The program is a full-time, closed, 27-month cohort curriculum leading to a Master of Medical Science (MMS) in Physician Assistant Studies. Part-time enrollment is not offered. This intensive 115-credit hour curriculum provides a solid foundation in primary care medicine and includes expanded training in surgical sciences. The first four (4) semesters are completed in the classroom (Didactic Phase), and the final three (3) semesters are completed at the clinical sites of the program’s clinical affiliates (Clinical Phase). The Didactic Phase curriculum includes a blend of learning activities, including lectures, laboratory sessions, simulated patient encounters, and small group discussions. Topics covered in the Principles of Clinical Medicine courses are sequenced with topics covered in the Clinically Oriented Anatomy and Dissection and Patient Assessment and Clinical Skills courses.
The program also places an emphasis on concepts critical for safe and effective care of patients in surgical and acute care settings. The includes instruction in pre-operative assessment, physiologic changes that occur during surgery, documentation of surgical procedures, and identification and management of post-operative complications. During Supervised Clinical Practices (SCPEs) experience in the Clinical Phase, students apply concepts learned in the Didactic Phase to novel patient encounters in primary care and surgical settings. The program offers three (3) selective SCPEs that may be completed in surgical or medicine disciplines offered by the program. Students must successfully complete all components of the Didactic and Clinical Phases of the program to be eligible to take the Summative Evaluation. Students must pass all components of the Summative Evaluation, including achievement of the program’s graduate competencies, to be eligible for graduation.
If a student has an academic grievance about a course, the student is required to first discuss the matter with the course director for that course. If the academic grievance is unresolved after meeting with the course director, the student may then discuss the matter with the Director of Didactic Education (Didactic Phase) or Director of Clinical Education (Clinical Phase). If the academic grievance remains unresolved, the student may then discuss the matter with the Program Director for final resolution.
Students must complete all components of the program’s curriculum within 54 months of initial matriculation. This includes time for remediation and leaves of absence. The academic and non-academic requirements that students must meet in each phase of the program to be eligible for graduation are listed below.
Students must meet all Didactic Phase requirements listed below to be eligible to progress to the Clinical Phase.
Students on Academic and/or Professional Probation may be delayed in beginning SCPEs. The Student Progress Committee (SPC) has the authority to remove a student from Academic and/or Professional Probation so that the student may progress in the curriculum.
Students must meet all Clinical Phase requirements listed below to be eligible to progress to the Summative Evaluation.
Students on Academic and/or Professional Probation are not allowed to progress to the Summative Evaluation. The SPC has the authority to remove a student from Academic and/or Professional Probation so that the student may progress to the Summative Evaluation.
Students must meet all Summative Evaluation requirements listed below and must not be on Academic and/or Professional Probation to be eligible for graduation.
Students on Academic and/or Professional Probation are not allowed to progress to Graduation. The SPC has the authority to remove a student from Academic and/or Professional Probation so that the student may progress to Graduation.
At the end of each semester, and as needed, the SPC convenes to review student performance (academic and non-academic) and either approve students for progression in the program or make an alternate recommendation. Students must meet all requirements for completion of the Didactic Phase, the Clinical Phase, and the Summative Evaluation for successful completion of the program. Students must successfully complete the program and demonstrate fulfillment of all financial obligations to LMU to be eligible for graduation.
The Office of Accessible Education Services works with Program faculty to provide accommodations for learning and assessment activities. Students must request and be approved for assessment (testing) accommodations prior to the start of each semester. Assessment accommodations are not automatically renewed. Accommodation requests will be considered after the start of the semester only if the disability first presents itself after the start of the semester, but in any event no fewer than fourteen (14) days preceding the requested effective date of the accommodation. The program’s Minimum Technical Standards for Enrollment and Progression, found in the LMU-SMS-Knoxville PA Program Student Handbook, must be maintained to ensure that all parts of the program’s curriculum are delivered to all students and that students provide safe and effective patient care. Therefore, extra time is not granted to students during assessments of physical examination and clinical procedure skills, simulated patient encounters, and completion of patient care activities during SCPEs. Similarly, the use of trained intermediaries is not approved in the assessments listed above and SCPEs. Students are responsible for requesting services and are strongly encouraged to contact the Office of Accessible Education Services prior to matriculation and as soon as possible after a condition that may qualify for accommodations arises.https://www.lmunet.edu/student-life/accessible-education-services/index
Information regarding Title IX and pregnant and parenting student resources may be found on the LMU website under “Equal Opportunity/Title IX”. Title IX & Institutional Compliance (lmunet.edu)
The Program does not provide a waiver of required coursework (in whole or in part) included in the curriculum based on prior academic or professional experience. Transfer academic credits are not accepted. All students must complete all components of the curriculum in whole to be eligible for graduation.
