All candidates must meet certain health and technical standards to participate in the physician assistant educational programs. Graduation signifies the graduate is prepared for entry into the practice of medicine as a physician assistant with the requisite knowledge and skills to function in a broad variety of clinical situations and provide a wide spectrum of patient care. Technological compensation can be made for some disabilities in certain areas, but for the majority, the candidate should be able to perform in a reasonably independent manner. The use of a trained intermediary requires a candidate s judgment to be mediated by someone else s power of selection and observation.
Observation requires the functional use of vision and somatic sensations.
The candidate must be able to observe demonstrations and experience lessons in the basic sciences including, but not limited to, physiological and pharmacological demonstrations in animals, microbiologic cultures, and microscopic studies of tissues in normal and pathologic states. A candidate must be able to observe a patient accurately at a distance and close at hand. Observation is enhanced by functional use of the sense of smell. A candidate should be able to speak, hear and observe in order to elicit information, describe changes in moods, activity and posture, and perceive nonverbal communications. A candidate must be able to communicate effectively and sensitively with patients.