Physician Associate, M.M.S.

The University of New Haven Physician Associate program is a 24-month, ninety-eight credit hour graduate program culminating in a Master of Medical Science Degree and a certification that the graduate is eligible to take the Physician Assistant National Certification Exam. This is a rigorous academic and clinical practice program requiring students to commit to being on campus in class and lab throughout the week during the first year and complete supervised clinical practice experiences throughout the second year in addition to ongoing didactic courses. The supervised clinical practice experiences will require travel outside of the local area at the student's expense. Applicants must be prepared for the time commitment and tolerant of a varying shedule to obtain the education and experience required to enter the Physician Associate profession. The program's mission is grounded in person-centered care and that philosophy extends to the educational experience of the students. The program provides an environment of support and is devoted to student success. 

Program Outcomes: 

1. Apply principles of basic and clinical science, including anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, and genetics to identify, diagnose, and provide patient centered care to healthy and ill patients.
2. Recognize the risk factors and epidemiology of commonly presenting disease.
3. Select, interpret, and apply diagnostic studies to inform clinical decision making.
4. Formulate pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatments plans including counseling and patient education for both healthy and ill patients.
5. Demonstrate ability to establish rapport with patients.
6. Effectively communicate information to patients, peers, and members of the health care team.
7. Demonstrate empathy, honesty, and compassion to provide patient-centered care.
8. Maintain respectful working relationships with all members of the health care team.
9. Conduct problem-focused and comprehensive examinatons that includes the patient-centric gathering of information. 
10. Convey patient information to all members of the health care team in an accurate and efficient manner in verbal and written formats.
11. Provide counseling to patients from diverse backgrounds to support them in the shared decision-making process.
12. Perform skills and procedures essential to entry into the Physician Associate profession.
13. Approach the provision of health care with a person-centered focus.
14. Provide team-based care that demonstrates respect for patient autonomy, rights to informed consent, confidentiality, and respect. 
15. Demonstrate personal accountability, devotion to self-appraisal, and commitment to life-long learning.
16. Provide patient centered care that incorporates patient cultural belief and practices with respect to societal and psychosocial aspects of the patient. 
17. Consider fiscal impact, patient safety, and resource allocation in the provision of care.
18. Analyze practice performance and participate in quality assurance and improvement efforts.  
19. Explain how regulatory policies and laws govern the profession. 
20. Work collaboratively in team-based care to optimize patient-centered care. 
21. Synthesize information acquired through patient encounters and medical literature to develop appropriate differential diagnoses and management plans for acute, chronic, and emergent health conditions. 
22. Interpret data collected via patient examination, laboratory and diagnostic studies, procedures, and imaging studies to accurately diagnose chronic, acute, and emergent medical conditions.
23. Formulate a treatment plan incorporating appropriate pharmaceutical, non-pharmaceutical, patient education, and appropriate therapeutic interventions in the prevention and treatment of chronic, acute, and emergent conditions.
24. Integrate understanding of cultural, socioeconomic, environmental, and other population level impacts on health into medical decision-making and the development of individualized care plans.
25. Demonstrate accumulation of medical knowledge appropriate for entry into the Physician Associate profession.