The program monitors and documents the progress of each student in a manner that promptly identifies deficits in knowledge, skills, and professional conduct and establishes means for remediation. Some assignments and assessments are for the purpose of student self-assessment and for program faculty to gauge student development of learning outcomes and graduate competencies. Remediation is not required for these assessments. Assignments and assessments for which remediation is required are specified in each course syllabus. In addition, students are required to complete remediation for any failed component of the Didactic Phase Cumulative Assessment, Clinical Phase Cumulative Assessment, and Summative Evaluation.
At Risk Support
Students who earn a grade of 70.00 – 75.00% on specific assessments identified in course syllabi are considered at-risk for failure of a course, other components of the program’s curriculum, and the PANCE. Therefore, students who earn a grade of 70.00 – 75.00% on a graded assessment/assignment for which remediation is required are mentored by program faculty. Students are not placed on Academic Probation, no assessment of at-risk support is required, and there is no change in the initial grade earned.
Remediation
Students who earn a grade of < 70.00%, fail a “pass/fail” assessment, a score of < 3.0 (on a 5-point Likert scale) on any evaluation item in the clinical preceptor evaluation of student performance, or have a knowledge and/or skill deficit that is considered to adversely impact patient safety regardless of the grade earned on a graded assessment/assignment for which remediation is required, are mentored by program faculty. Assessment of remediation of the knowledge/skill deficit(s) occurs near the end of the semester in the Didactic Phase. The timing of remediation assessment during the Clinical Phase is determined by the Clinical Team. All remediation assessments follow the same format as the assessment that identified the deficit(s). Remediation of a failed Clinical Preceptor Evaluation of Student Performance may include successful completion of another SCPE in the same discipline.
Students who earn a grade of < 70.00% on a graded assessment/assignment for which remediation is required are placed on Academic Probation and their progress is monitored by the SPC. Students may complete one (1) remediation assessment/assignment for a failed graded assessment/assignment for which remediation is required. Remediation of a failed remediation assessment/assignment is not permitted. Students must successfully complete all required remediation assessments/assignments to be eligible for progression in the curriculum. Successful remediation is defined as earning a grade of > 75.00% on the remediation assessment/assignment. The initial grade earned is changed to 70.00% following successful remediation. Failure of remediation is defined as earning a grade of < 75.00% on the remediation assessment/assignment. The initial grade earned is unchanged following failure of remediation. Completion of remediation assessments/assignments may result in a delay in beginning SCPEs, a delay in graduation and/or failure to complete the program curriculum within 54 months of initial matriculation.
The number of remediation assessments/assignments for academic deficits allowed by the program are as follows:
Students who exceed the total number of remediation assessments/assignments allowed by the program are immediately referred to the SPC for recommendation on progression, which may include dismissal from the program.
Students may not appeal the decision by program faculty for the student to complete remediation activities. Students who do not successfully complete remediation assessments/assignments are referred to the SPC for recommendation on progression, which may include dismissal from the program.
Deceleration is defined as the loss of a student from the entering cohort who remains matriculated in the program. Deceleration is not offered to students dismissed from the program by the SPC for academic and/or professional deficits. If a student appeals the SPC’s decision for dismissal and the Appeals Committee determines the SPC should make an alternate recommendation, deceleration may be offered to the student at that time. Deceleration may be offered to students who take a leave of absence (Leave of Absence [LOA]/Withdrawal Policy).
