This catalog/handbook is a supplement to the Lincoln Memorial University General Graduate Catalog, which students should consult for information on matters not covered in this document.
The program operates within the LMU School of Medical Sciences. The LMU-Tampa PA Program is a 24-month, full-time graduate professional medical sciences program designed to be taken over six consecutive semesters with a curriculum emphasis on primary care medicine and clinical methods. The program trains learners to become ethical, compassionate, and professional health care providers while preparing them for certification and licensing as graduate PAs. A Master of Medical Science Degree (MMS) degree is awarded upon successful program completion.
The LMU-Tampa PA Program consists of six (6) continuous semesters of rigorous graduate-level training that covers all areas of medicine. The program has a total of 115 program credit hours (65 – Didactic Phase & 50 – Clinical Phase). All course reference numbers above the 500 level are reserved for graduate and professional programs. The first 12 months of didactic study provide students with a strong foundation in basic medical sciences, emphasizing the importance of patient interaction and medical intervention through courses such as clinical medicine, patient evaluation, pharmacology, mechanisms of disease, and clinical procedures.
The second phase of the program is 12 months in duration and will provide students with Supervised Clinical Practice Experiences (SCPEs). Students will be paired with practicing MDs, PAs, NPs, or Nurse Midwives serving as preceptors to enhance their education and training through hands-on patient encounters in team-based healthcare settings. Clinical rotations consist of rotations in family medicine, pediatrics, women’s health, behavioral/mental health, general surgery, internal medicine, and emergency medicine, and two elective rotations. Students must pass each rotation individually. Students will learn more about the second phase of studies during the third didactic semester and in greater detail during the formal SCPE phase orientation. The PA Program Clinical Student Handbook will provide comprehensive information.
Course content is delivered through both live and virtual lectures, case discussions, problem-based learning (PBL) and team-based learning (TBL) sessions, simulated patient encounters, laboratory sessions, and clinically supervised patient encounters, with approximately 25% of course material being delivered in virtual and asynchronous formats. Course content is communicated via the LMU Canvas Learning Management System.
ADVANCED PLACEMENT {A3.12c, A3.15}
All courses required for the Physician Assistant (PA) degree must be successfully completed within the LMU-Tampa PA Program. The program does not award advanced placement for prior coursework. Graduate-level courses taken prior to enrollment in the PA Program, including those completed during undergraduate studies, will not be accepted for credit towards the Master of Medical Science (MMS) degree. For example, if the required course "Applied Anatomy" is taken prior to the first semester of the PA Program, it cannot be applied towards the MMS degree, and the student must re-take the course as part of the PA curriculum. Courses and examinations taken at institutions other than LMU-Tampa PA Program will not be accepted for credit towards the MMS degree. Transfer credits are also not accepted.