Surgery and Critical Care, DSc.P.A.
Doctor of Science in Physician Assistant Studies-General Surgery
Baylor Program Director Chair: MAJ Ryan McMahon, U.S. Army
In the Fall 2012, Baylor University, in affiliation with the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence (MEDCoE) established the Doctor of Science in Physician Assistant in General Surgery degree (DSc.P.A.S.). The Army/Baylor Doctorate of Science Physician Assistant-General Surgery (DSc.P.A.S.-GS) Program serves as the benchmark for post-graduate PA education and research through the pursuit of clinical excellence, academic rigor, and scholarly activity. The program will challenge the graduate student through a strenuous clinical and academic schedule with the overall goals of improving quality of care, patient safety, and medical knowledge through education and research.
The DSc.P.A.S.-GS Program provides physician assistants an opportunity to develop advanced competencies in clinical research as well as in both operative assistance, and clinical management of General Surgery/Trauma Surgery/ and Critical Care patients. This rigorous comprehensive training is conducted at Joint Base San Antonio Military Medical Center, Texas. Graduates will use the surgical and critical care skills acquired during the program to assist General Surgeons in the operative treatment of injured and critically wounded warriors on and off the battlefield, perform Critical Care for post-operative trauma/surgical patients, provide surgical care to military dependents and enhance the knowledge of medicine through education and research.
Requirements for the DScPAS with a Major in Surgery and Critical Care
The Doctor of Science in Physician Assistant in Surgery and Critical Care degree (DSc.P.A.S.) is an 18 month, 85 semester hours, Doctorate of Science Program. The DScPAS-SCC program is taught by U.S. Military personnel under the supervision of the U.S. Army Surgery Physician Assistant Program Director and Surgery Physician Assistant Medical Director at Brooke Army Medical Center, Joint Base San Antonio, Fort Sam Houston, Texas. The program consists of approximately 4,000 clinical training hours, approximately 800 hours of classroom instruction, lectures, substantial reading assignments, oral presentations, monthly end of rotation exams (written and oral), bi-monthly high and low fidelity SIM, monthly procedure labs, and a research requirement. The DScPAS.-SCC Program requires the completion of an evidence-based research project. During the final portion of the course of study, each resident will defend their research study and submit the results in a written format. The results of the project will be presented at an appropriate national conference and the manuscript will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal for publication.
The curriculum is structured as follows:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Research Courses | ||
| MGS 6322 | Evidence-based Trauma Surgery and Critical Care | 3 |
| MGS 6356 | Techniques for Medical Research Presentation | 3 |
| MGS 6423 | Medical Research Design | 4 |
| MGS 6424 | Approaches to Medical Data Collection and Analysis | 4 |
| Subtotal | 14 | |
| Practical Clinical Rotations | ||
| MGS 6355 | Advanced Clinical Evaluation and Management in Trauma | 3 |
| MGS 6431 | Fundamentals of Ambulatory Surgery | 4 |
| MGS 6432 | Intermediate Ambulatory Surgery | 4 |
| MGS 6433 | Fundamentals of Acute Care Surgery | 4 |
| MGS 6434 | Intermediate Acute Care Surgery | 4 |
| MGS 6435 | Advanced Acute Care Surgery | 4 |
| MGS 6436 | Fundamentals of Interventional Radiology for Surgical Specialties | 4 |
| MGS 6439 | Fundamentals of Burn Surgery and Burn Critical Care | 4 |
| MGS 6440 | Fundamentals of Plastic and Micro Surgery for Surgical Specialties | 4 |
| MGS 6441 | Fundamentals of Neurosurgery for Surgical Specialties | 4 |
| MGS 6443 | Fundamentals of Trauma Management and the Surgical Intensive Care Unit | 4 |
| MGS 6444 | Advanced Surgical Intensive Care Unit Management | 4 |
| MGS 6445 | Advanced Burn Surgery and Burn Critical Care | 4 |
| MGS 6446 | Fundamentals of the Initial Evaluation and Management in Trauma Surgery | 4 |
| MGS 6447 | Fundamentals of Operative Management in Trauma Surgery | 4 |
| MGS 6448 | Advanced Trauma Surgery | 4 |
| MGS 6451 | Introduction to Surgical Management Scenarios Unique to the US Army | 4 |
| or MGS 6452 | Introduction to Surgical Management Scenarios Unique to the US Air Force | |
| or MGS 6453 | Introduction to Surgical Management Scenarios Unique to the US Navy | |
| Subtotal | 67 | |
| MGS 6354 | Psychomotor and Surgical Skills Laboratory | 3 |
| Total Hours | 84 | |