General Surgery, DSc.P.A.
Doctor of Science in Physician Assistant Studies-General Surgery
Associate Dean, Hospital Based Education: Matthew S. Douglas, Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army
Army/Baylor Program Chair Person: Chanise K. Cyrus, Captain, U.S. Air Force
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.
Admission
Candidates for admission must hold a Master’s Degree in Physician Assistant Studies and be currently on active-duty as a member of the U.S. Military. Applicants must meet all service specific requirements prior to beginning the program. Applicants must have an overall minimum grade point average of 3.0 and obtain a score on the GRE general exam that is predictive of successful completion of the program. Candidates must also meet the entrance requirements of the Graduate School of Baylor University. Uniformed-services candidates will be selected by a competitive board process by their respective uniformed service.
Curriculum
The Doctor of Science in Physician Assistant in General Surgery degree (DSc.P.A.S.) is an 18 month, 86 semester hours, Doctorate of Science Program. The DSc.P.A.S.-GS program is taught by U.S. Military personnel under the supervision of the U.S. Army General Surgery Physician Assistant Program Director and General 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 D.Sc.P.A.S.-GS 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 |
|---|---|---|
| MGS 6210 | Surgical Basic Principles | 2 |
| MGS 6211 | Perioperative Management | 2 |
| MGS 6212 | The Abdomen | 2 |
| MGS 6213 | Surgery of the Esophagus and Stomach | 2 |
| MGS 6214 | Surgery of the Small Intestine, Large Intestine, Rectum, and Anus | 2 |
| MGS 6215 | Surgery of the Liver and Biliary Tract | 2 |
| MGS 6216 | Surgery of the Pancreas and Spleen | 2 |
| MGS 6217 | Endocrine Surgery | 2 |
| MGS 6218 | Breast Surgery | 2 |
| MGS 6219 | Neurosurgery, Pediatric Surgery | 2 |
| MGS 6220 | Burn/Critical Care Surgery | 2 |
| MGS 6221 | Trauma Surgery | 2 |
| MGS 6222 | Surgical Critical Care | 2 |
| MGS 6223 | Surgery on the Lung, Chest Wall, and Mediastinum | 2 |
| MGS 6224 | Surgical Oncology | 2 |
| MGS 6225 | Vascular Surgery | 2 |
Practical Clinical Rotations
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| MGS 6330 | Orientation to General Surgery | 3 |
| MGS 6331 | General Surgery Team A (Colorectal, General Surgery, Pediatric) | 3 |
| MGS 6332 | General Surgery Team B (Minimally Invasive Surgery) | 3 |
| MGS 6333 | General Surgery Team C (General Surgery) | 3 |
| MGS 6334 | General Surgery (WH) | 3 |
| MGS 6335 | General Surgery Team D (Surgical Oncology) | 3 |
| MGS 6336 | Interventional Radiology | 3 |
| MGS 6337 | Trauma Surgery (Rotation 1) | 3 |
| MGS 6338 | Vascular Surgery | 3 |
| MGS 6339 | Burn Surgery/Burn Critical Care (Rotation 2) | 3 |
| MGS 6340 | Plastic Surgery | 3 |
| MGS 6341 | Neurosurgery | 3 |
| MGS 6342 | Trauma Surgery (Rotation 2) | 3 |
| MGS 6343 | Trauma/Surgical Intensive Care Unit (Rotation 1) | 3 |
| MGS 6344 | Trauma/Surgical Intensive Care Unit (STICU) (Rotation 2) | 3 |
| MGS 6345 | Burn Surgery/Burn Critical Care (Rotation 1) | 3 |
| MGS 6346 | Elective Concentration | 3 |
| MGS 6347 | Clinical Research | 3 |