Technical Standards 
Physician Assistant Studies

The granting of a master of science (MS) degree and completion of the graduate phase signifies that the student is prepared for employment as a Physician Assistant.

Physician Assistant Responsibilities

In such a professional role, the physician assistant can provide medical services with the supervision of a doctor of medicine or osteopathic medicine in accordance with applicable laws of medical practice. The services must, for the safety and welfare of the patient, be of the same professional quality that would be rendered by the supervising physician. The physician assistant must have the knowledge and skills to function in a broad variety of clinical situations and to render a wide spectrum of patient care.

Technical Standards for Admission

Candidates for the physician assistant profession must have somatic sensation and the functional use of the senses of vision and hearing. Candidates' diagnostic skills will also be lessened without the functional use of the senses of equilibrium, smell and taste. Additionally, they must have sufficient exteroceptive sense (touch, pain and temperature), sufficient motor function to permit them to carry out the activities as described in PCOM's Physician Assistant Studies Program Technical Standards for Admission and Matriculation [PDF]. They must be able to integrate all information received by whatever sense(s) employed, consistently, quickly and accurately, and they must have the intellectual ability to learn, integrate, analyze and synthesize data.

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