Clinical Rotations Required
Salary and Career Info
Physician Assistant BS/MS
A physician assistant degree that provides diagnostic and therapeutic patient care by eliciting medical histories, conducting physical examinations, diagnosing illnesses, determining treatment, providing medical advice, and much more.
Program skills
Students within this program demonstrate core medical knowledge of established and evolving biomedical and clinical sciences and apply knowledge to patient care as well as communication skills that result in effective information exchange with patients, families, physicians, and members of the healthcare team. Students provide effective, safe, high-quality, and equitable patient care across the life span and practice with integrity, ethical and legal responsibility, and sensitivity to diverse patient populations. Physician Assistant students critically analyze practice experiences with Evidence-Based Medicine and quality assurance processes to improve patient care and demonstrate responsiveness to healthcare systems while keeping the patient at the center of cost-effective, safe care.
Program facilities equipment
Students are exposed to the Simulation Lab and the Physician Assistant Lab. The Simulation Laboratory consists of three parts a patient room that contains a simulation mannequin, a control room where the operation of the mannequin occurs, and a debriefing room where faculty interact with students after simulated medical scenarios end. The Physician Assistant Lab is arranged as a central classroom with mock examination stations positioned around the perimeter, the Physician Assistant Lab provides opportunities for lecture and break-out stations that support clinical skill training for physician assistant majors.
Program job titles
Orthopedic Physician Assistant; Family Practice Physician Assistant; Hospitalist Physician Assistant; Neuromedicine ICU Physician Assistant; Cardiology Physician Assistant
Select program hiring partners
Comprehensive & Interventional Pain Management LLP, Danbury Hospital, Dermatology & Moh's Surgery, Harborview Medical Center, Mayo Clinic, Rochester Regional Health, St. Peter's Health Partners, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Unity Hospital, University of Rochester Medical Center
100%
Outcome Rates for Physician Assistant BS/MS
Total percentage of graduates who have entered the workforce, enrolled in full-time graduate study, or are pursuing alternative plans (military service, volunteering, etc.).
93.75%
Knowledge Rate
Total percentage of graduates for whom RIT has verifiable data, compared to national average knowledge rate of 41% per NACE.
| Outcome | % of Students |
|---|---|
| Employed | 96.55% |
| Full-time Graduate Study | 3.45% |
| Alternative Plans | 0% |
Accreditation
Physician Assistant Accreditation Update
The RIT physician assistant program had an accreditation site visit in June 2019 and the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for Physician Assistants (ARC-PA) met in late September 2019. The following is the official ARC-PA announcement regarding RIT’s accreditation status:
The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status to the Rochester Institute of Technology Physician Assistant Program sponsored by Rochester Institute of Technology. Accreditation-Continued is an accreditation status granted when a currently accredited program is in compliance with the ARC-PA Standards.
Accreditation remains in effect until the program closes or withdraws from the accreditation process or until accreditation is withdrawn for failure to comply with the Standards. The approximate date for the next validation review of the program by the ARC-PA will be September 2027. The review date is contingent upon continued compliance with the Accreditation Standards and ARC-PA policy.
The program’s accreditation history can be viewed on the ARC-PA website.
Experiential Learning
Clinical Rotations
Clinical rotations include a five-week experience in various disciplines of medicine, providing students with the opportunity to apply the basic principles of medicine to hospital-based and ambulatory patient care settings. Students are assigned to a primary preceptor (physician/physician assistant) and are exposed to a wide variety of acute and chronic medical problems. The emphasis is on data gathering, physical examination, differential diagnosis, patient management, maintenance of medical records, performance of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, and the provision of patient education and counseling. Mandatory rotations are in the fields of internal medicine, family medicine, geriatrics, orthopedics, emergency medicine, women's health, pediatrics, general surgery, and behavioral health. Students also select one elective rotation, which enables them to customize their experience according to their medical area of interest.
The clinical rotations represent the integration and combination of the didactic and clinical phases of the physician assistant program. A great deal of planning has gone into creating a learning environment that will allow the student to obtain the high-level skills required for practice as a physician assistant. The affiliates (hospitals and office-practices) are busy places offering a variety of services. It is the responsibility of the student to explore and learn as much as possible during this very important year. You will be assigned a preceptor for each rotation by the program. This will generally be a physician, physician assistant program, or nurse practitioner who is responsible for your actions and educational experience. In general, the student is expected to participate in each and every aspect of the department or office where assigned.
The physician assistant program is fortunate to have the support of the local and neighboring medical communities for providing clinical sites offering a wide array of clinical experiences. Program faculty provides rotation assignments for all students. The program cannot assure the student assignment to a clinical affiliate within the immediate Rochester area or other desired area. Several of these sites are located some distance from the RIT main campus. The physician assistant program makes every attempt to assist the student in finding suitable housing. However, ultimately the responsibility for housing, travel, and food are the student's responsibility.