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MASTER'S

Master of Physician Assistant Studies · MPAS

Residential | Full-Time | 7 Semesters
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Curriculum

We designed our curriculum to prepare the next generation of knowledgeable healthcare providers. You’ll gain the experience and expertise to positively impact patients and the PA profession as a whole.

Clinical Medicine Courses

With more than 15 clinical medicine courses, we provide a broad education for future clinicians. These courses include women’s health, surgery, emergency medicine, cardiology, behavioral health, infectious disease, endocrinology, pediatrics, and much more. Find how these courses of study can make you the most competitive professional possible.

Supervised Clinical Practice Experience (SCPE)

Three semesters of SCPEs transform knowledge into practice. Experts in the field lend supervision and guidance to students engaging in surgery, emergency medicine, family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, women’s health, behavioral health, and an elective.

Interprofessional Practice

Students have the opportunity to work with interprofessional teams from programs across the university that foster a multidisciplinary approach to patient care. This means you’ll integrate your practice with other healthcare providers—like PTs and SLPs—to meet complex challenges with comprehensive solutions.

Evidence-Based Practice

Our students become competent consumers of current research which can transfer to a patient care setting. We teach a simplified approach to research interpretation that equips you with the tools to analyze the latest scholarship. This evidence-based strategy ensures that our graduates remain at the forefront of best practice throughout their careers.
Curriculum PDF

Core Courses

Code

Course

Credits

This course emphasizes the clinical application of human anatomy. Students learn to recognize normal anatomic structures and become familiar with common anatomic variations. This course covers topographical, radiological, and gross anatomy content pertinent to everyday primary care clinical practice. The cadaver laboratory offers hands-on-learning, facilitating abstraction of anatomical relationships and spatial orientation. Recognition of abnormal and pathologic findings is consistently stressed throughout the course, providing an applicable foundation for effective diagnostic evaluation and therapeutic intervention.

This course is an overview of physiologic and pathophysiologic processes influencing the human body. Part of the course emphasizes genetic, molecular, and cellular level mechanisms while other content focuses on disease manifestation at the organ and systems levels. Basic principles of cell biology, histology, embryology, immunology, and molecular genetics are covered. Included also is an introduction to general pathology, infectious processes, nutrition, and environmental effects on the human organism. Case studies assist students in applying relative principles in clinical situations, and initiate the process of understanding dysfunction and pathology in clinical settings. Recognition of alterations of normal function is highlighted throughout.

This course challenges students to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to competently elicit a comprehensive, as well as problem-specific, medical history. Students are taught principles of physical examination and develop foundational skills including inspection, auscultation, percussion, and palpation. A focus on normal exam findings is emphasized to provide students a solid foundation for recognition of abnormal findings in later courses and eventual practice. Recording and documentation of medical records is introduced and practiced. This course focuses on adult exam and documentation. Specific material for pediatric and geriatric examination is addressed in their respective courses.

This course provides students with a strong foundation for practicing primary care clinical medicine. Providing holistic, relationship-centered patient care is emphasized. Clinical medicine topics covered include pervasive diseases encountered, diagnosed, and managed in the primary care setting, such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and lipid disorders. Common diagnostic and health maintenance laboratory studies are also explored, including but not limited to, complete blood count, basic metabolic panel, kidney function tests, liver function tests, lipid panels, and thyroid testing. Tailoring care to individual patients is discussed, particularly principles related to treating patients with chronic disease states, enabling students to subsequently consider disease processes of organ-systems in the context of patients with common underlying comorbidities.

In this course, students will develop skills to acquire quality, evidence-based information, and utilize this information to produce scholarly materials and communicate effectively with others in the healthcare field. An emphasis is placed on utilizing digital technology resources to acquire, communicate, and create scholarly works effectively in order to facilitate the students’ ability to become lifelong learners. Topics covered include citation management systems, cloud-based information management, proper medical writing styles, and online forum discussions.

