Academic Catalog

PAS-5007 PA Seminar

This course is designed to introduce Physician Assistant (PA) students to pertinent issues of medical practice and the PA role in providing quality, patient-centered care. The course is designed to expose the PA student to aspects of medicine and patient care that are not contained within the clinical medicine and science curricula. As a requirement of student participation in clinical experiences, instruction will be provided regarding the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and safety precaution guidelines related to blood-borne pathogens. Documentation, billing and coding, reimbursement, quality assurance, risk management, and medicolegal issues will be introduced in this course and revisited in the Transition to Practice course during the Clinical Phase of the curriculum. With quality improvement in mind, giving and receiving feedback and reflective practice will be discussed. The course will also touch on the history and evolution of the PA profession in U.S. medicine, the status, trends, and characteristics of PA health care providers, their education, regulation, practice patterns, external relations, and professional organizations. Issues related to PA health workforce policy are presented, along with aspects of PA practice economics, specialization, PA political issues, government in health care, and the globalization of the PA concept. PA mental health and wellness and professionalism will also be addressed.

Credits

1

Offered

Didactic Phase, Fall Semester