Courses

PA 513 DIAGNOSTIC MEDICINE II   2.5 Credit(s)
This is the second of two courses designed to develop a functional understanding of the appropriate uses and interpretations of clinical diagnostic testing, to include serologic, microscopic studies, radiographic interpretation, and electrocardiographic interpretation. Students will learn to select, interpret, and apply appropriate laboratory, imaging, and other diagnostic tests and determine clinical significance. Skills will be developed through lecture and structured small-group workshops. This course will be a hybrid course of digital and on-campus learning.
Offered: Spring Semester All Years

PA 514 PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE   2.0 Credit(s)
This course is designed to discuss the role of the physician assistant in the context of the healthcare system, as well as issues pertaining to the physician assistant's practice of medicine within an interprofessional team. This course will include interpersonal skills and communication, history of the physician assistant profession, introduction to PA professional organizations, patient safety, and medical and professional ethics. Instruction for this course will consist of lectures, case studies, and small-group discussions. This course will be a hybrid course of digital and on-campus learning.
Offered: Fall Semester All Years

PA 515 POPULATION HEALTH & WELLNESS   2.0 Credit(s)
This course will reference leading health indicators for population health. Students will identify the most significant preventable threats to health, and will learn strategies for integrating risk reduction into patient care. Students will develop skills in the area of patient communication, patient education, interprofessional healthcare teams, and cultural diversity to address concepts of health promotion and disease prevention, and will focus on developing clinical skills toward maintaining or improving the wellness of patients and communities. Principles of public health and current issues will be addressed. Evidence-based recommendations for health promotion and disease prevention will be emphasized. Lectures and structured small-group workshops will discuss the application of strategies for reducing health-risk behaviors.
Offered: Spring Semester All Years

PA 516 EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE   2.5 Credit(s)
This course will focus on evidence-based practice methodology including the necessary skills to search and critically analyze the medical literature. Included in the course material are fundamental concepts in sampling, study design, sample size and power estimates, bias, validity, confounding, hypothesis testing, and an overview of data types and statistical tests appropriate for clinical studies. Quantitative epidemiology approaches are presented such as incidence, prevalence, relative risk and odds ratio to determine evaluation of patient risk relative to medical conditions, and the efficacy of potential therapeutic approaches. Course will also cover analysis, interpretation, and application of various types of clinical articles to develop proficiency in utilizing current evidence based practice to answer clinical questions relative to diagnosis and therapy. Instruction for this course will consist of lectures, structured faculty-led small groups, and journal clubs. This course will be a hybrid course of digital and on-campus learning.
Offered: Late Spring Semester All Years

PA 517 CLINICAL INTEGRATION I   2.5 Credit(s)
This is the first of two courses to introduce the student to the clinical setting. Students meet in small groups with clinical preceptors to discuss various aspects of patient care including obtaining histories, physical findings, pathophysiology of disease, developing a differential diagnosis, formulating management plans, and practicing oral patient presentations. Students will practice history-taking and physical exam skills, document histories and physical examination, and present findings to their clinical preceptors. Periodic classroom lectures will also be scheduled to review and develop clinical skills in addition t early clinical experiences.
Offered: Spring Semester All Years

PA 518 CLINICAL INTERGRATION II   2.5 Credit(s)
This is the second of two courses to provide the student with supervised experiential learning in the clinical setting and will build on experiences in PA 517 Clinical Integration I. Students meet in small groups with clinical preceptors to discuss various aspects of patient care including obtaining histories, physical findings, pathophysiology of disease, developing a differential diagnosis, formulating management plans, and practicing oral patient presentations. Students will practice history-taking and physical exam skills, document histories and physical examination, and present findings to their clinical preceptors. Periodic classroom lectures will also be scheduled to review and develop clinical skills in addition to early clinical experiences.
Offered: Obsolete - Summer Semester All Years

PA 519 BEHAVIORAL/MENTAL HEALTH MEDICINE   2.0 Credit(s)
This course is designed to provide the study of human disease and disorders associated with mental and behavioral diseases, and introduces the special needs and care of the mental health patient with an emphasis on disease management with the ultimate goal of improving the functional status of individuals with mental health diseases. The student will also consider social, personal, and cultural attitudes toward mental illness. Course will be taught using lecture, case study, interviewing, and problem-based approach.
Offered: Obsolete - Summer Semester All Years

