Physician Assistant Studies - South University - Tampa

Physician Assistant Studies from South University - Tampa is a Campus Master Health Aide degree that prepares you for a Healthcare career. Program Description Are you looking for physician assistant degree programs in Tampa, Florida? The South University ? Tampa Physician Assistant degree program was founded to prepare students to help meet the growing health care needs of patients throughout the United States. The curriculum for the Tampa PA program was developed to prepare graduates who reflect the highest standards of professional practice and conduct. It offers fundamental medical concepts and theories, provides students with the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to function, with physician supervision, as medical professionals who will serve as valued members of the health care team. The South University - Tampa Physician Assistant Degree Program is a nine quarter (27 month) primary care Physician Assistant educational program. The didactic component is five quarters in length and the clinical component is four quarters in length. The curriculum sequence builds upon a firm foundation of basic sciences, together with a wide variety of clinical medicine coursework. All coursework is designed to prepare students for sound, ethical, clinical decision-making and to provide diagnostic, therapeutic, preventive, and health maintenance services. In each quarter of the didactic component, there is a progressive mixture of basic science, research application, applied behavioral science, didactic clinical instruction, and applied learning experiences. Applied learning experiences will be located at a variety of clinical sites to provide a link between classroom instruction and clinical experiences to enhance learning. Problem solving and case study techniques will be used extensively throughout the entire program in order to provide students with the clinical knowledge and skills they need to practice as competent Physician Assistants . The role of the Physician Assistant is consistently reiterated in that it demands intelligence, sound judgment, intellectual honesty, appropriate interpersonal skills, and the capacity to react to emergencies in a calm and reasonable manner. An attitude of respect for others and self, adherence to the concepts of privilege and confidentiality in communicating with patients, and a commitment to the patient?s welfare are also stressed in the program as essential attributes of the Physician Assistant profession. The clinical phase is 12 months in length. Eight six-week clinical rotations are conducted at a variety of clinical sites. Five weeks of the clinical rotation are spent on site, and one week is spent on campus for exams, lectures, board preparation, and course work. The rotation specialties include Emergency Medicine, Family Practice, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Surgery, Behavioral Medicine, Obstetrics & Gynecology, and an elective of the student?s choice. Sites selected for clinical rotations include ambulatory, emergency, inpatient, and long-term care settings, in public facilities, private practices, and teaching institutions. Physician Assistant Programs in Florida ? South University Physician assistants perform medical functions that include, but are not limited to, evaluation, monitoring, diagnostics, therapeutics, counseling, and referral. The scope of the practice varies according to state laws, the medical setting, and the training of the PA. In many states, PA's can prescribe and/or dispense medicine. The Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies program at South University's Tampa campus in Tampa, Florida, provides students with effective learning opportunities that will prepare them to perform their expected competencies in an ethical, legal, safe and effective manner upon graduation. Program Outcomes Physician assistants (PAs) are healthcare professionals licensed to practice medicine with physician supervision. PAs employed by the federal government are credentialed to practice. As part of their comprehensive responsibilities, PAs conduct physical exams, diagnose and treat illnesses, order and interpret tests, counsel on preventive health care, assist in surgery, and in virtually all states can write prescriptions. Within the physician-PA relationship, PAs exercise autonomy in medical decision making and provide a broad range of diagnostic and therapeutic services. A PA's practice may also include education, research, and administrative services. PA education is ongoing after graduation through continuing medical education requirements and continual interaction with physicians and other healthcare providers. Today, PAs are found in all areas of medicine. They practice in the areas of primary care medicine -- family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics, and gynecology -- as well as in surgery and the surgical subspecialties. Because of the close working relationship the PAs have with physicians, PAs are educated in the medical model designed to complement physician training. Upon graduation, physician assistants take a national certification examination developed by the National Commission on Certification of PAs in conjunction with the National Board of Medical Examiners. To maintain their national certification, PAs must log 100 hours of continuing medical education every two years and sit for a recertification every six years. Graduation from an accredited physician assistant program and passage of the national certifying exam are required for state licensure. View more details on South University - Tampa, FL . Ask your questions and apply online for this program or find other related Health Aide courses.