ODU's Physician Assistant Studies Program is a vigorous 27-month program that prepares highly educated and compassionate health care professionals for work in the community.
Didactic Phase
The didactic (classroom) phase of the program lasts 15 months. Students receive an in-depth study of:
- anatomy, including cadaver dissection in our on-campus cadaver lab
- genetics
- pathophysiology
- microbiology
- clinical medicine including internal medicine, family practice, surgery, emergency medicine, women’s health and pediatrics
Students are also provided Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy and Security Rules training and certification.
Classroom instruction is reinforced through clinical experiences in various institutions and practices in the Columbus area, beginning the first semester.
The last semester in the didactic phase will include clinical skill instruction in such areas as:
- suturing
- lumbar puncture
- vascular access
- splinting
- operating room techniques
- Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
In order to complete the didactic phase and proceed to the clinical phase of the program, the student must successfully complete all didactic course assignments and program assessments, as well as maintain standards of professional behavior.
Clinical Phase
Upon completion of the didactic phase, students begin the clinical phase. Students participate in monthly rotations in seven core areas of study:
- family medicine
- internal medicine
- emergency medicine
- surgery
- psychiatry/behavioral health
- women’s health
- pediatrics
Additionally, Ohio Dominican PA students may participate in up to four one-month non-core rotations.
Students will be eligible to graduate upon successful completion of all clinical rotations, assessments and practicals including two Objective Standardized Clinical Examinations (OSCE), as well as attendance at the Clinical Phase Board Review.