This course is the first in a series designed to integrate the principles of professionalism, ethics, profession-specific issues, and the business of medicine, with the practice of medicine. Students are instructed in academic and intellectual honesty and professional conduct in relation to academics and clinical practice. Specific focus areas include history of the physician assistant profession, professionalism, medical ethics, and working as part of a healthcare delivery team.

This course is the second in a series designed to integrate the principles of professionalism, ethics, profession-specific issues, and the business of medicine, with the practice of medicine. Emphasis of this course is on the role healthcare providers play in the areas of public health, preventive medicine, and health maintenance.

This course is the third in a series designed to integrate the principles of professionalism, ethics, profession-specific issues, and the business of medicine, with the practice of medicine. This course examines many of the legal and practice-based issues of healthcare including: electronic data management, coding, billing, reimbursement, rules and regulations, confidentiality, certification and licensure, and safety.

This course is the fourth in a series designed to integrate the principles of professionalism, ethics, profession-specific issues, and the business of medicine, with the practice of medicine. This particular course evaluates health care disparities and provider sensitivity to cultural diversity, socioeconomic differences, and their impact on health and wellness. Complementary and alternative medical practice methods are also examined with particular attention given to integrative and preventive approaches.

This course is the fifth in a series designed to integrate the principles of professionalism, ethics, profession-specific issues, and the business of medicine, with the practice of medicine. This particular course occurs during the final didactic semester just prior to students engaging in the final two full-time supervised clinical practice experiences (SCPEs) semesters. The focus during this course is developing skills needed to become a lifelong learner through practice-based learning/self-improvement and developing awareness of health policy and current trends/issues. There is a continued emphasis on professionalism as it applies to clinical practice.

This course is the sixth in a series designed to integrate the principles of professionalism, ethics, profession-specific issues, and the business of medicine, with the practice of medicine. This particular course covers the organizational and economic elements of systems-based practice. This course also focuses on cost-effective and efficient health care, case management, risk management, error prevention, patient safety, and quality improvement.

This course is the seventh in a series designed to integrate the principles of professionalism, ethics, profession-specific issues, and the business of medicine, with the practice of medicine. The focus of this final course in the series is on the professional expectations and responsibilities facing new physician assistant graduates. Students continue to cultivate the skills necessary for future career development and growth. Topics include curriculum vitae/resume development, job searching, interviewing, employment contracts, credentialing, privileging, mentoring, leadership development, and sustaining the PA profession.

Serving as a prelude to the Applied Clinical Reasoning courses, this course focuses on concepts of evidence-based practice. Specifically, the course covers the foundational principles of research design, epidemiology, biostatistics, and searching the medical literature.

This course is the first in a series designed to challenge students to develop clinical reasoning skills, think critically, enhance interpersonal and communication skills, apply evidence-based resources, and problem-solve as clinicians and as members of an interdisciplinary healthcare team. Students are challenged with simulated cases where they develop clinical skills evaluating standardized patients. Cases encompass acute and/or longitudinal care, and the emphasis is placed on the following: developing differential diagnoses, developing assessments and plans, the medical chart, medical documentation, and informed consent. Students give oral case presentations and integrate aspects of preventive care and public health in the context of acute care.

This course is the second in a series designed to challenge students to develop clinical reasoning skills, think critically, enhance interpersonal and communication skills, apply evidence-based resources, and problem-solve as clinicians and as members of an interdisciplinary healthcare team. Building upon patient care skills developed in the first course, this course challenges students to evaluate and manage standardized patients in the context of acute and longitudinal care. Key content areas include: establishing patients in the primary care setting, admission orders, inpatient management, progress notes, discharge summaries, rehabilitative care, and utilization of an electronic healthcare record.

This is the final applied clinical reasoning course in the series designed to challenge students to develop clinical reasoning skills, think critically, enhance interpersonal and communication skills, apply evidence-based resources, and problem-solve as clinicians while recognizing the contributions of members of the interprofessional health care team. Simulated patient scenarios are designed to facilitate a team approach to the care of acute and longitudinal cases. Emphasis is also placed on further developing interpersonal and communication skills.

