This course is designed to actively engage the learner in the most up to date medical literature to improve patient outcomes and safety.  Students will learn tools to review the literature in an informed manner that drives best practices in medicine.  Improving effectiveness in interpreting medical studies, research, and scholarly work.  The learner will be introduced into thorough literature reviews that will be helpful in daily practice.  This course also includes an introduction to professional writing with the intent to support writing for the scholarly project.

This course is designed to prepare the learner to become an advocate and leader in the medical profession.  Gaining a deeper understanding of healthcare administrative decisions that drive medicine throughout the world will help the learner to actively seek out leadership positions in the hospital or educational setting through better knowledge, communication skills, and leadership.  The course encourages the practice of open communication in professional relationships based on respect, compassion, and integrity.  This course encourages Identifying areas of change that lead to improvement in patient outcomes.  

Patients may suffer from chronic, debilitating disease, and this course teaches evidence-based healthy lifestyle modification to improve patient outcomes. Healthy practices are effective in reducing stress, preventing and managing a myriad of diseases, and can lead to a better quality of life. In this course, students will examine and develop strategies to help promote and communicate various lifestyle improvement to patients,
including nutrition, discontinuation of abusive substances, good sleep hygiene practices, and exercise.

This course provides a template for the production of scholarly work by physician assistants with the goal of publishing in a peer-reviewed journal.  Using tools from research design, literature searches and evidence based medicine, the framework will be set for the student to publish scholarly work and enhance the PA profession.  This course will take the student through a step by step approach each term to complete their scholarly project.

This course is designed to help the learner acquire a deeper understanding of health care policy and the laws that drive decisions in clinical medicine.  Learning the steps taken in healthcare policy to achieve better health outcomes, increased access to care, and healthcare cost savings.

This course is designed to encourage the clinically practicing physician assistant to explore specific aspects of clinical medicine on a deeper level.  The learner will learn ways to improve patient outcomes by providing safe, cost effect medicine.  This course encourages critical thinking in the clinical setting chosen by the practicing PA and is supported through discussion boards with other practicing clinicians in similar work environments.  The course encourages goal-oriented activity and furthering expertise in the clinical setting while developing confidence by expanding their medical knowledge.  This course will build each term on previously gained knowledge.    

This course is designed to give the learner a deeper understanding of common global health issues and the role that the global health system plays.  Discovering health priorities worldwide and advocating for policy change in diverse populations will be required.    

This course equips students with economic concepts and tools which enable them to better understand the complex world of health care. The class will discuss the ways in which markets for health care services are different from markets for other goods, and how government intervention in health care may be different from government intervention in other policy areas. Students will use a health economics text, academic articles, and guided discussions to gain an understanding of the application of economic tools and concepts to health care issues.  

This course is designed for the learner to expand their knowledge of thorough history taking skills, motivational interviewing techniques, and developing effective relationships with both patients and colleagues.  This course will also emphasize the importance of effective communication and leadership skills within a healthcare team environment.  

This course is designed to introduce the learner to the unique challenges and rewards of practicing medicine in rural communities.  Exploration of rural health care policy and payment systems, demographics, access to healthcare, and the importance of the PA role in these communities.