About Radford University College Bachelor Of Science In Physician Assistants

General Aims

The aim of theprogrammeis to produce versatile Physician Assistants equipped with adequate knowledge and skills in performing various medical procedures and tests related to patient diagnosis, treatment, as well as disease prevention.

Objectives

The PA Program is intended for students who seek careers aimed at improving thehealthand well-being of children, adolescents, young adults, men, women of child bearing age, mothers, and older adults. In this regard, the specific instructional goals of the faculty teaching in the PA Program are to:

• Develop within each student a strong foundation in the basic and clinical sciences ofmedicineappropriate to the delivery of quality illness prevention and disease management services in a wide variety of practice settings.
• Engender advocacy for the needs of underserved populations among future non-physician providers of medical care through early clinical exposures to patients and community partnerships designed to facilitate service learning.
• Foster within future non physician providers of medical care the humanistic and interpersonal qualities essential to understanding lifestyle and social forces as major determinants of morbidity and mortality.
• Facilitate active learning and independent judgment about disease prognosis, diagnostic testing, and disease management using skills of critical appraisal.
• Prepare the next generation of faculty with the knowledge and research skills requisite to moving PAeducationwell into the future.
• Provide leadership in the arena of student performance and competency documentation through an active program ofhealthservices research and information management.

In addition to the above, a range of didactic, clinical and practical experiences is used to ensure that each student:

• Knows the scientific, clinical andpublic healthfoundations underlying illness prevention and disease management;
• Understands the historical, social, family and community content of illness prevention and disease management
• Has the critical analysis and quantitative skills necessary to assess illness prevention and disease management problems
• Understands the interdisciplinary nature of solutions to illness and injury prevention and chronic disease management problems involving at-risk populations
• Has the interpersonal communication skill requisite to the effective planning and implementation of illness prevention and disease management practices and policies
• Has the analytical and behavioral counseling skill required to select, implement and maintain effective solutions for illness prevention and disease management problems involving at-risk populations; and
• Understands the role of informationtechnologyin the provision, tracking and evaluation of services provided in the clinical setting

Faculty membersteaching in the PA Program are also committed to producing a PA who demonstrates essential attributes of cultural competence, intelligence, sound clinical judgment, and honesty, the ability to relate to people, and the capacity to react to emergency situations in an appropriately calm and reasoned manner.