Physician Assistant Studies Courses | 2024-2025 Graduate Catalog | SIU

This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of professional issues of the Physician Assistant. Students are introduced to physician assistant history, standards of quality assurance, credentialing and licensure, regulations governing practice, business issues, and contract negotiation. Students explore opportunities in professional organizations and ways to strengthen their professional development.

Credit Hours: 1

This course is designed to focus on medical topics in cardiology and gastroenterology. Problem-based learning is utilized with emphasis on expanding the student's knowledge base, enhancing the student's clinical reasoning skills and self-directed learning, and improving interpersonal communication skills among students and patients. Limited to six to nine students per section.

Credit Hours: 3

This course is designed to focus on internal medicine topics in respiratory medicine, dermatology, urology, and infectious disease. Problem based learning is used with emphasis on expanding the student's knowledge base, enhancing clinical reasoning skills and self-directed learning, and improving interpersonal communication skills among students and patients.

Credit Hours: 3

This course is designed to focus on internal medicine topics in neurological and psychiatric diseases. Problem-based learned is utilized with emphasis on expanding the student's knowledge base, enhancing the student's clinical reasoning skills and self-directed learning, and improving interpersonal communication skills among students and patients.

Credit Hours: 3

This course is designed to focus on health concerns, physiological and psychosocial issues of obstetrics, gynecology, urology, and pediatric gastroenterology. Problem based learning is utilized in expanding the student's knowledge base, clinical reasoning skills, self-directed learning, and improving interpersonal communication skills.

Credit Hours: 3

This course is designed to focus on medical topics related to endocrinology, renal disease, and metabolism. Problem-based learning is utilized with emphasis on expanding the student's knowledge base, enhancing the student's clinical reasoning skills and self-directed learning, and improving interpersonal communication skills among students and patients.

Credit Hours: 3

This course explores behavioral science and patient education as it applies to the practice of medicine, as well as maintenance of health and prevention of illness.

Credit Hours: 1

Students examine issues that arise when delivering medical services to persons of diverse cultures, ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, gender, and socioeconomic status. Implications for providing medical services to persons who have experienced discrimination and disadvantage will be discussed.

Credit Hours: 1

This course is designed to explore the current research, practice and applications of Mind-Body-Spirit Medicine (MBSM). Students will explore the use of various techniques for use in clinical and therapeutic settings as well as for maintaining their own personal health.

Credit Hours: 1

This course introduces students to the therapeutic agents most commonly used for treatment of disorders of the cardiovascular and gastrointestinal systems. The practical aspects of dosage, schedules, therapeutic effect, adverse reactions, metabolism, mechanism of action and excretion are investigated.

Credit Hours: 1

This course introduces students to the therapeutic agents most commonly used involving the pulmonary and integumentary systems, as well as those medications used in infectious disease. The practical aspects of dosage, schedules, therapeutic effect, adverse reactions, metabolism, method of action and excretion are investigated.

Credit Hours: 1

This course introduces students to the therapeutic agents most commonly used in neurology and psychiatry. The practical aspects of dosage, schedules, therapeutic effect, adverse reactions, metabolism, method of action and excretion are investigated.

Credit Hours: 1

This course introduces students to the therapeutic agents most commonly used in practice involving pregnancy, neonates, infants, sexually transmitted diseases, menopause, and prostate disorders. The practical aspects of dosage, schedules, therapeutic effect, adverse reactions, metabolism, method of action and excretion are investigated.

Credit Hours: 1

This course introduces students to the therapeutic agents most commonly used in treating diabetes, thyroid disorders, renal disease, and fluid disorders. The practical aspects of dosage, schedules, therapeutic effect, adverse reactions, metabolism, method of action and excretion are investigated.

Credit Hours: 1

This course involves the study of anatomical structures with cadaveric materials, clinical applications, physiology and pathophysiology of selected systems. Radiology, microscopy, and embryology issues will be included.

Credit Hours: 2

This course involves the study of anatomical structures with cadaveric materials, clinical applications, physiology and pathophysiology of selected systems. Radiology, microscopy, and embryology issues will be included.

Credit Hours: 2

This course involves the study of anatomical structures with cadaveric materials, clinical applications, physiology and pathophysiology of selected systems. Radiology, microscopy, and embryology issues will be included.

Credit Hours: 2

This course involves the study of anatomical structures with cadaveric materials, clinical applications, physiology and pathophysiology of selected systems. Radiology, microscopy, and embryology issues will be included.

