The Master of Physician Assistant Studies at Trine University is a seven semester program designed to prepare students to succeed, lead, and serve the community and the physician assistant (PA) profession. The PA program will be the beginning of a lifelong journey in the pursuit of knowledge, professional development, and personal growth. The program is also committed to maintaining the highest moral and ethical standards. The PA program is a 117 credit hour 7 semester curriculum of approximately 29 months divided into didactic and experiential phases.
Program Learning Outcomes (Competencies)
The Trine University Master of Physician Assistant Studies Program has established academic standards and goals for student learning which provide a critical foundation for curriculum development, guideposts for classroom instruction, and a framework for assessment (B4.03). By the end of the MPAS program, the graduating student should be able to:
1. Knowledge Domain
1.1 Possess a sound knowledge of current and evolving biomedical and clinical sciences, behavioral sciences, and population health, and integrate and apply it to the medical care, health promotion, and disease prevention services offered (B1.01c, B2.11, B2.15)
1.2 Participate in lifelong learning to continually improve clinical knowledge, clinical and technical skills, professional behaviors, and clinical reasoning and problem-solving abilities (B2.03, B2.05, B2.09, B2.18, B2.19)
1.3 Possess sufficient knowledge of the medicolegal, regulatory, billing/coding, reimbursement, and patient safety issues inherent to medical practice (B2.14, B2.16, B2.17)
1.4 Possess the knowledge and abilities to critically evaluate the medical literature, conduct or participate in limited research projects, and evaluate clinical environments and processes for quality, efficacy, compliance, patient safety, risk management, or other important outcomes that may impact patient care (B2.13, B2.16)
2. Clinical Skills Domain
2.1 Accurately and efficiently perform medical histories and physical examinations across the lifespan that are appropriate and relevant to the clinical situation and setting (B2.07)
2.2 Appropriately order and correctly interpret laboratory, imaging, ECG, and other diagnostic studies commonly performed in clinical settings (B2.07)
2.3 Skillfully perform diagnostic and therapeutic procedures most commonly performed by PAs (B2.07)
3. Clinical Reasoning and Problem-Solving Abilities Domain
3.1 Effectively and efficiently utilize information from the health history, physical examination, laboratory tests and other diagnostic procedures to distinguish between expected vs. abnormal findings, to formulate reasonable differential diagnoses, and to narrow the differential diagnosis list to a presumptive diagnosis in a logical, efficient, and cost-effective manner (B2.07)
3.2 Recommend pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic therapeutic options that are most efficacious and evidence-based while also considering patient preferences and concerns, and the impacts of social, economic, and spiritual factors on health and wellness (B2.02, B2.06, B2.13)
3.3 Provide appropriate medical care in emergent, acute, chronic, rehabilitative, palliative, and end-of-life settings (B2.08)
3.4 Assess patient outcomes to evaluate the accuracy of diagnoses, the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions, patient compliance, and other factors that potentially impact patient care (B2.12)
4. Technical Skills Domain
4.1 Effectively utilize both electronic and non-digital medical records to document findings, access clinical information, write prescriptions and orders, and make referrals (B2.02, B2.07, B2.14)
4.2 Utilize technologies and other resources to effectively search, interpret, and appraise the medical literature for answers to clinical questions and evidence-based practices, and integrate and apply newly acquired knowledge into patient care (B2.13)
5. Interpersonal & Communication Skills Domain
5.1 Document and communicate medical, legal, financial, or other relevant information to other members of the healthcare team in an accurate, logical, concise, and understandable manner (B2.04, B2.10, B2.17)
5.2 Demonstrate appropriate and effective auditory, verbal, non-verbal, written, and electronic communication skills when dealing with patients, families, caregivers, staff, colleagues, supervising physicians, administrators, and other healthcare professionals (B2.04, B2.10)
5.3 Demonstrate appropriate sensitivity, empathy, compassion, and respect when dealing with diverse patient populations to promote and sustain therapeutically and ethically sound relationships (B2.06, B2.11, B2.12, B2.18)
6. Professional Behaviors Domain
6.1 Abide by, and uphold, the principles espoused in the “PA Professional Oath” and the American Academy of Physician Assistant’s “Guidelines to the Ethical Conduct of the Physician Assistant Profession” (B2.18)
6.2 Demonstrate and model professional behavior, most especially in interactions with patients, families, staff, colleagues, and superiors (B2.18)
6.3 Abide by legal and regulatory requirements pertaining to the PA profession and clinical practice settings (B2.17, B2.18)
Accreditation
At its 2023M meeting, the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA) placed the Trine University Master of Physician Assistant Studies Program sponsored by Trine University on Accreditation-Probation status until its next review in 2025M.
