Department of Health Sciences, Physician Assistant Program: Policy on Advanced Placement

Unit Policy

Title

Department of Health Sciences, Physician Assistant Program: Policy on Advanced Placement

Introduction

Purpose

This Policy establishes the Physician Assistant (PA) Program’s (Program) requirements on Advanced Placement for prospective and current Program students (Students).

Scope

This Policy applies to all prospective students and current Students.

Policy

Policy Statement

The Program does not award Advanced Placement to prospective or current Students. Accordingly, the Program will not:

  • transfer credit from another educational institution into the Preclinical or Clinical Phases of the Program’s curriculum;
  • provide Program credit for non-Program experiential learning;
  • provide Program credit for non-Program examinations; or

All Students must complete the Program’s entire twenty-four (24)-month curriculum to meet the requirements for Program completion and be eligible to take the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE).

Subject to the discretion of the Student Progress Committee, Students who take a Leave of Absence or Decelerate may:

  • be permitted to resume the curriculum at the point of their Leave of Absence or Deceleration if they are in good academic standing; and
  • be required to repeat curricular work.

The Student Progress Committee will thoroughly review a Student’s academic and professionalism record and length of Leave of Absence or Deceleration and determine whether the Student will need to repeat any curricular work in compliance with applicable University policies and procedures.

Definitions

Advanced Placement: The waiver of required coursework within the Program curriculum for applicants or currently enrolled Students, allowing advancement in the Program without completing all required curriculum components.

Clinical Phase: The second phase of the Program’s curriculum following a Student’s successful completion of the Preclinical Phase. The Clinical Phase consists of three semesters focused on supervised clinical rotations in a variety of healthcare settings and emphasizes the application of the medical knowledge, patient care, professionalism and cultural humility, interpersonal and communication skills, systems-based practice, and self-assessment skills acquired during the Preclinical Phase with the overall goal of preparing Students for entry into the PA profession

Deceleration: The loss of a Student from a cohort who remains matriculated in the Program.

Leave of Absence: Program-approved time away from Program-related commitments without ongoing academic progress.

Preclinical Phase: The first year of the Program’s curriculum encompassing both didactic and experiential learning. The Preclinical Phase consists of three semesters designed to provide foundational medical knowledge, patient care, professionalism and cultural humility, interpersonal and communication skills, systems-based practice, and self-assessment skills that prepare Students for the Clinical Phase of the curriculum.

Related Requirements

External Regulations

Unit Policies, Standards, and Procedures

Contact Information

Any reader of this Policy needs to be able to contact someone with questions about this Policy or to provide feedback. The Policy can name:

  • A particular individual (i.e. John Doe),
  • A specific title (i.e. Associate Director of Ethics and Policy), and/or
  • A general contact (i.e. policy@unc.edu).

That person will be the point of contact for all questions relating to the Policy in general.

If there are individuals/groups that have particularized knowledge of subsections of this Policy, those people/groups may be listed under “Other Contacts” to provide additional information to the reader.

Primary Contact

Name:

Telephone:

Email:

Other Contacts (if applicable)

Subject:

Name:

Telephone:

Email:

Publication Details

  • Who is the “Issuing Officer”? ___________
    This is the person with the authority to issue this Policy on behalf of the University –  they must be a Dean/Vice Chancellor/Unit Head or that person’s designee.
     
  • What is the “Effective Date”? ___________
    This is when the Policy goes into effect.
     
  • What is the “Next Review Date”? ___________
    The Policy should be reviewed on a regular basis to make sure all content, links, etc. stay up-to-date. The default interval for review is one (1) calendar year but you may choose a date three (3) calendar years away for items that are less risky and/or less likely to change over time (for example, policies that rely on external regulations). You may also choose a date that fits best with your Unit’s annual schedule.
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