MPAS Goals and Competencies

The Trine University Master of Physician Assistant Studies program aspires to meet the following goals:

1. Provide an educational experience that endorses professional and ethical behaviors, appropriate sensitivity to diversities, and safe, appropriate, effective, and cost-efficient care in a variety of clinical settings.
2. Provide an educational experience that supports effective professional communication and interprofessional collaborative practice.
3. Provide an educational experience that promotes sound clinical reasoning, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.
4. Provide an educational experience that fosters lifelong learning, service to the profession, leadership, scholarship, and community service.
5. Provide an educational experience that affords students the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and experiences needed for successfully passing the Physician Assistant National Certification Exam (PANCE).
6. Produce entry-level physician assistant graduates who are able to make positive impacts on the healthcare needs of communities by providing competent medical care in a variety of clinical settings.
7. Demonstrate a commitment to the physician assistant profession by facilitating collaborative activities for continuous professional growth.
8. Demonstrate a commitment to the utilization of best practices in education, continuous professional development, and the promotion of evidence-based approaches to PA practice.
9. The Trine University MPAS program will maintain continuing accreditation status, fully compliant with all ARC-PA standards.
10. Define and document its ongoing self-assessment process addressing success in meeting the program’s goals to include graduate outcomes on student remediation, deceleration, and attrition.

Trine University MPAS Program: Success in Meeting Program Goals

1. Possess a sound knowledge of current and evolving biomedical and clinical sciences, social and behavioral sciences, population health, and personal wellness, and integrate and apply it to the medical care, health promotion, and disease prevention services offered.
2. Participate in lifelong learning to continually improve clinical knowledge, clinical and technical skills, professional behaviors, and clinical reasoning and problem-solving abilities.
3. Possess sufficient knowledge of the medicolegal, regulatory, billing/coding, reimbursement, and patient safety issues inherent to medical practice.
4. Possess the knowledge and abilities to critically evaluate the medical literature, conduct or participate in limited research projects, and evaluate clinical environments and processes for quality, efficacy, compliance, patient safety, risk management, or other important outcomes that may impact patient care.

1. Accurately and efficiently perform medical histories and physical examinations across the lifespan that are appropriate and relevant to the clinical situation and setting.
2. Appropriately order and correctly interpret laboratory, imaging, ECG, and other diagnostic studies commonly performed in clinical settings.
3. Skillfully perform diagnostic and therapeutic procedures most commonly performed by PAs.

1. Effectively and efficiently utilize information from the health history, physical examination, laboratory tests and other diagnostic procedures to distinguish between expected vs. abnormal findings, to formulate reasonable differential diagnoses, and to narrow the differential diagnosis list to a presumptive diagnosis in a logical, efficient, and cost-effective manner.
2. Recommend pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic therapeutic options that are most efficacious and evidence-based while also considering patient preferences and concerns, and the impacts of social, economic, and spiritual factors on health and wellness.
3. Provide appropriate medical care in emergent, acute, chronic, rehabilitative, palliative, and end-of-life settings.
4. Assess patient outcomes to evaluate the accuracy of diagnoses, the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions, patient compliance, and other factors that potentially impact patient care.

1. Effectively utilize both electronic and non-digital medical records to document findings, access clinical information, write prescriptions and orders, and make referrals.
2. Utilize technologies and other resources to effectively search, interpret, and appraise the medical literature for answers to clinical questions and evidence-based practices, and integrate and apply newly acquired knowledge into patient care.

1. Document and communicate medical, legal, financial, or other relevant information to other members of the healthcare team in an accurate, logical, concise, and understandable manner.
2. Demonstrate appropriate and effective auditory, verbal, non-verbal, written, and electronic communication skills when dealing with patients, families, caregivers, staff, colleagues, supervising physicians, administrators, and other healthcare professionals.
3. Demonstrate appropriate sensitivity, empathy, compassion, and respect when dealing with diverse patient populations to promote and sustain therapeutically and ethically sound relationships.

1. Abide by, and uphold, the principles espoused in the “PA Professional Oath” and the American Academy of Physician Assistant’s “Guidelines to the Ethical Conduct of the Physician Assistant Profession”
2. Demonstrate and model professional behavior, most especially in interactions with patients, families, staff, colleagues, and superiors.
3. Abide by legal and regulatory requirements pertaining to the PA profession and clinical practice settings.