Bachelor of Science/Master of Science in Physician Assistant

Rochester Institute of Technology

RIT’s physician assistant program prepares you to elicit medical histories, conduct physical examinations, order laboratory and radiological testing, diagnose common illnesses, determine treatment, provide medical advice, counsel and educate patients, promote wellness and disease prevention, assist in surgery, and perform casting and suturing.

Physician assistant duties vary depending on the state and specialty in which they practice. In most states, including New York, physician assistants may prescribe medication. Examples of specialties include (but are not limited to): internal medicine, family medicine, emergency medicine, geriatrics, pediatrics, women’s health, behavioral health, general surgery, orthopedics, neurosurgery, and neonatology. Clinical rotations (internships) during students’ last year provide the opportunity to explore these varied disciplines.

Obtaining the skills and knowledge to practice as a Physician Assistant is a complex process. A carefully planned course of study has been developed to offer a balance of didactic and clinical knowledge. A significant component of the educational process is the socialization of the student to the character, performance, and role of a provider of medical care. The evaluation of the student’s adaptation to this role depends on the experienced judgment of individual faculty members. It is important to recognize that these subjective judgments may transcend or be independent of traditional paper and pencil tests and other similar objective measures of academic performance. PA education involves instruction from practicing clinicians with unpredictable schedules.

Goals

Medical Knowledge

• Graduates will demonstrate core medical knowledge of established and evolving biomedical and clinical sciences and apply this knowledge to patient care.

Interpersonal and Communication Skills

• Graduates will demonstrate interpersonal and communication skills that result in effective information exchange with patients, families, physicians, and other members of the healthcare team.

Patient Care

• Graduates will provide effective, safe, high-quality, and equitable patient care in diverse settings and across the life span.

Professionalism

• Graduates will practice with integrity, ethical and legal responsibility, and sensitivity to diverse patient populations.

The physician assistant major is offered as a BS/MS degree program, which enables students to earn both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in five years. The curriculum is divided into a pre-professional phase (years 1 and 2), which includes course work in the basic sciences, mathematics, general education, and liberal arts; and a professional phase, (years 3, 4, and 5), which features didactic medical education and culminates in clinical rotations in which students apply their medical knowledge in a series of rotations through various disciplines of medicine.