Find out what to expect with the Master of Physician Assistant Studies program.
Study plan for Master of Physician Assistant Studies program
Didactic curriculum
The didactic phase of the IU Physician Assistant Studies curriculum builds on prerequisite coursework and provides the foundation for the experiences in the clinical curriculum.
The program does not grant advanced placement to any applicant. No courses taken prior to entrance in the program will substitute for any required courses within the program.
Semester 1 (summer) | 18 credits
This is an introductory course in human gross anatomy designed to introduce the principal concepts, basic structure, and function of the human body. Students will have the opportunity to learn, through dissection and demonstration of human cadaveric specimens, clinical and functional correlates of human anatomy.
This course provides students with an understanding of the history and development of the Physician Assistant (PA) profession and the PA’s role in the health care system. Also explored are issues confronting practicing professionals such as regulations governing practice, credentialing, licensure, malpractice insurance, physician supervision, delegation and prescribing, providing culturally sensitive care, and ethics.
This course is part of a two-course series on health promotion and disease prevention. This course prepares the Physician Assistant student to recognize social determinants of health and population health considerations and to effectively communicate with individuals regarding health behaviors.
This course will explore U.S. health care systems and policies. Discussion will focus on policy formation, influencers on policy-making (stakeholders and data), health care system operations, the impact policies have on U.S. health care outcomes, and the interaction of national, state, and local policies.
Introduction to, and application of, evidence-based medicine concepts to physician assistant clinical practice. This course will prepare students to search, interpret, and evaluate the medical and scientific literature relevant to patient care based on the concepts of evidence-based medicine; to become familiar with human subject research.
This course will provide physician assistant students with a knowledge base of human physiology and pathology as a foundation for their clinical practice. This is the first course in a two-course sequence.
Semester 2 (fall) | 19 credits
The first in a series of three, this course provides Physician Assistant students with the knowledge of a variety of general medical problems encountered in clinical practice. Students learn to evaluate and manage common problems while utilizing and amplifying critical thinking skills and knowledge learned in basic science courses.
This course prepares the Physician Assistant student to utilize basic interviewing and history-taking skills, perform a complete physical exam including appropriate special tests, and present medical information in both written and oral formats.
This is the second course in a two-course sequence. This course will provide physician assistant students with a fundamental knowledge of human physiology and pathology as a foundation for clinical practice.
This survey of pharmacology will teach the student general principles of drug action. Students will develop an understanding of the basic pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, and pharmacogenetic principles underlying drug therapy; prototypic drugs and their adverse effects; the development of drug dependence and addiction; and an awareness of environmental toxins.
Semester 3 (spring) | 18 credits
The second in a series of three, this course provides Physician Assistant students with the knowledge of a variety of general medical problems encountered in clinical practice. Students learn to evaluate and manage common problems while utilizing and amplifying critical thinking skills and knowledge learned in basic science courses.
This course is a continuation of Patient Evaluation I in which students continue to explore the components of the complete physical examination, special testing, and documentation. They will be challenged to refine history taking and written documentation skills, further cultivate critical thinking, and begin to develop oral presentation skills.
This course is an introduction to clinical skills pertinent to physician assistant practice, including local anesthesia, suturing, stapling, incision and drainage, hand knot tying, lumbar puncture, ultrasound, thoracentesis, and joint injections.
Semester 4 (summer) | 17 credits
The third in a series of three, this course provides Physician Assistant students with the knowledge of a variety of general medical problems encountered in clinical practice. Students learn to evaluate and manage common problems while utilizing and amplifying critical thinking skills and knowledge learned in basic science courses.
This course is designed to build on students’ knowledge of the general principles of clinical medicine and pharmacology. Lectures will teach how these principles are used to make rational clinical prescribing decisions. Small groups will be formed, and students will be asked to write and orally present assessments and plans over chief complaint topics. Topics covered will include pharmacology, routes of administration, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, pharmacogenomics, and toxicology, drug classes, disease management, and drug safety and regulation.
This course is part of a two-course series on health promotion and disease prevention. This course prepares the Physician Assistant student to apply the principles of health promotion and disease prevention across the lifecycle.
This course is a continuation of the prior clinical skills course. Skills learned are pertinent to physician assistant practice, including phlebotomy, intravenous lines, musculoskeletal special tests, central venous line placement, chest tube insertion and removal, sterile technique, and suturing review.
Educational experiences
- Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certification
- Casting and splinting
- Central line placement
- Disaster training
- Emergency medicine simulation cases
- Incision and drainage
- Injections
- Interprofessional education
- Intravenous access
- Intubation
- Lumbar puncture
- Paracentesis, biopsies, and thoracentesis
- Standardized patient encounters
- Supervised clinical experiences
- Suturing and wound closure
- Ultrasound
Clinical curriculum
The clinical phase of the program provides students with a variety of clinical experiences designed to prepare them for generalist practice.
As a student, you’ll participate in ten core clinical rotations and one elective.
