Physician Assistant

1.1 Demonstrate Christian respect for the dignity and privacy of patients while maintaining confidentiality in the delivery of team-based care

1.2 Develop meaningful, therapeutic relationships with patients and their families through Christlike service

1.3 Interpret information for patients to understand and make meaning out of the information conveyed to them, ensuring informed consent in all medical decision making.

2.3 Use current, valid medical literature to make evidence-based decisions on patient care

3.1 Recognize the potential impacts of the community, biology, spiritual life and genetics on patients and incorporate them into decisions of care

3.2 Understand the role structural disparities play in the management of health and illness

3.3 Provide Christ-like care to those with diverse cultural and spiritual health beliefs and practices, preferred languages, health literacy, and other communication needs.

4.1 Elicit and understand the stories of individual patients and apply the context of their lives (including environmental influences, spiritual influences, cultural norms, socioeconomic factors, and communication barriers) when determining healthy versus ill patients

4.2 Demonstrate insight and understanding about emotions and human responses to emotions that allow one to develop and manage interpersonal interactions

4.3 Organize and communicate information with patients, families, community members, and health team members in a form that is understandable, avoiding discipline-specific terminology where appropriate, and ensure understanding

5.1 Articulate one’s role and responsibilities to patients, families, communities, and other professionals

5.2 Direct the focus of the health care team to the needs of the patient over anyone/anything else

5.3 Recognize when continued patient care exceeds one's knowledge, skills and/or resources and make appropriate, timely referrals for safe and ongoing health management.

6.1 Articulate standard of care practice and develop an ongoing pattern of self-assessment and improvement to adhere to standard of care practice.

6.2 Practice with Christ-like humility, recognize personal and professional limitations to providing care and demonstrate a willingness to admit to and learn from mistakes, errors, and miscommunications.

6.3 Exhibit an understanding of the regulatory environment

7.1 Recognize that healthcare is a business

7.2 Promote the PA profession to the community, health care team, legislators, and educators

7.3 Appreciate the value of collaboration with physician and other members of the health care team.

Students must always identify themselves as Physician Assistant Students. During the program, students may not use any other identification that may be misleading, inappropriate, or controversial. All SNU PA students must wear their SNU issued name badge at all times and all white coats must contain the student’s name and PA-S credential; as well as an SNU PA program patch.

The SNU PA program is an “in-person” and “in-seat” program. Attendance is required for all courses and SCPEs.

Due to the “full-time” nature of the program and the mandatory attendance policy, student employment and routine extracurricular commitments (clubs, teams or positions that require regular practice and/or large amounts of dedicated time) are highly discouraged.

PA students may not work for the program and may not substitute for or act as faculty or staff within the program.

Health Requirements/Technical Standards

As a medical profession, the Physician Assistant profession has health and technical standards that must be met to ensure competency of practice and safety to patients and other healthcare providers.

Personal health and wellness is the sole responsibility of the student.  The SNU PA program seeks to provide a healthy and safe learning environment, and the University can assist in some health needs.  However, the faculty of the PA program will not provide medical care or advice to students except in cases of emergency.

All matriculants must submit a physical and health affidavit to the SNU health center.  Members of the health center will review the documentation to ensure compliance with the health and technical standards.  PA program faculty and staff will not have access to this information and will not make admission decisions based on an individual's health status.  The program does reserve the right to deny acceptance to any applicant who does not meet the health and/or technical standards (see health and technical standards).  All accepted students must be aware that non-SNU clinical facilities may have additional health or technical standard requirements that must be met to complete the program.

Medical Marijuana policy: SNU does not matriculate or continue to enroll students with a medical marijuana prescription or card.

Technical Standards: As part of the health screening for PA school, accepted students must review the minimum technical standards required for admission and attest to personally meeting all technical standards. The minimum technical standards must be maintained throughout the program.  

Due to the nature of healthcare requirements, the program is mandated by the ARC-PA to follow the CDC recommendations for health professionals.  Therefore, accepted students must demonstrate evidence of vaccination against or immunity to Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Hepatitis B and Varicella. In addition, accepted students must show evidence of TDaP within the last 10 years and either a negative PPD or Negative CXR for TB.  The CDC recommends annual flu vaccination and COVID-19 vaccination for all adults.  The flu vaccine and the COVID-19 vaccine will not be required during the didactic phase but may be required by SNU partners for clinical rotations.  

There are no additional requirements from the state of Oklahoma.