Service as a companion to the Applied Clinical Reasoning courses, this course focuses on concepts of evidence-based practice. Specifically, the course covers principles of biostatistics, critical evaluation of the literature, and synthesis of EBP principles into realistic practice settings.

This course provides students with an orientation to help them begin clinical rotations. This course will provide hands-on instruction for some procedures and skills that are important to clinical practice, including basic suturing and injections. A certification course for Pediatric Advanced Life Support is also offered. There will be units designed with the intention of providing students with various clinical pearls that will enhance their clinical rotation experience. Students will practice logging of clinical rotation activities and oral presentation of patient encounters. Students will also be encouraged to start thinking more about their Applied Scholarly Project and making plans accordingly. Additionally, this course evaluates students’ readiness to proceed into the final three semesters of supervised clinical practice experiences (SCPEs). Students are expected to have a strong depth and breadth of knowledge and skills in the basic medical and clinical sciences, and must demonstrate essential cognitive and technical abilities learned in previous courses in order to proceed to SCPEs.

The purpose of this pass/fail seminar is twofold: 1) for students to demonstrate knowledge, patient care skills, and professional competency sufficient to function as an entry-level physician assistant and 2) to prepare graduation candidates for the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE).

Clinical Courses

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Course

Credits

This course serves as a primer for future courses geared toward specific disease states, challenging students to learn core pharmacologic concepts foundational for subsequent utilization of pharmacotherapeutics in patient-centered practice. Principles of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics are presented. Other topics include drug nomenclature, drug classification schemas, drug interactions, adverse drug reactions, autonomic nervous system pharmacology, analgesics and pain management principles, and individualized approaches to pharmacologic management of disease. Content related to prescriptive powers and prescriptive writing requirements is also provided.

This foundational course explores the psychosocial aspects of medicine. Students develop interpersonal and communication skills necessary to effectively communicate with patients and other healthcare professionals. Treatments are discussed from a biopsychosocial perspective with reference to psychotherapies, psychopharmacology, and environmental intervention. Recognition and management of common psychiatric and psychosocial problems encountered in primary care are highlighted. Indications for referral and hospitalization are discussed. Topics covered include but not be limited to: anxiety disorders, mood disorders, psychosis, substance use disorders, personality disorders, eating disorders, and psychiatric emergencies and crises. Case-based learning and role-play is employed to provide enhanced understanding of applying evidence-based practices to individual patient needs and circumstances.

This course is a clinical medicine (CM) modular course using an organ-systems approach to facilitate student learning in the study of hematology and oncology. Focus includes commonly encountered medical issues affecting hematopoiesis, hemostasis, and the lymphoid organs. Topics emphasized include clinical presentation, epidemiology, pathophysiology, patient assessment, diagnosis, pathology, therapeutic interventions, disease management, and clinical course of common disorders. This course also includes introductory oncology content, with a focus on the global clinical aspects of cancer screening, diagnosis, staging, and therapeutic intervention. Organ- specific cancers are primarily discussed in corresponding CM modular courses.

This course is a clinical medicine (CM) modular course using an organ-systems approach to facilitate student learning in the study of endocrinology. Commonly encountered medical problems primarily affecting metabolism and organs of the endocrine system are examined. Topics emphasized include clinical presentation, epidemiology, pathophysiology, patient assessment, diagnosis, pathology, therapeutic interventions, management, and clinical course of common diseases.

This course is a clinical medicine (CM) modular course emphasizing global considerations related to approaching infectious disease. Content includes mechanisms of transmission and pathogenicity, methods of diagnosis, antimicrobial pharmacotherapy, common and systemic clinical presentations, and methods for infection control and prevention. Common bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic pathogens are explored. Organ-specific and demographic predominant infectious diseases are primarily discussed in corresponding CM modular courses.

