Doctor of Science in Physician Assistant Studies - Orthopaedics

Program Director Chair: MAJ Preston Lopez, U.S. Army

In the Fall 2008, Baylor University, in affiliation with the U.S. Army, established a new degree program, the Doctor of Science in Physician Assistant Studies, with the major in Orthopaedics (DSc.P.A.S.). 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 DScPAS residency in Orthopaedics is offered at William Beaumont Army Medical Center, Ft. Bliss in El Paso, Texas; Brooke Army Medical Center, Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas; Madigan Army Medical Center, Ft. Lewis in Tacoma, Washington; and David Grant USAF Medical Center, Travis AFB, in Fairfield, CA.

This residency provides physician assistants the opportunity to develop advanced competencies in both operative assistance and non-operative management of musculoskeletal conditions. Graduates of the program will possess expertise in evidence-based orthopaedic care and advanced skills in history taking and physical examination, diagnostics, special testing, and management of a variety of non-operative musculoskeletal injuries and conditions in an outpatient setting and on the battlefield. Residents will demonstrate competency in research design, methods, analysis and critical review. Graduates will be prepared to function as clinical scientists and become future leaders and mentors by setting the standard of scholarly excellence for physician assistants worldwide.

Admission Requirements for the DScPAS - Orthopedics

Candidates for admission must hold a Master’s Degree in Physician Assistant Studies and be active-duty members of the U.S. Armed Services. Applicants must present a competitive undergraduate grade point average and scores on the GRE General Exam predictive of success in this program. Candidates must also meet all Baylor University Graduate School entrance requirements.  Fully qualified candidates are competitively board-selected for a limited number of program spots.

Requirements for the DScPAS with a Major in Orthopedics

The 18-month curriculum totals 85 semester credit hours. The 19 clinical rotations (71 credit hours representing more than 4,900 training hours in academic hospitals), and 4 research courses (14 credit hours) used to develop and execute a research project. Both written and oral exams, preceptor evaluations, article reviews and presentations are used for assessment and parallel the standards set by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).

Each physician assistant resident is required to initiate and complete a research project, approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB), during their 18-month curriculum. The initial two weeks of program instruction focus on preparing new residents for this project; introduction to statistical analysis, developing a research question, and submitting a research protocol are just a few topics discussed in detail. During the final month of the course of study, each resident will present the results of 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 an indexed, peer-reviewed journal for publication.

The curriculum includes the following courses:

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Research Courses
MCO 6351	Evidence Based Orthopaedic Care	3
MCO 6356	Techniques for Medical Research Presentation	3
MCO 6423	Medical Research Design	4
MCO 6424	Approaches to Medical Data Collection and Analysis	4
Subtotal		14
Practical Clinical Rotations
MCO 6350	Introduction to Orthopaedic Clinical Evaluation and Procedures	3
MCO 6352	Orthopaedic Evaluation and Management of Spine Disorders	3
MCO 6353	Evaluation and Management of Neurologic Disorders	3
MCO 6354	Evaluation and Management of Pediatric Orthopaedic Disorders	3
MCO 6355	Advanced Orthopaedic Clinical Evaluation and Procedures	3
MCO 6410	Introduction to Upper Extremity Sports Injury Management	4
MCO 6411	Introduction to Lower Extremity Sports Injury Management	4
MCO 6412	Evaluation and Management of Hand and Elbow Disorders	4
MCO 6413	Evaluation and Management of Foot and Ankle Disorders	4
MCO 6414	Evaluation and Management of Complex Wounds	4
MCO 6415	Evaluation of Joint Arthritis and Trauma Managed with Joint Reconstruction	4
MCO 6416	Musculoskeletal Oncology Evaluation and Management	4
MCO 6417	Introduction to Evaluation and Management of Orthopaedic Trauma	4
MCO 6418	Introduction to Evaluation and Management of General Trauma	4
MCO 6419	Introduction to Critical Care Management	4
MCO 6420	Advanced Sports Injury Management	4
MCO 6421	Advanced evaluation and management of orthopaedic trauma	4
MCO 6422	Advanced Critical Care Management	4
or MCO 6426	Advanced Joint Reconstruction
MCO 6425	Urgent Orthopaedic Evaluation	4
Subtotal		71
Total Hours		85