Stony Brook University (SBU) complies with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans
with Disabilities Act. All applicants and students are held to the same
technical and academic standards of admissions and training. If a prospective
student who is otherwise qualified requires a reasonable accommodation,
they should contact Disability Support Services at SBU. Technical standards
must be met with or without accommodations.
The ability to meet the technical
standards and educational objectives established by the program is essential
for the fulfillment of the requirements for the Bachelor of Science
in Physician Assistant degree. The academic and technical standards
established by the faculty require that all students accepted by the
SBU PA Program possess the physical, cognitive, and behavioral abilities
that insure that they will be able to complete all aspects of the curriculum.
Students admitted to the Physician Assistant (PA) Program must have
the intellectual, emotional and physical abilities to acquire the knowledge,
behaviors, and clinical skills needed to successfully complete the
entire curriculum and practice medicine as a physician assistant. The
technical standards outlined below ("Technical Standards"), in conjunction
with established academic standards, are followed by the Admissions
Committee to select students who possess the intelligence, integrity,
physical, and personal as well as emotional characteristics that are
necessary to become an effective physician assistant. The Program and
sponsoring institution must maintain the integrity of the curriculum
and preserve those elements deemed essential to the education of a
physician assistant. The program and sponsoring institution cannot
compromise the health and safety of others and reserve the right not
to admit any applicant who cannot meet the technical standards or who
would constitute a direct threat to the health and safety of others,
e.g., those individuals who are currently impaired by alcohol or substance
abuse cannot meet the Technical Standards.
Technical Standards:
Granting of the PA degree signifies
that the holder is a physician assistant prepared for entry into the practice
of medicine. Therefore it follows that graduates must have the knowledge
and skills to practice medicine as PAs in a broad variety of clinical
situations and to render a wide spectrum of patient care. Candidates must
also have the physical and emotional stamina to function in a competent
manner in educational and practice settings that may involve heavy workloads
and stressful situations. Accordingly, candidates for the degree must
be able to perform specific essential functions that the faculty deem
requisite for the practice of medicine. These functions, expressed as
technical standards, fall into several broad categories, including: observation,
communication; motor; conceptual, integrative and quantitative; and behavioral
and social.
- Observation: Candidates must be able to
observe demonstrations in the basic sciences, medical illustrations
and models, microscopic studies of microorganisms and tissues in normal
and pathological states. They must also be able to directly and accurately
observe a patient’s demeanor, see a patient’s
physical condition, and obtain a medical history and perform a physical
examination correctly on the patient in order to integrate the information
derived from these observations in order to develop an accurate diagnostic
and treatment plan. These skills require the functional use of vision,
hearing, smell, and somatic sensation.
- Communication: Candidates must be able
to speak, hear, and observe patients in a clinical setting. They must
be able to record information accurately and clearly, speak fluent
English, and communicate effectively and sensitively with patients.
Candidates must also be able to communicate effectively with other
members of the healthcare team in oral and written form, and provide
accurate information in patient care settings in which decisions based
upon those communications must be made rapidly.
- Motor: Candidates
must have sufficient motor function to elicit information from patients
by palpation, auscultation, percussion, and other diagnostic maneuvers
necessary to complete a full physical examination. They must possess
motor function sufficient to perform basic laboratory tests (e.g.,
urinalysis, CBC, etc.) and carry out diagnostic procedures (e.g., venipuncture,
arterial puncture, paracentesis, thoracentesis, lumbar puncture, etc.).
Candidates must be able to execute the appropriate motor movements
required to provide general care as well as emergency treatment to
patients. Examples of emergency treatment reasonably required of physician
assistants are cardiopulmonary resuscitation, administration of intravenous
medication, the application of pressure to stop bleeding, the management
of obstructed airways, the suturing of simple wounds, and the performance
of simple obstetrical maneuvers.
- Interpretative,
Conceptual and Quantitative: Candidates for
the degree must have effective and efficient learning techniques and
habits that allow for mastery of the complex PA curriculum. They must
be able to learn through a variety of modalities, including, but not
limited to, classroom instruction, small group activities, individual
study, preparation and presentation of reports, and use of computer technology.
They must be able to memorize, measure, calculate, reason, analyze, and
synthesize. They must also be able to comprehend spatial relationships
and three-dimensional models.
- Behavioral and
Social Attributes: Candidates must understand
the legal and ethical aspects of the practice of medicine and function
within the guidelines established by the law and by the ethical standards
of the PA profession. They must be able to relate to patients and their
families, colleagues, and other members of the healthcare team with courtesy,
maturity, and respect for the dignity of individuals. This requires that
they place the welfare of their patients foremost, and demonstrate honesty,
integrity, dedication, compassion and nondiscrimination in the care of
their patients. They must at all times demonstrate the emotional stability
to be able to exercise good judgment, and carry out prompt completion
of all the responsibilities attendant to the diagnosis and care of their
patients in a sensitive and effective manner. This sensitivity includes
self-examination of personal attitudes, perceptions, and stereotypes
in order to avoid potential negative impact on relationships and patient
care. Applicants must be able to adapt to changing environments, display
flexibility and professional responsibility to their patients, and to
learn to function in an environment of uncertainty, in which changes
may occur rapidly and without warning. All of these personal qualities
will be assessed during the admissions and educational process.
Rev 08/04
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