NSU’s Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences PA - Fort Myers

6 | Physician Assistant Program COURSE OF STUDY The comprehensive curriculum for the Physician Assistant Program—Fort Myers is oriented to primary care and prepares the graduate to practice in a wide variety of clinical settings. Due to the highly integrated and compact nature of the curriculum, the department requires all matriculants to complete the entire program at this location. No advanced placement, transfer of credit, or credit for experiential learning will be granted. There are two parts to the program. 1. Didactic period (first 14.5 months) • The first 14.5 months of study consist of basic sciences and clinically related didactic courses. • The curriculum content is organized using a systems approach. • The course delivery is taught using a lecture format. • Students are generally in class Monday–Friday 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. • There are occasional evening and/or weekend hours. • All courses are required and must be successfully completed before advancing to the clinical year. 2. Clinical year (last 12.5 months) • The clinical year can only begin after all didactic courses have been completed. • The year is devoted to 12.5 months of clinical training with required, six-week clinical rotations. • The rotations are in family medicine, emergency medicine, pediatrics, prenatal care/gynecology, surgery, and internal medicine. • There is one six-week selective rotation in behavioral health, otorhinolaryngol- ogy, orthopedics, rural or underserved primary care medicine, or an internal medicine subspecialty. • There is also one six-week and one four-week elective rotation. These may include other selectives or specialties that are also required. ROTATION DETAILS All required rotations must be completed in the state of Florida, primarily within 100 miles from NSU’s Fort Myers Campus. Each student will complete at least one rotation in a rural underserved area, which may entail traveling beyond the 100-mile radius of Fort Myers, Florida. For core rotations assigned by the program outside of the 100-mile radius, student housing will be provided. Each required rotation has assigned readings and learning objectives. At the end of each required rotation, a written comprehensive subject examination is administered and must be passed. During rotations, students will be supervised by licensed practi- tioners and will actively participate in patient assessments, perform common laboratory procedures, participate in surgeries, interpret common diagnostic examinations, and help manage common medical problems. The work hours during clinical rotations are set by the preceptor and can include eve- ning and weekend hours. Students are expected to work a minimum of 40 hours per week, although many rotation sites require students to work more hours per week. DEGREE Upon successful completion of the course of study, students will have earned a Master of Medical Science in Physician Assistant (M.M.S.) degree.