Semester 5 (fall) | 13 credits
This course is a continuation of basic practice principles introduced in MPAS-M 500, with more emphasis placed on preparing the clinical PA student for progression of clinical skills and ultimately employment. Students will integrate concepts and knowledge gained from didactic instruction and clinical rotations with emphasis placed on preparation for entering clinical practice. Students will be introduced to various old and new strategies to improve their skills as clinicians related to their integral role on a team to related to enhancing patient-centered care and the PA profession as a whole.
Students partake in four clinical rotations.
Semester 6 (spring) | 13 credits
This course provides the framework for continuously learning to understand, appreciate, and react to the leadership and management principles necessary to influence and assume leadership positions in the Physician Assistant (PA) profession and clinical practice. This will include risk management.
Students partake in four clinical rotations.
Semester 7 (summer) | 13 credits
The goal of this course is designed to provide a review of the most common medical conditions seen in primary care and to prepare students to pass the NCCPA Physician Assistant National Certification Examination (PANCE).
This course is a summative portfolio of program-defined competencies and requirements for graduation as an entry-level PA.
Students partake in two clinical rotations.
Students partake in one elective.
Clinical rotation descriptions
This is the 4-week Family Medicine Clinical Rotation requirement of the experiential year. This clinical rotation is designed to provide students with a clinical opportunity in Family Medicine under the direct supervision of a qualified preceptor. This rotation introduces students to diverse preventive, emergent, acute, and chronic patient encounters, their complications, and impact on patients across the life span.
This is the 4-week Outpatient Clinical Rotation requirement of the experiential year. This clinical rotation is designed to provide students with a clinical opportunity in a variety of outpatient medicine opportunities under the direct supervision of a qualified preceptor. This rotation introduces students to diverse preventive, emergent, acute, and chronic patient encounters, their complications, multiple co-morbidities, and impact on patients across the life span.
This is the 4-week Women’s Health Clinical Rotation requirement of the experiential year. This clinical rotation is designed to provide students with a clinical opportunity in Women’s Health under the direct supervision of a qualified preceptor. This rotation introduces students to diverse preventive, emergent, acute, and chronic patient encounters, their complications, and impact on patients across the life span.
M684 is the 4-week Pediatric Clinical Rotation requirement of the experiential year. This clinical rotation is designed to provide students with a clinical opportunity in Pediatric Medicine under the direct supervision of a qualified preceptor. This rotation introduces students to diverse preventive, emergent, acute, and chronic patient encounters, their complications, and impact on patients in the pediatric population.
This is the 4-week Surgical Clinical Rotation requirement of the experiential year. This clinical rotation is designed to provide students with a clinical opportunity in general surgery under the direct supervision of a qualified preceptor. This rotation introduces students to diverse pre-operative, intra-operative and post-operative conditions, their complications, and impact on patients across the life span.
This is the 4-week Psychiatric Clinical Rotation requirement of the experiential year. This clinical rotation is designed to provide students with a clinical opportunity in psychiatry under the direct supervision of a qualified preceptor. This rotation introduces students to acute and chronic mental health conditions, their complications, and impact on patients across the life span.
This is the 4-week Community Medicine Clinical Rotation requirement of the experiential year. This clinical rotation provides students with a unique opportunity within a Community Medicine Health Center, to maximize the physician/physician assistant collaboration model, to further develop awareness of and coordination with all health team members, and to experience and participate the concept of a patient-centered medical home. This rotation introduces students to diverse preventive, emergent, acute, and chronic patient encounters, their complications, and impact on patients across the life span, within the underserved population.
This is the 4-week Internal Medicine Clinical Rotation requirement of the experiential year. This clinical rotation is designed to provide students with a clinical opportunity in inpatient medicine, under the direct supervision of a qualified preceptor. This rotation introduces students to diverse preventive, emergent, acute, and chronic patient encounters, their complications, and impact on primarily adult and geriatric patients.
This is the 4-week Emergency Medicine Clinical Rotation requirement of the experiential year. This clinical rotation is designed to provide students with a clinical opportunity in Emergency Medicine under the direct supervision of a qualified preceptor. This rotation introduces students to diverse preventive, emergent, acute, and chronic patient encounters, their complications, and impact on patients across the life span.
This is the 4-week Selective Clinical Rotation requirement of the experiential year. This clinical rotation is designed to provide students with a clinical opportunity in any area of specialty medicine or surgery of their choosing, under the direct supervision of a qualified preceptor. This rotation introduces students to diverse emergent, acute, and chronic patient encounters, their complications, and impact on primarily adult and geriatric patients.
This is a four-week elective course that allows the student to pursue an area of medicine beyond that of the core rotations. The rotation offers students an opportunity to create an elective unique to their interests. Students may self-select to participate in an international rotation overseas, as long as they practice under the direct supervision of a qualified preceptor. In addition to the four weeks of elective, there is one-week of required in-person immersive experience.