 COVID-19 vaccination is not required by the state of Oklahoma and the state mandates that employers must provide religious or disability accommodation for vaccine waiver.   However, students must be aware that some SNU clinical partners or jurisdictions may require COVID-19 vaccination to participate in a clinical preceptorship, particularly if under a federal mandate.  While the program will make every effort to find clinical placements for students who have various reasons not to be vaccinated against COVID-19, SNU cannot guarantee clinical placement during the preceptor phase to any student who is not vaccinated against COVID-19. 

All SCPEs are developed and assigned by the SNU PA program. At no time will a student be required to recruit, develop, or in any manner set up a SCPE site.  In the event the student has an interest in a particular site, that site must undergo the program’s SCPE site recruitment policies and procedures for approval and affiliation which will be initiated by the Director of Clinical Education, and not the student.

The process of ensuring students obtain concepts, skills, or competencies not grasped during the normal curriculum delivery and assessment process.

Due to the rapid pace of the PA program curriculum and limited intervals of downtime, it is the SNU PA program policy that all remediation occurs within the course that demonstrates the deficiency before a final grade is assigned, with the form of remediation left to the discretion of the course director.  Remediation is no longer an option once a final course grade is assigned. Remediation opportunities may require an additional temporary load on the student, but the process is designed to allow the student to rectify the deficiency and continue to progress in the program without significant delay.  The following procedures apply to all remediation exercises.

1. Remediation should occur as soon as possible once an insufficiency is identified.
2. Remediation is at the discretion of the course director and not the student.
3. Retesting is not remediation and is not an acceptable form of remediation.
4. Repeat is not a form of remediation per this policy.
5. Recess is not a form of remediation per this policy.
6. Remediation goals must be clearly defined.
7. Remediation objectives must be clearly identified.
8. Remediation processes must be clearly defined.
9. Remediation evaluation must have objective measures (rubric, quiz, etc.)
10. Remediation success or failure must be clearly documented.
11. Successful remediation tied to a previously failed assessment will replace the previous assessment score with the minimum passing score on that assessment.
12. Final exams or summative evaluations are assessment tools and are not subject to remediation.

 Examples of acceptable remediation opportunities (not all-inclusive)

• Oral conversation after a concept has been revisited by the student with the faculty member.
• Written essay demonstrating the successful mastery of a concept after the concept has been revisited by the student with the faculty member.
• Redemonstration of a skill or procedure after the student has revisited the skill or procedure with the faculty member.
• New quiz or evaluation tool after remedial instruction.

Remediation during the clinical phase requires the student to stop progression and complete the remediation process prior to continuation. In the case of SCPEs, remediation includes a minimum of 4 weeks of SCPE repeat.

1. If a student fails an EOR exam, a course grade of “incomplete” will be assigned, and the student will immediately repeat the SCPE for 4 weeks.  The SCPE course director will tailor a remediation plan for the student (examples include assigned readings, assigned practice questions based on topics, written assignments, or other instruction modalities to remediate the student’s area of identified weakness). The student must retake and pass the EOR and must receive a passing preceptor evaluation score to progress.

2. If a student fails a preceptor evaluation, a course grade of “incomplete” will be assigned, and the student will immediately repeat the SCPE for 4 weeks. The SCPE course director will tailor a remediation plan for the student (examples include assigned readings, assigned practice questions based on topics, written assignments, or other instruction modalities to remediate the student’s area of identified weakness). If the student previously passed the EOR, a retake is not required.  The student must receive a passing preceptor evaluation to progress. 

3. The student’s SCPE schedule will be reassigned to accommodate the remediation plan.

4. The final SCPE grade is based on the repeated rotation and remediation assignments, and only the lowest passing score will be assigned.

5. If the student fails the repeat rotation EOR or preceptor evaluation, he/she will be dismissed from the program. 

6. Students may remediate/repeat up to two rotations. 

Students who meet all academic, professional, and institutional requirements and deadlines will progress through the program. Progression requires:

• Meeting all course grade and competency requirements
• Meeting all program professional standards
• Complying with university policies and procedures
• Meeting all University financial obligations

Students must successfully complete all components of a semester before progressing to the subsequent semester.

All decisions to halt the progression of any PA student are made by the program director.

While all matriculants are expected to finish the program with their class, to accommodate unforeseen circumstances, matriculants are allotted a total of 36 months to complete the program beginning the first day of the class.  Any student requiring more than 36 months will either be recessed through the leave of absence policy or dismissed, depending on the circumstances. Students recessed to the beginning of the program have their timeline restart on the first day of classes.

