Medical Ethics Course, PA Program, Fall 2015

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PHA 500 Medical Ethics
Class of 2016
Methodist University Physician Assistant Program
School of Health Sciences
Physician Assistant Program

COURSE: PHA 5000–001, Medical Ethics
TERM Fall 2015
INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Michael Potts
OFFICE: Main Campus, T 263
HOURS: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 9:00-11:00 a.m.
Tuesday and Thursday, 2:00-3:00 p.m.
(or by appointment)
PHONE: (910) 630-7072
CLASS DAYS: Friday 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm
LOCATION: Break-out Rooms 1 & 2

PROGRAM – WIDE COURSE GOALS:
Develop a knowledge base to provide excellence patient care.
Learn and demonstrate professional behavior and inter-personal and inter-professional communication skills.
Recognize and address personal biases and demonstrate cultural competency and compassion.

COURSE PURPOSE:
The purpose of this course is to integrate learning medical ethics with reference to moral issues, as well as relevant legal issues, from the didactic through the clinical phases of PA education. The approach will be that of clinical ethics, which focuses on the concrete clinical situations you will likely face as a PA.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The goal of this course is for the PA student to learn and think critically about moral problems relevant to the student's area of training and develop these topics as the student understands and experience in medicine grows. Lecture, class discussion, films, role-playing, and debates will be used to give students the opportunity to think about ethical issues they are likely to face in PA practice.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:
At the conclusion of the course and the completion of the required readings the student should be able to:
Develop an understanding of the major ethical theories and how they can be applied to moral issues in health care.
Develop an understanding of the virtues necessary for one to be a good PA.
Understand the everyday issues that every PA will most likely face in clinical practice.
Understand the theories of the patient-PA relationship and how they relate to informed consent.
Understand and critically evaluate the arguments surrounding beginning of life and end of life issues in medical ethics.
Understand the main moral issues surrounding genetics.
Be able to deal with issues of cultural diversity in health care.
Be able to critically discuss the relationship between ethics and law in medical practice.
Understand how to best relate to one's physician-supervisor, other members of the health care team, and ethics committees.

REQUIRED TEXTS:
Ethics and Professionalism: A Guide For The Physician Assistant (2007). Cassidy, et al. 1st Ed. F.A. Davis Company. ISBN: 978-0803613386

A Life in Medicine: A Literary Anthology (2002). Coles and Testa, eds. 1st Ed/ The New Press. ISBN: 1-56584-729-6

RECOMMENDED READING:
There are multiple required readings available online, for which see the schedule of readings below.


ATTENDANCE POLICY:
As with all classes in the MUPA program, attendance is mandatory. Please refer to the Didactic Year Manual for detailed information of the attendance policy.

TECHNICAL STANDARDS FOR THE METHODIST UNIVERSITY PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT PROGRAM
Applicants to and students within the MUPA program must possess certain skills that will enable them to master the educational and clinical content of the program within a reasonable time frame. Critical thinking, communication skills, visual ability, hearing and tactile abilities, motor and fine skills, and interpersonal abilities, are required by a practicing clinician to improve patient health, prevent morbidity and mortality and improve and expand treatment goals that encourage the greatest patient motivation and cooperation within their resources. Students who are unable to meet the educational and technical performance standards will not be allowed to continue in the program. MUPA program Technical Standards are found in the Methodist University Academic Catalogue, MUPA program website www.methodist.edu/paprogram and the PA Program's Didactic Manual.

COMPETENCIES FOR THE PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT PROFESSION
In response to public demand for higher quality and greater accountability in health care, the four national PA organizations: AAPA, ARC-PA, NCCPA and PAEA (formerly APAP), joined together to define physician assistant competencies. The culmination of this collaborative effort is the document Competencies for the Physician Assistant Profession, accessible at
www.nccpa.net/PAC/Competencies_home.aspx. In compliance with the profession's goals, the MUPA program embraces the incorporation of these competencies into the educating, training and evaluation of its physician assistant students.

ETHICAL CONDUCT FOR THE PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT PROFESSION
Methodist University PA Program supports the AAPA's Guidelines for Ethical Conduct for the Physician Assistant Profession www.aapa.org/policy/23-EthicalConduct.pdf and the NCCPA's Code of Conduct for Certified and Certifying Physician Assistants www.nccpa.net/CER_process_codeofconduct.aspx .

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
Any student requiring accommodations due to one or more disabilities must bring the appropriate documentation to the Methodist University Assistant Dean for the Center for Personal Development no later than the first week of classes during the semester in which the accommodations are required. Together the student and the Assistant Dean for the Center for Personal Development will decide upon the accommodations to be implemented.

EXAMINATION AND EVALUATION CRITERIA:
Grading Scale
The following is the grading scale for the Methodist University Physician Assistant Program:

A 94-100 C+ 77-79
A- 90-93 C 75-76
B+ 87-89 F