These standards specify the attributes and behaviors considered essential for successfully completing PA training and enabling each graduate to enter clinical practice. Because these standards describe the essential functions that students must demonstrate to meet the requirements of PA training within a generalist education model, they are prerequisites for admission, continuation, and graduation.
Lincoln Memorial University School of Medical Sciences in Physician Assistant Studies-Tampa will consider for admission any applicant who meets its academic and nonacademic criteria and who demonstrates the ability to perform skills listed in this document, with or without reasonable accommodations, consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act. The institution is committed to considering all qualified applicants without discrimination or based on any protected characteristics such as race, sex, age, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or veteran status. It is the policy of Lincoln Memorial University, the School of Medical Sciences, and the LMU/SMS-Tampa Physician Assistant program that all students must possess the intellectual, physical, and emotional capabilities necessary to perform the essential functions of the curriculum, with or without reasonable accommodations, in a reasonably independent manner. All candidates for admission, both those with and without disabilities, are expected to be competitive with others in the applicant pool across defined cognitive and non-cognitive factors. The institutional policy states that admissions decisions are made on an individualized basis, considering each applicant's unique qualifications and their potential contributions to the educational mission of the LMU-Tampa PA Program. For the purposes of this document and unless otherwise defined, the term “applicant” or “candidate” means applicants for admission to the PA Program as well as enrolled PA students who are candidates for promotion and graduation.
TECHNICAL STANDARDS {A3.12E}
A candidate for the Master of Medical Science (MMS) degree must possess the abilities and skills necessary for success in the program. This includes physical and emotional stamina to function effectively in demanding environments, such as the classroom, clinical settings, and laboratories. These environments may involve heavy workloads, long hours, and stressful situations.
- Observation
- Observe demonstrations and conduct experiments in basic sciences.
- Observe a patient accurately both at a distance and close at hand, noting both verbal and non-verbal communication. This requires functional vision, hearing, and somatic sensation to effectively interpret patient cues.
- Communication
- Communicate effectively with patients, conveying a sense of respect, compassion, and empathy. This requires the ability to clearly communicate with and observe patients to elicit information, accurately describing changes in mood, activity, and posture, and perceiving both verbal and non-verbal communications. Communicate with patients, their family members, and the health care team through oral, written, and electronic forms.
- Sensory and Motor Coordination or Function
- Demonstrate sufficient sensory and motor function to perform a physical examination utilizing palpation, auscultation, percussion, and other diagnostic maneuvers.
- Execute prompt, precise, and appropriate responses to provide general and emergency care to patients.
- Demonstrate proficiency in the manipulation of medical equipment and instruments essential for achieving curricular goals and providing patient care (e.g., needles, stethoscope, ophthalmoscope, tongue blades, intravenous equipment, gynecologic speculum, and scalpel).
- Perform basic laboratory tests (urinalysis, complete blood count, etc.), as well as diagnostic and therapeutic procedures (phlebotomy, arterial blood gas drawings, lumbar puncture, arthrocentesis, etc.).
- Cognitive, Integrative, and Quantitative Abilities
- Conceptualize, integrate, and qualitatively analyze information derived empirically and rationally for problem solving and decision-making. This includes the ability to reason, calculate, analyze, measure, and synthesize information in a variety of settings, including those that may be urgent with increased transient stress and distractions.
- Comprehend three-dimensional and spatial relationships of structures, including anatomical structures.
- Collect, organize, prioritize, analyze, and assimilate large amounts of technically detailed and complex information within a limited time frame. This information will be presented in a variety of educational settings, including lectures, small group discussions, and individual clinical settings.
- Behavioral and Social Attributes
- Demonstrate empathy, integrity, honesty, concern for others, good interpersonal skills, interest, and motivation as these personal qualities are all required during the educational training process and in patient care.
- Possess the emotional health required for full use of intellectual abilities that include the exercise of good judgment, execution of all educational and clinical responsibilities, and the development of mature, sensitive, and effective professional relationships with patients and members of the medical team.
- Possess adequate endurance to tolerate mentally and physically taxing workloads and adapt to changing environments, display flexibility, and learn to function in the face of uncertainties inherent in the clinical problems of many patients.
PROCESS FOR ASSESSING THE APPLICANT’S COMPLIANCE WITH THE TECHNICAL STANDARDS
Applicants must attest to meeting the program's technical standards both at the time of application and upon acceptance of an offer to matriculate. This attestation must be maintained throughout their enrollment.
These standards are not intended to exclude any student who could successfully complete the curriculum with reasonable accommodation. However, accommodation will not be considered reasonable if it:
- Presents a direct threat to the health or safety of any individual.
- Requires substantial modifications to essential curriculum elements.
- Lowers academic standards.
- Imposes undue administrative or financial burdens on the program.
A designated university officer will review all requests for reasonable accommodation. Applicants are responsible for providing all necessary supporting documentation at their own expense. This documentation must include, at minimum:
- Documentation of the disability from a licensed professional.
- The diagnosis of the disability using standard nomenclature.
- A description of the student’s functional limitations due to the disability.
- Copies of the evaluation report(s), or a letter on the evaluating professional’s letterhead accompanying the report(s).
- A description of the requested accommodation.
For additional information regarding the University’s process for assessing an applicant’s compliance with the technical standards, please contact the LMU-Tampa PA Program.
LMU-TAMPA PA PROGRAM COMPETENCIES {A3.11G}
The Program utilizes several measurable domains drawn from the ARC-PA accreditation standards to monitor students throughout the didactic and clinical phase to ensure that each student is making progress toward meeting the Program’s competencies prior to graduation and is remediating any deficits in a timely manner. The LMU-Tampa PA Program graduate competencies are as follows:
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GRADUATES OF THE LMU-TAMPA PA PROGRAM WILL BE ABLE TO: |
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Medical Knowledge |
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Clinical and Technical Skills |
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Clinical Reasoning and Problem-Solving Abilities |
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Interpersonal Skills |
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Professional Behaviors |
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{A3.11b}. * The Lincoln Memorial Tampa PA Program intends to publish evidence of goal achievement here after the initial cohort of students matriculates and graduates.