully completed to complete the requirements for graduation.
Clinical sites also require that health/immunization clearance be performed before the student has contact with patients. Certain immunizations are required for attendance at these sites. Students must complete immunizations before patient contact. Information regarding these requirements is available through the Program.
Admission to the PA Program from the Medical Studies Major
Enrollment in the medical studies major guarantees admission into the PA Program if the following criteria are met:
- successful completion of the undergraduate course, having earned a 3.0 cumulative GPA overall and at least a cumulative 3.0 GPA for the required science courses at the end of the three years. Each semester of the first year, the student must average at least a 3.0 GPA overall and at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA for the required science courses. For each semester of Sophomore and Junior years, the student must average at least a 3.2 GPA overall and at least a cumulative 3.2 GPA for the required science courses. The first semester in which the student fails to meet these requirements, they will be placed on probation. If the student fails to meet either of these requirements in any subsequent semester of the first three years, the student will lose their guaranteed seat in the graduate PA Program. The Program will also evaluate any additional semesters taken at DeSales such as winter and summer semesters.
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completion of at least 500 hours of health care work (paid or volunteer). This must include a minimum of 250 hours involved in direct contact with patients. Additionally, within the required 500 hours, each students must shadow a Physician Assistant for a minimum of 50 hours. These hours must be documented and submitted to the Program Assistant by July 1st prior to matriculation into the graduate portion of the Physician Assistant Program.
Physician Assistant Program
The physician assistant program is 24 months in duration, six consecutive semesters. It is designed to deliver the essential academic and clinical education necessary to prepare students for their professional roles as extenders of the physician and to satisfy the eligibility requirements to sit for the PA certification examination. There is no advanced placement in the PA program. There is no credit for experiential learning.
Admission into the PA program can also be obtained by completing a 4-year degree at DeSales (or other college or university) and then applying through the Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) to the program. No specific major is required but the BA in biology is the recommended degree at DeSales. A seat in the program is not guaranteed but all DeSales graduates are offered a priority interview. The Program also reserves two seats for graduates of DeSales University science programs. Full details of the PA program can be found in the Graduate Catalog of the University.