Credit Hours: 2

This course involves the study of anatomical structures with cadaveric materials, clinical applications, physiology and pathophysiology of selected systems. Radiology, microscopy, and embryology issues will be included.

Credit Hours: 2

This course is designed to prepare the Physician Assistant student in taking a patient history and performing portions of the physical exam. Interview and communication skills, medical terminology, and recording patient information are also explored.

Credit Hours: 2

This course is designed to build on student's knowledge of pertinent physical exam skills, and increase knowledge regarding the medical history and clinical procedures. Students continue to improve skills in areas of the patient interview, medical terminology, and recording patient information.

Credit Hours: 2

This course is designed to build on students' knowledge of physical exam skills, introduce new systems, and improve skills in areas of the patient interview, medical terminology, and recording patient information.

Credit Hours: 2

Students develop and expand their skills in performance of clinical procedural skills needed for competency in office and hospital-based practice. Topics will include central line placement, IV therapy, EKG, lumbar puncture, venipuncture, casting, suturing, and thoracentesis.

Credit Hours: 2

EKG/ACLS is designed to provide the knowledge and skills needed to read EKGs and to evaluate and manage the first ten minutes of an adult ventricular fibrillation/tachycardia arrest. Students learn to manage ten core ACLS cases, a respiratory emergency, four types of cardiac arrest, four types of pre-arrest emergencies, and stroke.

Credit Hours: 2

During this course, the student will be exposed to the various aspects of the general surgical setting. Fundamentals to be introduced include pre- and post-operative care, sterile technique, gowning and gloving, and the identification of surgical instruments.

Credit Hours: 1

This course is designed to cover the following topics: delivery of health care, standards of care and guidelines as they affect practice issues, cost and effectiveness, economics of health care, insurance and health care, indigent medical care, the health workforce, access to care, health policy, and technology (electronic medical records, email, telemedicine).

Credit Hours: 3

This course focuses on scientific inquiry within the Physician Assistant practice, covering the application of basic research methodology including problem formation, research designs, sampling, measurement, data analysis technical writing and dissemination of research results, and research ethics. Students will also focus on developing evidence-based medicine (EBM) skills.

Credit Hours: 1-4

Students gain clinical experience in the community setting by participating in a one-half day per week continuity clinic in Family Medicine with a designated mentor. Students register for this course during the first fall semester of the program. They register again for this course in the spring semester, until Phase II.

Credit Hours: 1-2

Students continue to gain clinical experience in the community setting by participating in a one-half day per week continuity clinic in Family Medicine with a designated mentor. Students register for this course during the second summer semester of the program. They register again for this course in subsequent semesters, until the Preceptorship. Maximum hours per term are 2.

Credit Hours: 1-2

Phase II students participate in a one-half day per week problem based learning tutor group, in which they engage in the Barrowsian method of problem-based learning at respective Hubsites. This course is designated to foster independence in clinical reasoning and knowledge synthesis by working through patient problems, as well as improving the application of knowledge to clinical practice.

Credit Hours: 1-2

This is the first (summer semester) in a three course sequence of supervised clinical experience in a variety of settings and nine specialty areas.

Credit Hours: 3

This is the second course (fall semester) in a three course sequence of supervised clinical experience in a variety of settings and nine specialty areas.

Credit Hours: 6

This is the third course (spring semester) in a three course sequence of supervised clinical experience in a variety of settings and nine specialty areas.

Credit Hours: 6

Directed independent study in selected areas of Physician Assistant studies.

Credit Hours: 1-6

The eight week preceptorship simulates the role of the Master's prepared graduate Physician Assistant, with supervision by the clinical preceptor. This is generally completed in a primary care area of medicine.

Credit Hours: 3

This is a longitudinal course taken over several semesters in which students work on proposal design, development, construction, research, writing, and project presentation. The Master's Seminar culminates in defense of a Grand Rounds Presentation, Community Project Presentation, or a published Problem-Based Learning Module and Tutor Guide. Restricted to Physician Assistant majors.

Credit Hours: 1-8

For graduate students who have not completed the program and are in the process of their Master's Project. The student must have completed all other program requirements to be eligible to register for this course. Concurrent enrollment in any other courses is not permitted. S/U or DEF grades only. Prerequisite: Completion of all Program coursework except PA 599.

Credit Hours: 1