This course is a clinical medicine (CM) modular course using an organ-systems approach to facilitate student learning in the study of diseases and disorders of the eyes, ears, nose, and throat (EENT). Topics emphasized include clinical presentation, epidemiology, pathophysiology, patient assessment, diagnosis, pathology, therapeutic interventions, management, and clinical course of common diseases.

This course is a clinical medicine (CM) modular course using an organ-systems approach to facilitate student learning in the study of cardiovascular medicine. Commonly encountered medical problems primarily affecting the cardiovascular system are examined. The clinical presentation, epidemiology, pathophysiology, patient assessment, diagnosis, pathology, therapeutic interventions, management, and clinical course of these conditions are explored. During this course students learn fundamentals of interpreting electrocardiograms (EKG), including recognition of common abnormal EKG patterns and differentiation from normal and normal variant EKG tracings.

This course is a clinical medicine (CM) modular course using an organ-systems approach to facilitate student learning in the study of pulmonology. Commonly encountered medical problems primarily affecting the pulmonary system are examined. The clinical presentation, epidemiology, pathophysiology, patient assessment, diagnosis, pathology, therapeutic interventions, management, and clinical course of these conditions are explored.

This course is a clinical medicine (CM) modular course using an organ-systems approach to facilitate student learning in the study of the genitourinary system. Focus for this course includes examination of commonly encountered genitourinary issues. Topics emphasized include clinical presentation, epidemiology, pathophysiology, patient assessment, diagnosis, pathology, therapeutic interventions, disease management, and clinical course of common diseases.

This course is a clinical medicine (CM) modular course using an organ-systems approach to facilitate student learning in the study of gastroenterology. Commonly encountered medical problems primarily affecting the gastrointestinal system are examined. The clinical presentation, epidemiology, pathophysiology, patient assessment, diagnosis, pathology, therapeutic interventions, management, and clinical course of these conditions are explored.

This course examines important aspects of primary care pediatrics including assessment of the child patient, preventive health, and pediatric diseases and conditions. Specific issues of the newborn and older child are presented in such areas as perinatal care, child development & behavior, congenital & genetic disorders, pediatric infectious disease, pediatric respiratory issues, pediatric emergencies, injuries, and parenting. Pediatric pharmacotherapy are explored with emphasis on indications, contraindications, and medication dosing in relation to disease process type and patient demographics. The student also learns assessment techniques specific to the pediatric population.

This course focuses on basic surgical concepts related to primary care as well as surgical specialties. The intent is to familiarize students with surgical concepts, topics and technique. Students learn to recognize signs and symptoms that may require surgical intervention. This course also emphasizes risk management for preoperative patients, pre- and postoperative care, wound assessment, and wound management.

This course is a clinical medicine (CM) modular course using an organ-systems approach to facilitate student learning in the study of neurology. Focus for this course includes examination of commonly encountered neurologic issues. Topics emphasized in this course include clinical presentation, epidemiology, pathophysiology, patient assessment, diagnosis, pathology, therapeutic interventions, disease management, and clinical course of common diseases.

This course provides a foundation for addressing medical problems commonly seen in the aging and elderly population. Additional instruction on preventive medicine, health maintenance, mobility limitations and access to healthcare, therapeutic interventions, medication awareness, and quality of life issues are emphasized. Instruction related to death and dying is also provided.

This course addresses important aspects of women’s health with an emphasis on obstetrical, gynecologic, and preventive care. Content includes a thorough exploration of physiology, pathophysiology, disease states, management options, and screening guidelines for women’s health issues. Obstetrics focuses on the principles of prenatal, perinatal, and post-natal care. Complications arising in pregnancy and management of the more common emergent problems that occur in pregnancy are discussed.

This course provides fundamental instruction on the recognition and management of life-threatening patient presentations. Problem-based case studies and team-based activities are utilized extensively in this course. Team work, collaboration, cooperation, and valuing interdisciplinary contributions to managing patients is emphasized. BLS and ACLS certification is included as part of this course.

