Curriculum

Our DMSc program’s high impact set of core courses affords PAs an evidence-based foundation of essential tools for workplace improvement, which we refer to as our Implementation Science Tool Kit. 

Grounded in implementation science, the core courses enable PAs to identify opportunities for meaningful workplace change; discover, design, and communicate valid and reliable solutions; and skillfully lead change efforts.  Research methodology courses are designed specifically for PAs to master skills in critical appraisal and non-mathematical statistical analysis.  Our Scholarly Writing and Publication course facilitates mastery of written communication, and the Empowering PA Leaders course inspires PAs to realize their potential as stewards of meaningful change.  Integrative Population Health is a culmination of crucial concepts taught in prior courses and provides PAs a systematic approach to expanding effective and equitable access to healthcare at the population level.

The DMSc capstone courses are designed to facilitate student application of implementation skills to real-world professional challenges in the context of smaller class sizes. Designed as a practicum, these courses allow PAs to hone their capacity for initiating, designing, and evaluating effective workplace improvement efforts. Through dissemination and scale-up assessments, students devise strategies to communicate their evidence-based change endeavors to scholarly audiences in a supportive learning environment. At the completion of their practicum coursework, students are prepared to leverage implementation science in their workplace and share lessons learned on broader stages to support others in making similar advances.

The Health System Leadership (HSL) concentration is designed to empower PAs to lead in a healthcare setting and meaningfully contribute to the safe, effective, and equitable delivery of healthcare services.  Through a four-course series in the third and fourth terms of the program, the HSL concentration enhances PA knowledge of healthcare policies, laws, and regulations and promotes mastery of quality improvement and patient safety capabilities.  PAs will also gain the business skills necessary to skillfully lead teams in inpatient or outpatient settings.  Through the two-course practicum series, PAs have the chance to apply evidence-based workplace change tools to real-world professional challenges.  The concentration is based on the AAPA’s Competencies for PAs in Healthcare Administration.

The Health Professions Education (HPE) concentration expands the knowledge and aptitude of established educators and prepares new or aspiring educators with educational skills based on the PAEA’s Physician Assistant Educator Competencies.   Through a four-course series in the third and fourth terms of the program, the HPE concentration includes coursework focused on adult learning theory, instructional content delivery methods, curricular design and evaluation, academic leadership strategies, and transformative student engagement.  Through the two-course practicum series, PA educators have the chance to apply evidence-based change tools to real world educational challenges.

The College of Idaho’s Early Career PA Pathway is designed exclusively for new PAs who have graduated within the past two (2) years from an ARC-PA accredited program and are seeking the DMSc degree.

The Early Career PA Pathway is a 36-credit hour program that is completed in 12 months.  It grants eligible candidates 12 credit of advanced standing for completion of the clinical and didactic instructional components of their entry-level master’s degree program, including recent coursework in research methods and evidence-based practices and for clinical reasoning development incurred during supervised clinical practice experiences. 

The pathway’s curriculum therefore involves 24 credit hours tailored to support early career PAs in developing their professional identities, clinical niches, and career trajectories.  Along with doctorate-level aptitudes gained during a modified version of the Implementation Science Tool Kit, PAs will explore early career success strategies and conduct an in-depth examination of the healthcare policies, regulations, and laws that dictate patient access to care.  Through the practicum course, early career PAs have the chance to apply evidence-based workplace change tools to real-world professional challenges. 

The College of Idaho’s Experienced PA Educator Pathway is designed exclusively for PA faculty who have been teaching full-time at an ARC-PA accredited program for at least five (5) years and are seeking the DMSc degree.

The Experienced PA Educatory Pathway is a 36-credit hour program that is completed in 12 months.  It grants eligible candidates 12 credits of advanced standing for previous professional experience in student instruction and evaluation; and curriculum design, coordination, implementation, and evaluation. 

The pathway’s curriculum therefore involves 24 credits that integrate existing expertise in course design, student instruction, and evaluation with new instruction in academic leadership and transformative student engagement.  Experienced PA educators will also complete a modified version of the Implementation Science Tool Kit core coursework, which incorporates existing educator skills in research and implementation.  Through the practicum course, experienced PA educators have the chance to apply evidence-based change tools to real world educational challenges.

The College of Idaho’s PA Fellow Pathway is designed exclusively for PAs who are currently enrolled in, or within the past two (2) years, have graduated from an eligible PA fellowship program (also referred to as a clinical postgraduate PA program or a PA residency) and are seeking the Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) degree.

The PA Fellow Pathway is a 36-credit hour program that is completed in 9 months.  It grants eligible candidates 18 credits of advanced standing for completion of the clinical and didactic instructional components of their fellowship program, including knowledge gained in biomedical and clinical science, critical appraisal of medical literature, and topics related to the delivery of safe, high-quality, effective, and equitable healthcare.

The pathway’s curriculum therefore involves 18 credits tailored to support fellowship-trained PAs with courses that complement and integrate expertise gained during the clinical and didactic instruction during the fellowship.  Along with doctorate-level aptitudes gained during a modified version of the Implementation Science Tool Kit, PAs will expand upon the critical appraisal and research skills developed during the fellowship.  Through the Practicum course, fellowship-trained PAs have the chance to apply evidence-based workplace change tools to real-world professional challenges.