Probation accreditation is a temporary accreditation status initially of not less than two years. However, that period may be extended by the ARC-PA for up to an additional two years if the ARC-PA finds that the program is making substantial progress toward meeting all applicable standards but requires additional time to come into full compliance. Probation accreditation status is granted, at the sole discretion of the ARC-PA, when a program holding an accreditation status of Accreditation - Provisional or Accreditation - Continued does not, in the judgment of the ARC-PA, meet the Standards or when the capability of the program to provide an acceptable educational experience for its students is threatened.
Once placed on probation, a program that fails to comply with accreditation requirements in a timely manner, as specified by the ARC-PA, may be scheduled for a focused site visit and is subject to having its accreditation withdrawn.
Specific questions regarding the Program and its plans should be directed to the Program Director and/or the appropriate institutional official(s).
The program’s accreditation history can be viewed on the ARC-PA website at https://www.arc-pa.org/accreditation-history-trine-university/.
Additional FAQs can be found on the program page.
Didactic Phase
The didactic phase of the PA program is comprised of four semesters and includes a total of 66 credit hours. Although primarily campus-based, students occasionally need to travel to clinical application obligations, including local inter-professional education activities.
Experiential Phase (Clinical Year)
The clinical phase of the PA program encompasses approximately three semesters and is organized into nine 5-week clinical rotation periods. Students will be required to return to campus approximately once every five weeks for end-of-rotation activities and will also return to campus for the last two weeks of the final semester. Not all clinicals are local or within driving distance from campus. Students are responsible for their own travel and housing expenses and should expect to travel for one to two experiences. Students are not eligible for experiential phase courses until they have successfully completed all didactic phase courses. Concurrent with the clinical experiences are the Senior Seminar and Graduate Project course series.
There are seven program-required rotation areas and opportunities for elective experiences. Required are rotations in:
- Family Medicine (5 weeks)
- Internal Medicine (5 weeks)
- Emergency Medicine (5 weeks)
- General Surgery (5 weeks)
- Women’s Health (approximately 2.5 weeks)
- Pediatrics (approximately 2.5 weeks)
- Behavioral Health (approximately 2.5 weeks)
Elective rotations include (depending on preceptor availability):
- Orthopedics
- Plastic Surgery
- Hematology
- Genitourinary
- Gastroenterology
- Otorhinolaryngology
- Dermatology
- Cardiology
- Miscellaneous
Degree Requirements
Didactic Phase - 66 Hours
Typical Course Sequence
Fall 1 (16 weeks – 17 hrs.)
| PAS 5004 | Clinical Anatomy | 4 |
| PAS 5012 | Clinical Skills I: Medical Documentation and Interviewing | 2 |
| PAS 5022 | Physician Assistant Professional Practice | 2 |
| PAS 5052 | Clinical Application and Reflection Experience I | 2 |
| PAS 5014 | Clinical Physiology | 4 |
| PAS 5213 | Diagnostic Techniques - Imaging | 3 |
Spring 1 (16 weeks – 18 hrs.)
| PAS 5102 | Clinical Skills II: Physical Exam | 2 |
| PAS 5110 | Clinical Medicine and Therapeutics I | Other |
| PAS 5152 | Clinical Application and Reflection Experience II | 2 |
| PAS 5161 | Clinical Pharmacology I | 1 |
| PAS 5171 | Evidence Based Practice I | 1 |
| PAS 5122 | Clinical Genetics | 2 |
Summer 1 (12 weeks – 14 hrs.)
| PAS 5212 | Clinical Skills III - Special Populations | 2 |
| PAS 5252 | Clinical Application and Reflection Experience III | 2 |
| PAS 5261 | Clinical Pharmacology II | 1 |
| PAS 5371 | Evidence Based Practice II | 1 |
| PAS 5206 | Clinical Medicine and Therapeutics II | Other |
| PAS 5112 | Diagnostic Techniques - EKG | 2 |
Fall 2 (16 weeks – 17 hrs.)
| PAS 5310 | Clinical Medicine and Therapeutics III | Other |
| PAS 5352 | Clinical Application and Reflection Experience IV | 2 |
| PAS 5361 | Clinical Pharmacology III | 1 |
| PAS 5002 | Diagnostic Techniques - Laboratory Medicine | 2 |
| PAS 5312 | Clinical Skills IV - Procedures | 2 |
Supervised Clinical Practice Experiences (SCPE) - 51 Hours
Spring 2 (17 hrs.)
Summer 2 (17 hrs.)
FALL 3 (17 hrs.)