Deficiencies in knowledge base, skills base, judgment, integrity, character, or professional attitude or demeanor, which may jeopardize patient care or otherwise make a student unfit to perform as a physician assistant, may be grounds for course or rotation failure and possible dismissal. Students entering the PA Program are required to possess the essential cognitive, physical and behavioral abilities to assimilate knowledge and develop skills and professional judgment. Through patient care experiences students develop appropriate decision-making skills in clinical practice with collaboration among physicians and other allied health professionals. A student must be able to observe demonstrations and participate in experiments in the basic and clinical sciences determined essential by the respective faculties. A student must be able to observe a patient accurately at a distance and at close hand, noting non-verbal as well as verbal signals.
Observation necessitates the functional use of the sense of vision and other sensory modalities.
A student must be able to speak intelligibly, to hear adequately, and to observe closely patients in order to elicit and transmit information, describe changes in mood, activity and posture, and perceive non-verbal communications. A student must be able to communicate effectively and sensitively with patients. Communication includes not only speech, but also reading and writing. In addition, the student must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently in oral and written English with all members of the health care team. A student must possess reading skills at a level sufficient to accomplish curricular requirements and provide clinical care for patients.