Program Competencies
Program Competencies
The Saint Joseph's University PA Program level student competencies required to enter clinical practice were developed referencing the competencies from PAEA, AAPA, ARC-PA, and NCCPA, (collectively known as the Cross-Org Competencies Review Task Force: https://paeaonline.org/our-work/current-issues/... to address clinical and technical skills, clinical reasoning and problem-solving abilities, interpersonal and communication skills, medical knowledge, and professional behaviors; the NCCPA Content Blueprint for entry-level medical content and tasks; the ARC-PA Standards and the most common diseases and skills used in medicine. These core competencies will be assessed within the final four months of the program to ensure and verify that each and every student meets the program requirements required to enter clinical practice.
At the completion of the Saint Joseph’s University Master’s in Physician Assistant Studies program, students are expected to have achieved the following competencies:
- Medical Knowledge
- Effectively apply medical knowledge and evidence-based care to patient interactions across the lifespan and disease trajectory inclusive of up-to-date knowledge of disease processes, diagnostic assessments, and treatment strategies.
- Effectively apply medical knowledge and evidence-based care to patient interactions across the lifespan and disease trajectory inclusive of up-to-date knowledge of disease processes, diagnostic assessments, and treatment strategies.
- Clinical and Technical Skills
- Demonstrate proficiency of the clinical and technical skills necessary for a competent and safe entry-level physician assistant.
- Demonstrate proficiency of the clinical and technical skills necessary for a competent and safe entry-level physician assistant.
- Clinical Reasoning and Problem Solving
- Integrate clinical reasoning skills and problem solving abilities to address patient problems using relevant data such as medical knowledge, the patient history and physical examination, evidence based practice, and patient presentation and preferences, to create an appropriate differential diagnosis and inform medical decision making.
- Integrate clinical reasoning skills and problem solving abilities to address patient problems using relevant data such as medical knowledge, the patient history and physical examination, evidence based practice, and patient presentation and preferences, to create an appropriate differential diagnosis and inform medical decision making.
- Interpersonal skills
- Demonstrate strong interpersonal and interprofessional communication skills with an emphasis on a person/patient-centered approach to medicine.
- Demonstrate competency in written, oral, and non-verbal forms of communication.
- Professional Behaviors
- Demonstrate professional behaviors in all interactions inclusive of legal and ethical conduct that is consistent with the fundamental principle of Cura Personalis and the core values of the PA profession.
- Demonstrate a practice of self-reflection on performance to identify strengths, areas for improvement, and the development of action plans.