Program and Curriculum

Mission

Le Moyne College is a diverse learning community that strives for academic excellence in the Catholic and Jesuit tradition through its comprehensive programs rooted in the liberal arts and sciences. Its emphasis is on education of the whole person and on the search for meaning and value as integral parts of the intellectual life. Le Moyne College seeks to prepare its members for leadership and service in their personal and professional lives to promote a more just society.

The Le Moyne College Physician Assistant Program is dedicated to the education of students to become competent, caring, compassionate, and ethical providers of health care services with the supervision of a licensed physician. The program seeks to instill in each individual the desire to pursue a lifelong commitment to promote excellence in the delivery of patient care through continual self-assessment and advancement of one’s medical skills and knowledge.

The program prepares students to work in a wide variety of settings under the supervision of licensed physicians, such as hospitals, private primary care facilities, nursing homes, and community centers.

History of the Program

The Physician Assistant Program of Le Moyne College was founded in 1996 in response to the health care needs of central New York, including Syracuse and Onondaga County. It was established within the Department of Biology with Norb Henry, EdD, as the founding director, and James Longo, MD, as the founding medical director. The program was initially granted provisional accreditation, and full accreditation in 1998. Continuing accreditation was granted for 2002-2006, and for 2006-2011. The next ARC-PA review will occur in 2011.

The PA program became the Department of Physician Assistant Studies in 2005. It received approval to grant a Master of Science degree to graduates, with the first full graduate class entering in fall 2005.

The first class entered in fall 1996 with 32 students. Since 1998, over 220 students have completed the Le Moyne College Physician Assistant Program and are employed throughout central New York and across the United States.

Program Objectives

Upon completion of the program, a student will have developed the skills to provide competent and compassionate care, and skills that promote lifelong learning, including

Curriculum

The didactic curriculum consists of problem-based learning - a form of active learning that is student-centered rather than teacher-centered- blended with supplemental laboratory exercises, seminar discussions, and lectures. Students work through a set of cases, developing their skills in information and data gathering (history and physical examination), self-assessment to identify knowledge gaps, self-directed learning and resource utilization to fill the knowledge gaps (including other courses and lectures, books, journals, library, electronic databases, etc.), application of their new knowledge to clinical situations, and communication through group discussions, class participation, and written work. While the Clinical Medicine courses form the core of the curriculum, the other courses support this core by expanding upon it, enriching it, and providing specialized content.

The 12-month clinical curriculum is comprised of eight rotations that include experiences in:

• internal medicine and adult primary care
• pediatrics
• geriatrics
• women’s healthcare
• surgery
• emergency medicine
• behavioral medicine
• surgical and medical subspecialty electives
• outpatient setting
• inpatient setting
• long-term care setting

Emphasis is placed on developing a solid foundation for providing patient care under the supervision of a physician in a variety of primary care and specialty settings. Each rotation also emphasizes cultural sensitivity, understanding of health in relationship to the predominant culture, and the role of the health care provider in the setting.

In addition to the didactic and clinical courses, the Master’s Seminar courses provide an opportunity for the physician assistant student to complete a master’s project that contributes to the student’s knowledge and professional development, as well as to the profession.

Schedule of Courses

Year 1
Fall	Cr	Spring	Cr	Summer	Cr
PAS 501 Clinical Medicine I	7	PAS 502 Clinical Medicine II	7	PAS 503 Clinical Medicine III	7
PAS 511 Anatomy & Physiology I	4	PAS 512 Anatomy & Physiology II	4	PAS 515 Counseling & Public Health	3
PAS 513 Pharmacology I	3	PAS 514 Pharmacology II	3	PAS 641 Master’s Seminar I	3
PAS 531 Evidence-based Medicine and Medical Literature I	1	PAS 532 Evidence-based Medicine and Medical Literature II	1
PAS 521 Medical Humanities Seminar I	3	PAS 522 Medical Humanities Seminar II	3
PAS 600 Orientation to the PA Profession	1
Total	19		18		13

 

Year 2
Fall	Cr	Spring	Cr	Summer	Cr
PAS 671-3 Clinical Rotations I, II, III	9	PAS 674-6 Clinical Rotations IV, V, VI	9	PAS 677-8 Clinical Rotations VII, VIII	6
PAS 651 Professional Skills I	3	PAS 652 Professional Skills II	3	PAS 653 Professional Skills III	2
PAS 642 Master’s Seminar II	2	PAS 643 Master’s Seminar III	2	PAS 644 Master’s Seminar IV	3
Total	14		14		11

Graduation and Degree Granted

Students will receive a Master of Science (MS) degree in Physician Assistant Studies upon successfully completing the Physician Assistant program.

Students entering the program without a baccalaureate degree should work with advisors in the Office of Admission, PA Program, and the student's major department to ensure that baccalaureate requirements are met by the end of the first year of the PA Program. Students will receive a BS or BA and upon successful completion of Clinical Medicine I, Pharmacology I and II, and Medical Humanities I and II. They will then receive the MS degree upon completion of all other PA courses.

Calendar Year	LMC first time taker pass rate	NCCPA national first time test taker average pass rate
2003	100	89
2004	93	90
2005	92	91
2006	71	92
2007	86	93
Five Year Average	88.4	91

Note: Changes have been made in the curriculum and in the admissions process to address the performance in 2006, which should result in improved performance during the 2008 testing cycle. The program has also implemented additional review sessions and materials for all students in preparation for the PANCE.

Policies and Procedures

Download current policies and procedures (Adobe PDF document)