In order to walk with the graduating class, students must have submitted their graduation application and be within 6 credits of the degree conferral date.  Students with a delayed degree conferral date are eligible to walk in the next graduation ceremony or with the next graduating class

Defined by ARC-PA as “the loss of a student from the entering cohort, who remains matriculated in the physician assistant program.” The SNU PA program offers deceleration through the leave of absence policy only (see policy below).

All leaves of absence must be approved by the program director. Leave of absence may be granted in accordance with the University guidelines. A leave of absence will not be granted to students who are failing a course or who are not expected to achieve the minimum required score in a course to progress. See the student handbook for more information.

All withdrawals, regardless of the reason, from any PAS course must be approved by the Program Director.  Unless otherwise approved by the program director, withdrawal from a single PAS course will prevent the student from progressing and will result in dismissal from the PA program.

Prior to Week 1 of the semester: To withdraw for a full refund, the student must email the program director with stated intent to withdraw prior to the start of Week 1 of the semester.  All courses in each semester of the PA program are taken as a group. Dropping any single course prior to the start of the semester will result in an administrative withdrawal from the program and a refund of 100%* of tuition paid for that semester.

During Week 1 of any semester: If the student attended Week 1 but wants to withdraw from the program, the student must email the program director with stated intent to withdraw prior to the start of Week 2.  Withdrawal from any single course will result in an administrative withdrawal from the PA program.  Withdrawal during week 1 will result in a 100%* of tuition paid for that semester.

During Week 1 of any semester: If the student did not attend Week 1, the student is automatically administratively withdrawn from the program. An administrative withdrawal will result in a 100%* refund of tuition paid for that semester.

During Week 2 of any semester: If the student wants to withdraw from the PA program during Week 2 of the semester, the student must email the program director with stated intent to withdraw prior to start of Week 3. Withdrawal from any single course in the PA program will result in an administrative withdrawal from the program.  A 75%* refund of tuition paid for that semester will be issued.

Week 3 of any semester: If the student wishes to withdraw from the PA program during week 3 of the semester, the student must email the program director with stated intent to withdraw prior to start of Week 4. Withdrawal from any single course will result in an administrative withdrawal from the program. A 50%* refund of tuition paid for that semester will be issued.

Week 4 of any semester: If the student wishes to withdraw from the PA program during week 4 of the semester, the student must email the program director with stated intent to withdraw prior to start of Week 5. Withdrawal from any single course will result in an administrative withdrawal from the program. A 25%* refund of tuition paid for that semester will be issued.

Week 5 and beyond: If the student wishes to withdraw from the PA program during week 5 or beyond of the semester, the student must email the program director with stated intent to withdraw. Withdrawal from any single course will result in an administrative withdrawal from the program. No tuition refund will be issued.

Students who withdraw beyond Week 6 will be assigned a withdrawn course grade of either withdrawn passing or withdrawn failing.

*Refunds and fees are subject to federal and state regulations.  Some funds may not be refundable or may be subject to refund fees.

All final decisions for dismissal from the program are made by the program director and must be affirmed by the VPAA of PGS.  Students considered for dismissal will be notified by the program director and any final decision of dismissal will be affirmed in writing to the student.

The SNU PA Program dismissal policy is as follows:

1. Students who fail a course will be dismissed.

2. Students who fail to meet one or more technical standards will be dismissed.

3. Students who commit an egregious act of moral turpitude, academic dishonesty or unprofessionalism will be dismissed.

4. Students who fail to meet institutional finance obligations will be dismissed.

5. Students who fail to submit to or have findings on background checks that violate the background check policy will be dismissed.

6. Students who fail to adhere to a university or program requirement will be dismissed.

7. A student removed from an SCPE for unprofessionalism, inappropriate behavior, or other non-academic cause will be dismissed.

8. Students with findings on drug screens consistent with illegal use of substances will be dismissed.

9. Students convicted of DUI (regardless of felony or misdemeanor charge) or other non-traffic violation crimes will be dismissed.

Upon Graduation, the student will be awarded the Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies and will be eligible to sit for the Physician Assistant National Certification Exam (PANCE)

To qualify for graduation, students must meet all academic, professional, and financial requirements/obligations as follows:

1. Pass all didactic courses 
2. Complete and pass all clinical rotations 
3. Complete and pass all program summative evaluations
4. Achieve all program required competencies and learning outcomes
5. Be in good academic and professional standing
6. Receive a letter of recommendation for graduation from the Program Director,
7. Meet all financial obligations to the University
8. Be eligible to sit for the PANCE and apply for licensure

In the event SNU or the SNU PA Program is subject to adverse accreditation action or other cause which require it to discontinue, close or otherwise cease to offer the Physician Assistant Program, the University and the PA program will follow its catastrophic events policy which addresses the University teach out plan in compliance with the Higher Learning Commission’s (HLC) and ARC-PAs standards to have a plan in place in the event a teach-out becomes necessary. This plan will include providing ongoing personnel, budget, facilities, and preceptors to ensure that each enrolled student reaches graduation or until the University is able to place remaining students with programs actively recognized by and approved by the ARC-PA to accept students from the SNU program.

