DYU's Physician Assistant M.S. program is designed to be completed in just over 2 years. To prepare you for robust nature of the roles PAs fill in healthcare, you'll learn a diverse set of skills, develop a deep knowledge of medicine, and get hands-on training in clinical environments. The first year of the degree program is didactic in nature, focusing on the medical knowledge and technical skills needed for clinical practice. Here, you'll take coursework in advanced anatomy and physiology, pathophysiology, clinical medicine, laboratory medicine, physical diagnosis, pharmacology, and more. The remainder of the program is the clinical phase, a blend of didactic courses, research work, and clinical rotation experiences. Clinical experiences take place in several core specialties of medicine, such as Internal and Family Medicine, Pediatrics, Surgery, Women's Health, Psychiatry, and Emergency Medicine. Students will also complete rotations in primary care, orthopedics, and geriatrics, as well as two clinical elective rotations of their choice.

Students who complete the Physician Assistant M.S. degree program will be prepared to sit for the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE), developed and administered by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA). The PA department has been approved and registered by the New York State Education Department (NYSED), and is accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA).

Year 1: Didactic Phase Courses

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
PA-303	Clinical Medicine I	5
PA-304	Clinical Medicine II	5
PA-305	Behavioral Medicine	2
PA-309	Clinical Laboratory Medicine I	2
PA-310	Clinical Laboratory Medicine II	2
PA-311	Clinical Skills	3
PA-312	Physical Diagnosis I	2
PA-312L	Physical Diag Lab	0
PA-313	Physical Diagnosis II	2
PA-313L	Physical Diagnosis Lab	0
PA-335	Pharmacology I	3
PA-336	Pharmacology II	3
Total Credits		29

Year 2: Clinical Phase Courses

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
PA-401B	Internal Medicine 1	3
PA-401C	Family Medicine 1	3
PA-402	General Surgery 1	3
PA-403	General Pediatrics 1	5
PA-404	Obstetrics and Gynecology 1	3
PA-405	Psychiatry 1	3
PA-406	Emergency Medicine 1	3
PA-407	Geriatrics 1	1
PA-408	Orthopaedics 1	3
PA-412	Senior Seminar Clinical Enrichment A	0
PA-413	Senior Seminar Clinical Enrichment B	0
PA-500	Professional Issues	1
PA-501	Elective Clinical Rotation I 1	3
PA-502	Elective Clinical Rotation II 1	3
PA-503	Primary Medicine Core Practicum 1	6
PA-504	Graduate Seminar I	1
PA-505	Graduate Seminar II	1
PA-509	Neuroanatomy (Elective)	3
or PA-512	Alternative Medicine
PA-511	Medical Microbiology (Elective)	3
or PA-606	Medical Epidemiology
PA-603	Applied Research Methods	3
PA-604	Applied Project Seminar I	3
PA-605	Applied Project Seminar II	3
Total Credits		57

¹Denotes a clinical rotation course.

Student Responsibilities

The physician assistant program is demanding in coursework, time commitment, and financial obligations. Students enrolled in the PA department must complete all required coursework, for a total of 85 credit hours. The degree program is composed of two phases, which extend across 2.5 years, and all components are required. Advanced placement is not offered. Students are encouraged to join the D'Youville Student Physician Assistant Association (SPAA) and the New York State Society of Physician Assistants (NYSSPA).

Program Contents and Requirements

The physician assistant curriculum is composed of two distinct academic phases. Each phase of the program is considered a prerequisite to the next phase and must be satisfactorily completed prior to advancement. Students who have not completed graduate-level gross anatomy or pathophysiology prior to matriculation in the DYU PA program may be required to complete them at D'Youville prior to starting the Didactic Phase.

Academic Standing and Student Progress

In addition to general university policies and regulations, which apply to all students, additional academic regulations of the physician assistant department include the following:

1. Physician assistant students must complete all required coursework and meet minimum academic standards.
2. Students must demonstrate the ability to meet all required technical standards.
3. Clinical rotations may require additional expenses for travel-related costs and room and board, which are the sole responsibility of the student. Extended daily travel distances may be required. Student housing is not provided.
4. It is required that each student have a valid driver’s license and their own vehicle. 
5. Due to the time commitment of the program, particularly in the professional phase of the curriculum, outside employment is strongly discouraged.
6. Each phase of the program is considered a prerequisite to the next phase and must be satisfactorily completed prior to advancement. In the professional phase, each semester is considered a prerequisite to the next and must be satisfactorily completed prior to advancement.
7. Students enrolled in the PA department are expected to demonstrate high standards of personal behavior and professional conduct in all academic and clinical environments.
   1. Dishonesty in any form, whether academic or professional, will not be tolerated. Instances of academic dishonesty will result in immediate dismissal from the program.
   2. Professional misconduct may result in probation and/or dismissal from the program depending on the student's academic history and individual circumstances of the offense.
   3. Unprofessional behavior in the clinical setting will result in failure of the clinical rotation regardless of course mastery and may result in dismissal from the department.
8. PA students are not permitted to work for the program. Students may not substitute for or function as instructional faculty, regardless of prior training or qualifications.
9. Students must possess current certification in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), child abuse recognition certification, HIPAA training, and New York State in-servicing on bloodborne pathogens prior to matriculation into the clinical phase of the program.
10. All students in the clinical and graduate phases will be required to have professional liability insurance as specified by the program.
11. Students must have current evidence of all required vaccinations/immunizations and annual history and physical examinations in compliance with CDC recommendations for health care professionals.
12. Students are required to obtain permission from the department faculty prior to registering for clinical rotations.
13. Students who do not meet minimum criteria in any clinical rotation course, or who voluntarily withdraw from the clinical rotation, must receive formal approval from the departmental Student Progress Committee to repeat that course or to continue with subsequent rotations. 

Academic Standing 

Failure to meet minimum academic and professional standards may result in negative consequences, including assignment of remediation activities and/or additional assessments, placement on probationary status, deceleration to the next graduating class, repeating failed course(s) and/or coursework, and/or dismissal from the program. Despite meeting minimum academic standards, permission to progress into the clinical phase may be denied on the basis of demonstrated weakness or inability to meet the program's academic, technical, and/or professional standards. Students may be required to appear before the Committee to discuss their academic status and identify contributing, mitigating, or extenuating circumstances that led to the academic performance issue.

Good Standing

To remain in academic good standing, all PA students must meet the following minimum academic requirements regardless of curricular phase:

1. Minimum B- (80%) or better in all coursework.
2. Minimum 3.0 semester, science, and cumulative GPA.
3. Successful completion of all competency exams (technical assessments, OSCE exams, comprehensive exams, summative assessments, etc.).
4. All master's degree candidates must satisfactorily complete a research project with a corresponding presentation. This project must have prior approval of the department and the IRB and be overseen by a faculty advisor.

Remediation

Students who fail to meet minimum academic standards, or are otherwise unable to demonstrate proficiency in program assessments, competencies, or technical standards may be assigned additional educational enrichment activities. Successful completion of these activities is required for continued progression in the program. Students must pass any assigned remediation activities on the first attempt. Failure to successfully complete remediation may result in negative consequences, outlined above.

Academic Probation

The following conditions may result in placement on probationary status regardless of prior academic standing:

1. Failure to maintain minimum grade and GPA standards outlined above.
2. Course failure.
3. Professionalism standard violations.
4. Academic misconduct.
5. The following additional criteria apply to the professional phase only:
   1. Failure of more than 3 exams in any single semester.
   2. Failure of more than 4 exams cumulatively over the course of the program.
   3. Failure of a clinical rotation.
   4. Failure of a clinical phase OSCE examination.
   5. Failure of a course final examination.
   6. Failure of an assigned remediation activity.

Placement on probationary status is permanent for the remainder of the program. 

Leave of Absence and Deceleration

Students may only decelerate one time while enrolled in the PA program, regardless of cause. Any subsequent requests for a leave of absence that would result in deceleration require approval from the departmental Student Progress Committee. At the discretion of the committee, a student may be permitted to decelerate and repeat certain courses on a case-by-case basis. This determination may not be requested or initiated by the student. Any department-required course may be repeated only once per university policy, and at the discretion of the departmental Student Progress Committee. Students who must repeat a professional phase course will be required demonstrate proficiency prior to progressing.

Dismissal

At the discretion of the departmental Student Progress Committee, the following events may result in immediate dismissal from the program on a first offense:

1. Failure to meet the conditions of probation.
2. Failure to meet academic standards while on probation.
3. A second failure of the same course.
4. Clinical rotation failures.
5. Academic dishonesty or misconduct in any form.
6. Violation of departmental professionalism standards.
7. Failure of two courses in the same semester.

