Mission and Goals
Our Mission
Our mission is to develop physician assistants in the Jesuit tradition who realize their full potential as excellent clinicians and national leaders. We pursue this for ad majorem Dei gloriam, the greater glory of God, and the benefit of the human community.
An ideal graduate of our program is well-rounded, clinically and intellectually competent, committed to professional growth, spiritually centered, compassionate and dedicated to doing justice in generous service to others. Our graduates will be leaders in promoting health, wellness, and preventing disease in diverse healthcare settings and in their communities.
DEPARTMENT OF PA STUDIES GOALS
Goal 1: The program supports students academically during their physician assistant training in order for them to achieve their academic and professional goals.
Starting with a thoughtful and fair admission process and continued support to the students throughout the program, we strive to maintain a low attrition and deceleration rate. Students are challenged with a rigorous medical curriculum while being supported by the faculty and administration through a low student-to-faculty ratio, academic advising, wellness programming and continuous socioemotional support.
Goal 2: The program recognizes students learn from a variety of teaching methods. The program uses innovative teaching methods to enhance student learning including problem-based learning, virtual reality, simulation, ultrasound, early clinical experiences, and self-reflection exercises.
Goal 3: The program strives for its graduates to attain a first-time passing rate of 100% on the PANCE exam. Our PA graduates perform well on the exam and are excellently prepared for clinical practice by our rigorous curriculum and strong clinical rotations.
Goal 4: The program prepares our graduates to promote the PA profession through their leadership, ethical practice, scholarship, and service.
Graduates are leaders of the profession at the local, state, and national level.
Graduates provide compassionate, patient-centered care to a diverse population of patients.
Graduates foster integrity through accountability to patients, society, and the PA Profession.
Graduates meet all regulatory requirements for licensure and maintain their professional certification through the completion of ongoing professional development.
Read how the Marquette PA program demonstrates its success in reaching its Program Goals.
Marquette University Student Learning Outcomes and Competencies
1. Medical Knowledge:
Graduates of the program will be able to apply comprehensive knowledge of biologic and clinical sciences to provide acute, chronic, urgent, and emergent, patient-centered care to include women’s health, behavioral health, prenatal care, and care across the life span (infants, children, adolescents, adult, and the elderly).
Medical Knowledge 1: Apply principles of basic and clinical science, including anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, and genetics to identify, diagnose, and provide patient centered care to healthy and ill patients.
Medical Knowledge 2: Recognize the etiology, risk factors, epidemiology and clinical presentation of various medical conditions.
Medical Knowledge 3: Appropriately select diagnostic studies to inform differential diagnosis and clinical decision-making related to patient care.
Medical Knowledge 4: Identify pharmacological and non-pharmacologic treatment options with risks and benefits inclusive of patient education and counseling, in caring for health and/or ill patients who present with various medical conditions.
2. Clinical Reasoning and Problem Solving
Graduates of the Marquette University PA program will be able to analyze and synthesize relevant clinical, diagnostic, cultural, and contextual information to diagnose and manage patients to include patients across the lifespan (prenatal, infant, child, adolescent, adult, and older adult), and across settings including pre-op, intra-op and post op, women's health and pre-natal, and psychiatric/behavioral health patients.
Clinical Reasoning and Problem Solving 1: Synthesize information acquired through all aspects of patient encounters and the medical literature to develop appropriate differential diagnoses for acute, chronic, and emergent health conditions.
Clinical Reasoning and Problem Solving 2: Interpret data collected from diagnostic, laboratory, and imaging studies and procedures to accurately diagnose acute, chronic, and emergent health conditions.
Clinical Reasoning and Problem Solving 3: Formulate and apply health management strategies including pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic therapies and patient education, in the prevention and treatment of acute, chronic, rehabilitative, and emergent conditions for care across the lifespan, pre/intra/post operative care, women’s health care including pre-natal, and psychiatric/behavioral health care.
Clinical Reasoning and Problem Solving 4: Recognize an integrate an understanding of cultural, socioeconomic, environmental, and other population health elements impacts on medical decision-making and the development if individualized care plans.
3. Clinical and Technical Skills
Graduates of the Marquette University PA program will be able to demonstrate the clinical and technical skills required to provide age-appropriate assessment, evaluation, and management of patients.
Clinical and Technical Skills 1: Conduct effective, patient-centered history-taking and physical examination for comprehensive and problem-focused patient visits.
Clinical and Technical Skills 2: Convey aspects of a patient encounter to all health care team members through accurate and timely written and verbal communication.
Clinical and Technical Skills 3: Perform procedural and clinical skills considered essential for entry into PA practice.
Clinical and Technical Skills 4: Counsel and educate patients and families from diverse backgrounds to empower them to participate in their care and enable shared decision-making.
4. Interpersonal Skills
Graduates of the Marquette University PA program will be able to communicate effectively with patients, families, and health team members, incorporating cultural humility and compassion to build relationships.
Interpersonal Skills 1: Use effective communication skills to elicit and provide information to patients, families, and health team members.
Interpersonal Skills 2: Establish rapport with patients and families to initiate and build relationships. Demonstrate ability to provide compassionate and respectful care that is responsive to diverse cultural health beliefs and practices, preferred languages, health literacy, and other needs.
Interpersonal Skills 3: Establish respectful working relationships and interact effectively with all members of the health care team.
5. Professional Behaviors
Graduates of the Marquette University PA program will be able to demonstrate integrity, deep understanding of the practice environment, and a commitment to lifelong learning and personal well-being that enables them to provide high quality, equitable care for individuals and communities.
Professional Behaviors 1: Collaborate professionally with physicians, other health professionals, and health care teams to optimize team member roles and coordinate care.
Professional Behaviors 2: Demonstrate integrity, ethical practice, and respect for the dignity and privacy of patients, including maintaining confidentiality, patient autonomy, and informed consent in the delivery of team-based care.
Professional Behaviors 3: Exhibit an understanding of the regulatory environment, and laws and regulations regarding professional practice.
Professional Behaviors 4: Approach the provision of quality care with consideration to financial impact and cost effective resource allocation. Recognize the importance of patient and provider safety.
Professional Behaviors 5: Recognize the importance of self-care and provider well-being as it relates to patient care. Recognize the importance of preventing and responding to provider burnout and the ability to practice safely.
Professional Behaviors 6: Demonstrate a commitment to the PA professionalism, readiness, reflection, and develop strategies for ongoing self-assessment and professional development.
