RMU MPAS Program Policies
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RMU MPAS Program Technical Standards
The Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions (RMU) Physician Assistant (PA) Program is a rigorous and intense program that places specific requirements and demands on students.
The technical standards included below establish the essential qualities considered necessary for admitted students to achieve the knowledge, skills, and competencies necessary to succeed as entry-level physician assistants.
Applicants unable to fulfill these technical standards prior to, or any time after, enrolling into the program, with or without reasonable accommodation (see the Accessibility Resources section of RMU’s Student Services web page), will not be permitted to enter or progress within the program.
Observation
Qualifying applicants and enrolled PA Program students…
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must be able to observe and actively participate in all demonstrations and experiments in the basic medical and clinical sciences, including observations made through a microscope and demonstrations made in classroom and skills lab settings using standardized or classmate patient-models.
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must be able to observe a patient accurately and completely both at a distance and up close, noting both verbal and nonverbal signs.
Communication
Qualifying applicants and enrolled PA Program students…
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must possess the ability to comprehend written English at a level sufficient to adequately evaluate technical materials, medical reports, and biomedical texts and journals.
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must be able to communicate, both verbally and in writing, the results of their examination to the patient and to their colleagues with accuracy, clarity, and efficiency.
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must be able to accurately and legibly document observations and plans in a thorough and timely manner.
Sensory and Motor Function
- are expected to have sufficient somatic and sensory capabilities, including adequate senses of vision, hearing, and smell, to adequately perform the inspection, palpation, auscultation, and percussion components of the physical examination.
- must possess the gross and fine motor coordination skills necessary to learn and perform routine laboratory tests as well as diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.
- should be able to perform the physical activities necessary to provide general and emergency care for patients, including but not be limited to activities such as bending, lifting, carrying, and running.
Intellectual Conceptualization, Integration, and Quantitation
- must be able to learn to quantify, analyze, integrate, synthesize, solve problems, and reach diagnostic and therapeutic judgments.
- must be able to learn and to demonstrate the ability to recognize limitations in their own knowledge, skills, and abilities, and seek appropriate assistance with their identified limitations.
Behavioral and Social Attributes
- must be able to work collaboratively with their classmates to sustain a non-competitive learning atmosphere and with their colleagues and patients to develop collaborative professional relationships.
- must possess the endurance to tolerate physically taxing workloads and to function effectively under stress.
- must possess the emotional health needed for full use of their intellectual abilities, to exercise good judgment, and to provide prompt and appropriate action in emergency situations.
- must be able to adapt to changing environments and to display flexibility in the face of uncertainties inherent in the educational process and practice of medicine.
- are expected to willingly accept and invite constructive criticism and, if necessary, subsequently adopt appropriate modifications in their behavior.