Timeline for Program Completion

Students must complete the degree program within 2 years of starting the Clinical Phase of the curriculum.

Eligibility for Re-Entry

Students who are dismissed from the PA program for any reason will be ineligible for reapplication/re-entry.

Appeals

Students who receive an eligible dismissal decision have the right to a departmental appeal process. Students who plan to appeal any eligible dismissal decision, whether at the department level or School of Health Professions level, are expected to continue attending all courses and clinical rotations during all stages of the appeals process unless expressly told otherwise by the department Chair, appeal officer, or other DYU academic official. Existing course policies on attendance, participation, assignments, and/or assessments (including but not limited to OSCEs, exams, and quizzes) will remain in full effect throughout the appeal process.

Informal Resolution​

Only decisions or actions that do not have significant academic consequences (such as a grade dispute that does not result in probation, suspension, dismissal, or other significant change in academic status) are eligible for an informal resolution process. In these situations, the student should attempt to rectify the concern by dealing directly with the course director. This should be done within five (5) working days of the decision or action in question, and the informal resolution process shall not exceed ten (10) working days from that decision or action. In cases involving allegations of improper academic evaluation (such as a grade), the student must demonstrate clearly and convincingly that the policies in the syllabus or other stated requirements of the course were not followed. ​The PA department does not permit an informal resolution process at the Progress Committee or Chair level of review.​ Decisions or actions that cannot be resolved informally with the course director must proceed to the formal appeal process.​

​Formal Appeal Process

If the student seeks to challenge a departmental Student Progress Committee decision or action that has a significant academic consequence (outlined above), they may file a formal appeal by submitting a written complaint to the department Chair within five (5) working days of the decision or action that they seek to challenge. If the complaint is not filed within five (5) working days, it is considered untimely and will not be accepted or considered. The student has the right to meet with the department Chair as a part of the formal appeal process. It is the responsibility of the student to initiate this meeting request, which is to be scheduled at a mutually beneficial time but may not exceed the time limitations below. Students who do not initiate the request for this meeting within the specified time frame forfeit this right. Only the following conditions will be eligible for an appeal review at the departmental level:​

1. The departmental Student Progress Committee did not comply with a specific departmental policy or procedure. The policy in question must be clearly stated in the appeal request, including the location of the policy and page number, if applicable, or a direct link for policies housed online.​

2. New evidence pertinent to the situation that was not available at the time of the committee review. This new evidence must be clearly stated in the appeal request. Any evidence must be submitted at the time of appeal.​

3. Significant extenuating or mitigating circumstances that were not disclosed to the committee at the time of review. The circumstance(s) must be clearly stated in the appeal request. Any evidence of the circumstance(s) must be submitted at the time of appeal.​

Following the evaluation of the statements and supporting documentation, the department Chair will issue a written determination of the appeal. This written determination must be provided to both the student and the Chair of the departmental Progress Committee within ten (10) working days of the date of appeal submission.  ​

Department Chair determinations are final and will not be further reviewed at the department level.​ Students who are not satisfied with the department Chair's decision must follow the School of Health Professions' appeals Academic Appeals Procedures, available at: https://catalog.dyouville.edu/policies-disclosures/policies-procedures-all-students/academic-appeals-procedure/​. 

Master's only applicants must have received a baccalaureate degree or higher from a regionally accredited college or university, with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 grading scale and a minimum science GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 grading scale as calculated by CASPA at the time of application. Introductory and survey courses are not accepted to fulfill the required science prerequisites.

Applicants must earn a grade of B- or better in each of the following required subjects:

• Human Anatomy & Physiology (I & II) including laboratory – 8 semester hours*
• General or Developmental Psychology – 3 semester hours
• General Inorganic Chemistry (I & II) including laboratory - 8 semester hours
• Organic Chemistry including laboratory - 3 semester hours
• Microbiology including laboratory - 3 semester hours
• Statistics – 3 semester hours
• English (including 3 semester hours of English Composition) – 6 semester hours

*Applicants who take the combination class of Human Anatomy & Physiology I (A&P I), then must complete the sequence by taking Human Anatomy & Physiology II (A&P II).

Note: Students who have not completed pathophysiology and/or graduate-level gross anatomy will be required to complete those courses at D'Youville prior to starting the didactic phase of the program.