Academic year curriculum, 12 months

The following description reflects the Master of Physician Assistant Studies academic curriculum in the entry level program for those interested in becoming a physician assistant. The 12-month academic phase emphasizes: 

• A strong foundation in basic science education
• Comprehensive exposure to primary care and specialty areas of medicine
• Introduction to patient care through experiences with community physician and physician assistant mentors
• Hands-on experience performing histories, physical exams, and developing assessments and management plans during mentoring activities
• Development of clinical thinking processes through faculty facilitated weekly small group activities utilizing problem-based learning
• The use of medical informatics and evidence-based medicine to make better clinical decisions
• Methods to improve patient interactions and provide more effective medical care
• Formalized evaluations of clinical competencies and skills throughout the year

In order to progress to the clinical phase of the program, students must pass all academic year courses, the end of didactic year comprehensive multiple-choice examination and an assessment of clinical skills.

Clinical Year Curriculum, 14 months

All students participate in clinical training activities in a variety of settings at program-provided sites. In keeping with the mission of the program, a majority of the clinical opportunities are located outside of metropolitan Portland, many in rural medically underserved sites throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington. Supervised clinical practice experiences (SCPEs) or rotations will ensure students will acquire the competencies needed for clinical PA practice. SCPEs will provide experiences in outpatient and inpatient settings, emergency departments and the operating room, with patients across the life span, including prenatal and obstetric care, surgical management (pre, intra, and post-operative care) and care for behavioral/mental health conditions.

All rotations are 4 weeks in length. Students participate in a minimum of 1,100 clock hours of supervised clinical practice during the Clinical Year. Students are not required to provide or solicit clinical sites or preceptors.

In addition to passing all coursework in the clinical phase of the program, students are required to pass the end of curriculum assessments prior to graduation. These assessments include a comprehensive end-of-curriculum multiple-choice examination and an assessment of clinical skills.