Doctor of Science in Physician Assistant Studies-Emergency Medicine

Director, Postgraduate Physician Assistant Education: Brian E. Burk
Army/Baylor Program Director: Ryan Curtis

In Fall 2007 Baylor University, in affiliation with the U.S. Army, established a new degree program, the Doctor of Science in Physician Assistant Studies (DSc.P.A.), with the major in Emergency Medicine. This professional doctoral degree is new to the discipline of physician assistant studies. The program of study consists of 18 months of didactic study, clinical experience, and clinically oriented research conducted in a professional residency setting. The Baylor-Army DSc.P.A. is offered at Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC), Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, Madigan Army Medical Center, Fort Lewis in Tacoma, Washington, Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center, Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas, and William Beaumont Army Medical Center, Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas.

Objectives

The vision of the U.S. Army Emergency Medicine Physician Assistant Residency is to create the benchmark for postgraduate emergency medicine Physician Assistant education through the pursuit of academic and clinical excellence. The program achieves this vision by developing clinical scientists who are prepared to conduct advanced scientific research as well as to provide quality emergency care for patients with a wide variety of illnesses and injuries in the emergency department and in any world-wide contingency. The clinical scientists graduating from this program will become future leaders and mentors by establishing scholarly excellence for the physician assistant profession.

The U.S. Army Emergency Medicine Physician Assistant Residency provides advanced education and training, further enhancing the abilities of clinicians to save soldiers’ lives on the battlefield, to serve Military Health System beneficiaries, to augment and extend physicians, and to improve recruiting and retention through unique professional development opportunities. The program produces graduates with expertise in evidence-based emergency care for examining, diagnosing, and managing a variety of life-threatening injuries and illnesses. The curriculum is structured to develop competency in research design, production, analysis, and critical review. Graduates will use competencies in triage and management of emergency medical conditions and injuries to stabilize critically ill or injured soldiers on the battlefield and prepare them for transportation to higher echelons of care.

Admission

Candidates for admission must hold a master’s degree in physician assistant studies and be active-duty members of the U.S. military for a minimum of four years upon beginning the program. Applicants must have a grade point average 3.0 or above and obtain a minimum score of 300 on the GRE general exam. Candidates must have a minimum of two years of time on station prior to the start date of the residency or if Outside the Continental United States (OCONUS), the applicants must have served to within 60 days of their prescribed tour. Applicants must also agree to incur a 3.5 year Active Duty Service Obligation (ADSO). Candidates must also meet the entrance requirements of the Graduate School of Baylor University. Uniformed-services candidates are selected by a competitive board process by their respective uniformed service.

Curriculum

The 18-month curriculum totals 88 semester credit hours and consists of 16 didactic sections (representing approximately 740 hours of classroom instruction), 20 clinical rotations (4,300 clinical training hours), and a research project. Midterm and final board examinations, including both written and oral evaluation, are based on the standards set by the American Board of Emergency Medicine.

The didactic portion accounts for 32 credit hours and consists of 16 courses on an array of emergency-medicine topics. Each course carries two semester hours of credit:

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
MEM 6210	Introduction to Emergency Medicine Resuscitation, Shock, and Anesthesia	2
MEM 6211	Emergency Treatment of Orthopedic Injuries, Emergency Ultrasounds, and Emergency Radiology	2
MEM 6212	Toxicology and Oral Maxillary Facial Disorders	2
MEM 6213	Cardiovascular, Pulmonary, Hematologic, Oncologic, and Psychosocial Diseases and Disorders	2
MEM 6214	Gastrointestinal, Genitourinary, Obstetrics, and Gynecology Diseases	2
MEM 6215	Pediatric Non-Traumatic Musculoskeletal Disorders, Abuse, and Assault	2
MEM 6216	Emergency Wound Management, Environmental Injuries, and Trauma	2
MEM 6217	Infectious Disease, Endocrinology, and Neurology	2
MEM 6220	Advanced Emergency Medicine, Resuscitation, Shock, and Anesthesia	2
MEM 6221	Advanced Emergency Treatment of Orthopedic Injuries, Emergency Ultrasounds, and Emergency Radiology	2
MEM 6222	Advanced Toxicology and Oral Maxillary Facial Disorders	2
MEM 6223	Advanced Cardiovascular, Pulmonary, Hematologic, Oncologic, and Psychosocial Disorders	2
MEM 6224	Advanced Gastrointestinal, Genitourinary Obstetrics, and Gynecology Diseases	2
MEM 6225	Advanced Pediatrics Non-Traumatic Musculoskeletal Disorders, Abuse, and Assault	2
MEM 6226	Advanced Emergency Wound Management, Environmental Injuries, and Trauma	2
MEM 6227	Advanced Infectious Disease, Endocrinology, and Neurology	2

The remaining 56 credit hours are earned through clinical rotations. These consist of eight emergency department rotations (1472 clinical hours), four intensive-care rotations (1280 clinical hours), one trauma surgery rotation (320 clinical hours), two pediatric rotations (640 clinical hours), one toxicology rotation (80 clinical hours), one radiology/ultrasound rotation (160 clinical hours), one oral maxillofacial rotation (80 clinical hours), two elective rotations (240 clinical hours), and a dedicated research block (240 clinical hours): 

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
MEM 6330	Orientation to Emergency Medicine	3
MEM 6231	Emergency Department 1	2
MEM 6232	Emergency Department 2	2
MEM 6233	Emergency Department 3	2
MEM 6234	Emergency Department 4	2
MEM 6235	Emergency Department 5	2
MEM 6336	Emergency Department 6	3
MEM 6337	Emergency Department 7	3
MEM 6338	Emergency Department 8	3
MEM 6439	Pediatrics Emergency Department	4
MEM 6440	Pediatrics Emergency Department and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit	4
MEM 6142	Radiology	1
MEM 6143	Oral-Maxillary Facial Surgery	1
MEM 6144	Toxicology	1
MEM 6445	Emergency Ultrasound	4
MEM 6346	Clinical Research	3
MEM 6447	Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU)	4
MEM 6448	Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU)	4
MEM 6449	Cardiac Care Unit (CCU)	4
MEM 6450	Trauma Surgery	4

Each physician assistant resident is required to initiate and complete an Internal Review Board (IRB) approved research project during the 18-month residency. During the final month of the residency, each resident will present the results of the research project in written and oral form and defend the project before a doctoral examining committee. The examining committee is chaired by the program director and includes three additional program faculty and a faculty member from the Baylor-Waco campus. A manuscript from the completed project will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal for publication.