PA 520 PRIMARY CARE MEDICINE   2.0 Credit(s)
This course is designed to provide the study of primary care, which is defined as the comprehensive first contact and continuing, coordinated care for persons with any undiagnosed sign, symptom, or health concern, not limited by problem origin (biological, behavioral, or social), organ system, or diagnosis. The focus will be on patient-centered, interprofessional, and cost-effective care, with an emphasis on disease processes and management common to primary care medicine. Course will be taught using lecture, case study, and a problem-based learning approach.
Offered: Obsolete - Summer Semester All Years

PA 521 CLINICAL SKILLS & PROCEDURES   2.0 Credit(s)
This course will prepare the student for the upcoming clinical year. The focus will be on procedures including sterile technique, venipuncture, IV placement, injections, airway management and endotracheal intubation, nasogastric tube placement, lumbar puncture, urinary bladder catheter insertion, bandaging, casting and splinting, local anesthesia, and wound management and closure. Instruction for this course will consist of lectures and structured small group clinical skills exercises.
Offered: Obsolete - Summer Semester All Years

PA 522 HEALTHCARE DELIVERY   1.5 Credit(s)
This course is designed to expose the student to current trends in the U.S. healthcare system. The focus of instruction will be given to healthcare delivery systems and policy, healthcare information systems, interprofessional healthcare teams, patient centered medical homes, and healthcare outcomes. As the student transitions from the didactic to the clinical year, topics on patient safety, prevention of medical errors, risk management, and quality improvement germane to clinical practice will be discussed. Instruction on reimbursement, coding, and billing will also be taught in this course. Instruction for this course will consist of lectures and small-group discussions. This course will be a hybrid course of digital and on-campus learning.
Offered: Obsolete - Summer Semester All Years

PA 523 MEDICAL SPANISH   2.0 Credit(s)
This course is designed to improve students' communication in clinical situations with patients whose native language is Spanish. The focus of the instruction will be on learning basic conversational skills in order to elicit clinical histories, conduct physical examinations, and give instructions to Spanish-speaking patients. Instruction for this course will consist of lectures and class discussion.
Offered: Obsolete - Summer Semester All Years

SLP 514 SCREENING AND DIAGNOSTICS I   1.0 Credit(s)
This course will introduce students to methods of screening and diagnostic practice in speech-language pathology. Students will develop case-based assessment plans, review a range a assessment measures, practice giving tests, record and analyze language samples, and prepare diagnostic reports. Students will participate in screening, assessment and diagnostic activities in the form of role playing, standardized patient, simulation, and supervised clinical experiences. Lecture, laboratory and clinical practicum formats wiLL be included.
Offered: Fall Semester All Years

SLP 515 SCREENING AND DIAGNOSTICS II   1.0 Credit(s)
This course will provide students with experience in developing assessment plans, administering and scoring tests, writing clinical reports, and assigning diagnoses in speech-language pathology. Students will write assessment plans, analyze, compare and contrast assessment instruments, transcribe, analyze and interpret communication samples, administer a range of assessment instruments, write diagnostic reports in standardized patient, simulation and supervised clinical activities. Lecture, laboratory and clinical formats will be used.
Offered: Fall & Spring Semesters All Years

CJ 516 COMMUNITY BASED CORRECTIONS   3.0 Credit(s)
This course addresses issues related to juvenile and adult offenders managed in community settings, to include the empirical effectiveness and social consequences of policy.
Offered: Spring Semester All Years

CM 563 SOCIAL MEDIA & JOURNALISM   3.0 Credit(s)
Students in this course will learn of the social, historical and ethical issues that surround and evelop journalism focusing on the expansive impact of social media. These issues be examined and analyzed in connection to the professional world in which the students will enter. Through applied learning, the course will give students a foundation in engaing with digital tools that help shape the message needed to inform the mass audience. Students will produce, podcasts, blogs and use other forms of soical media to address these issues.
Offered: Fall Semester All Years