This course is a clinical medicine (CM) modular course using an organ-systems approach to facilitate student learning in the study of dermatology. Focus revolves around commonly encountered dermatologic disorders. Topics emphasized in this course include clinical presentation, epidemiology, pathophysiology, patient assessment, diagnosis, pathology, therapeutic interventions, disease management, and clinical course of common diseases.

This course is a clinical medicine modular course using an organ-systems approach to facilitate learning in the study of orthopedic conditions, injuries, and disease processes. Focus for this course includes examination of commonly encountered musculoskeletal issues. Emphasis on proper examination and special exam tests for common orthopedic issues are discussed. Topics emphasized include clinical presentation, epidemiology, pathophysiology, patient assessment, diagnosis, pathology, therapeutic interventions, disease management, and clinical course of common diseases. Fundamental aspects of interpreting imaging studies such as x-rays, MRI, and CT scans are developed. Identification of common fractures, subluxations, and dislocations common in primary care are discussed.

Supervised Clinical Practice Experiences

Eight clinical practice experiences (SCPEs) serve as the culminating learning activities for students in the physician assistant program. During each rotation block, students work with certified practicing clinicians (referred to as preceptors) and actively participate in the delivery of patient-centered care as part of the health care team. Each five-week core clinical practice rotation block provides an opportunity to learn, understand, and gain supervised experience in practicing principles associated with rotation specific experiences. Brief descriptions of each SCPE type is included below:

  • Primary Care – Family Medicine: The focus of this rotation is holistic, outpatient-based, relationship-centered care of patients of all ages. Emphases include management of commonly encountered primary care conditions, evidence-based preventive practices, and patient education.
  • Primary Care – Behavioral Health Emphasis: Focus areas include diagnosis and treatment of mental health disorders (pharmacotherapeutic and psychotherapeutic), health promotion and wellness, and appreciating the dynamic bidirectional influences between the psychosocial and all aspects of health and disease.
  •  Internal Medicine: The focus of this preceptorship is providing longitudinal health care for patients with chronic health problems.
  • Pediatrics: The focus of this preceptorship is acute and preventive health care for pediatric patients.
  • Primary Care – Women’s Health Emphasis: Focus for this preceptorship includes obstetrical, gynecologic, and women’s preventive care.
  • Emergency Medicine: Emphasis of this preceptorship is evaluation and management of emergent medical conditions in the emergency department setting. Content and dates are subject to change. Updated April 27, 2023 12
  • General Surgery: This rotation provides exposure to the operating room setting and function. The focus of this preceptorship is on evaluation and care of patients with commonly encountered conditions requiring surgical management.
  • Open Elective: This mandatory elective rotation provides students the opportunity to gain experience in a specific area of interest and may include a medical or surgical (sub)specialty, academic medicine, or medical research.

Code

Course

Credits

Please refer to listing of supervised clinical practice experience types above

Please refer to listing of supervised clinical practice experience types above

Please refer to listing of supervised clinical practice experience types above

Please refer to listing of supervised clinical practice experience types above

Please refer to listing of supervised clinical practice experience types above

Please refer to listing of supervised clinical practice experience types above

Please refer to listing of supervised clinical practice experience types above

Please refer to listing of supervised clinical practice experience types above

Program Accreditation

The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status to the Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions Physician Assistant Program sponsored by Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions. Accreditation-Continued is an accreditation status granted when a currently accredited program is in compliance with the ARC-PA Standards. Accreditation remains in effect until the program closes or withdraws from the accreditation process or until accreditation is withdrawn for failure to comply with the Standards. The approximate date for the next validation review of the program by the ARC-PA will be March 2029. The review date is contingent upon continued compliance with the Accreditation Standards and ARC-PA policy. The program’s accreditation history can be viewed on the ARC-PA WEBSITE at http://www.arc-pa.org/accreditation-history-rocky-mountain-university-of-health-professions/ Graduates of programs accredited by the ARC-PA or its predecessors are eligible to take the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE). Certification is required to be eligible for licensure to practice as a Physician Assistant. PA program graduates are deemed as having graduated from an accredited program if their PA educational program was accredited at the time of their matriculation.