Distance Education for Military Personnel

Dr. Melissa Kagarise, Program Director, SFU/CERMUSA Physician Assistant Program

Megan Gallagher, SFU Office of Advising and Retention

June 15, 2009

Bachelor of Science Health Science• Distance Based Degree Completion Program• Credit for Military Training with Flexible Credit Transfer• Solid Core Health Professional Preparatory Science Curriculum• Utilization of Home Laboratory Kits• Includes Physician Assistant Pre-Requisite Coursework

1st Bachelor’s 2nd Bachelor’s Pre-requisites

BSHS Admission Criteria

• Complete the online application including essay• Submit a letter of recommendation from Director, Department

Head or Commanding Officer• Submit official transcripts from:

1. Navy Medicine registrar (A and C schooling)2. SMART transcript including the summary form3. Other academic institutions attended

• Have a cumulative QPA/GPA from all course work equivalent to 2.0 or 72.5%

BIOL 111 Biology I (lab)BIOL 205 Human Anatomy and Physiology I (lab)BIOL 206 Human Anatomy and Physiology II (lab)BIOL 214 Clinical Microbiology (lab)CHEM 103 Human Chemistry I (lab)CHEM 104 Human Chemistry II (lab)CPSC 101 Introduction to Computer SystemsPSYC 209 Developmental PsychologyNYRS 311 Human Nutrition PHYA 110 Medical TerminologyPHYA 111 Introduction to Medicine I PHYA 112 Introduction to Medicine II PHYA 210 Introduction to Medicine IIIPHYA 211 Introduction to Medicine IVPHYA 503 Research MethodologyPHIL 312 Health Care EthicsPHED 303 Wellness and Fitness

PSYC 101 Introduction to PsychologyENGL 103 Writing for a DisciplineENGL 104 Introduction to LiteratureFNAR courseHIST 101 Europe and the WorldorHIST 103 The United StatesHIST 102 Europe and the WorldorHIST 104The United StatesLANG 102 or higherSTAT 101 StatisticsRLST 205 Faith and FranciscanismRLST ElectivePHIL 205 Reasoning and ResponsibilitySPCH 103 Speech Fundamentals andPublic Speaking(2) Social Science Courses

Health Science Requirements (53) General Education Requirements (42)

Free Electives (33)

Bachelor of Science in Health Science

Laboratory Experiences

BIOL 111 General Biology with LabCHEM 103 & 104 Human Chemistry with LabBIOL 205 & 206 Human Anatomy and Physiology with LabBIOL 214 Clinical Microbiology with Lab

BSHS Program; Rolling Admissions

Application Deadlines:

August 1, 2009 for Fall 2009 enrollmentNovember 15, 2009 for Spring 2010 enrollment

www.francis.edu/BSHS.htm

Master of Physician Assistant SciencesMilitary Distance Based Program

142 accredited entry level programs,• Certificate only- 5 • Associate (AA/AS) - 3• Baccalaureate (BA/BS) - 21 • Masters (professional or graduate school) - 113

No distance based physician assistant programs in the country.

Physician Assistants (PAs) are academically and clinically prepared to practice medicine with the direction and responsible supervision of a doctor of medicine or osteopathy.

ARC-PA NCCPA

Accredits qualified PA programs offered by, or located within institutions chartered by and physically located within the US, and where students are geographically located within the US for their education.

Program Accreditation Process

Be military personnel within a health-related field, stationed within the continental United States. Have a Baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution. Have completed the following prerequisite courses with a grade of “C” or better

Anatomy and Physiology (8 credits) (must have lab) Chemistry (8 credits) (must have lab) Microbiology (4 credits) (must have lab)Statistics (3 credits)Psychology (3 credits)Medical Terminology (1-3 credits)

Have an overall GPA of 2.8 and a cumulative GPA for all prerequisite coursework of a 3.0.Have four years of direct (“hands-on”) patient care experience in either a military or civilian healthcare setting.Submit three letters of recommendation. Must complete distance learning readiness assessment.

MPAS Admission Criteria

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Application Open

Interview of Candidates

Revolving Internal Evaluations

Determination

New PA Class Begins

Application Timeline

SFU/CERMUSA Physician Assistant Program Paradigm

Fall (August- December) Spring (January- May) Summer (May- August)

Year 1

Year 3

Year 2

Healthcare System (2)Ethical Issues in Healthcare (3)Introduction to Pharmacology (1)

Evidence Based Medicine and Research Methodology (3)Anatomy and Physiology (3)

History and Physical Examination I (3)Clinical Medicine I (3)

Diversity in Healthcare (3)Clinical and Surgical Procedures (2)Special Topics (1)

History and Physical Examination II (2)Clinical Medicine II (3)Emergency Medicine (1)

Pediatrics and Geriatrics (3)Patient Education (2)Clinical Practice Skills (1)

Primary Care I (8) Primary Care II (4)Medical Specialties I (4)

Medical Specialties II (4)Masters Capstone Experience (4)Summative Evaluation (0) P/F

Didactic Coursework

Blackboard

Modalities:•Synchronous and Asynchronous•Virtual Classroom Software (Voice over IP)• MP3 audio •Streaming video•Live video

Saint Francis University Military Affairs Officehttp://www.francis.edu/militaryaffairs.htm

Proposed Tuition Schedule

SFU Option AFull Graduate

Tuition (10-13)

SFU Option B20% Tuition Discount/

Scholarship (10-13)

SFU Residential PA Program

(08-09)

Annual Report Mean

Annual Report Range

Tuition for Program $57,158 $54,206 $78,761 $52,225

(nonresident)

$18,300-$99,942

(nonresident)

Dates to Remember

December 10-11, 2009, ARC-PA on-site accreditation visitMarch 2010, ARC-PA determination of statusMarch 2010, PA program application opensAugust 2010, First class of students begin program

ResourcesAccreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant

www.arc-pa.org American Academy of Physician Assistants

www.aapa.org National Commission on the Certification for Physician Assistants

www.nccpa.net Physician Assistant Education Association

www.paeaonline.org