Student safety and security is of primary importance to the program and University. While on campus, students benefit from on campus police and extensive safety policies and procedures related to personal safety, personal health, inclement weather, fire and disaster. The campus police partners with Bethany, OK fire, rescue, and police for added support. For specific on campus safety measures, please visit the campus police website here.

SNU maintains the responsibility of student safety while students participate in clinical preceptorships off campus. Student safety is ensured through a regular site visit schedule, which among other things, assesses student safety. In addition, SNU contracts with all clinical sites to orient students to the safety measures in place at the individual site and for the provision of emergency medical care.

SNU Grievance Policy and Complaint Process 

SNU title IX and Sexual Harassment Policies and Procedures: Policies and Procedures | SNU

SNU utilizes the third-party vendor Workshield for reporting and investigating sexual harassment complaints. 

SNU Sexual Assault and Offenses Policies and Procedures

On campus counseling services are available to PA students through the Renew counseling center for a reduced office visit fee (Adult Studies rate). To learn about the Renew counseling center services and to contact the center, click here.

Disability services are available through the SNU office of Disability Services. Students in need of or requesting accommodations while enrolled in the PA program, must contact the office of Disability Services directly. The PA program faculty and staff are not involved in or privy to any student health or disability needs. For more information on available disability services, accommodations, or general disability questions, please contact the office directly.

An on-campus health center is available to PA students at a small office visit fee. The health center provides primary care services when the campus is open. It is important that students have a source for primary care while enrolled in the PA program. PA faculty cannot participate in the healthcare of PA students. Visit the Health Center page for more information.

Health Insurance is mandatory for all students while enrolled in the SNU PA program.  While the SNU program seeks to promote the health and wellness of all PA students, personal health is the individual student's responsibility.  Evidence of Health insurance will be required for admission and will be verified at various times during the program.

PA program faculty (Program Director, Medical Director, Principal Faculty) must not participate in the healthcare of any SNU PA student except in the case of emergency.

Exposure to Infectious Diseases or Environmental Hazards Guidelines

The best management of exposures is prevention.  All students must undergo OSHA’s blood borne pathogen and other potential exposure training.

• Latex can be found in many medical products. A Latex allergy may cause itchy skin and hives or even anaphylaxis, a potentially life-threatening condition that can cause throat swelling and severe difficulty breathing. If you have a known latex allergy, please notify the Program Director and exercise caution when using medical products. SNU will make every effort to identify latex products to students with allergies, however the ultimate responsibility for preventing allergic reactions belongs to the student.

Preventive measures to be followed when risk of exposure is involved includes the following universal precautions:

1. Use of latex or nitrile gloves as a barrier

2. Use of facemasks/face shields as a barrier

3. Use of gowns as a barrier 

4. Use of vent or hood when appropriate

5. Following accepted safety guidelines such as never recapping a needle, never recovering a sharp, and communicating with others.

The following exposure protocols should be followed: (Taken from https://www.cdc.gov/):

As you work/learn, you may experience:

• A needlestick or sharps injury.

• An exposure to patient blood or other body fluid.

If any of these occur, take the following steps:

• Wash needlesticks and cuts with soap and water

• Flush splashes to the nose, mouth, or skin with water

• Irrigate eyes with clean water, saline, or sterile irrigants

• Immediately report the incident to your supervisor/preceptor/faculty member

• Immediately seek medical treatment (urgent care, emergency department)

• Notify the SNU PA program Clinical Coordinator as soon as possible

Students on SCPEs should follow this protocol and any additional protocols administered by the SCPE site.

This document does not include specific treatment guidelines as these are constantly being updated and should be decided between the student and the healthcare provider.  In general, the student should consider exposure risk to HIV, Viral hepatitis, Tuberculosis, and any known infectious disorder from the host exposure.

Any cost incurred for the management of an exposure is the sole responsibility of the student.  

SNU offers many on-campus exercise facilities for students to enjoy. The Sawyer center boasts an indoor track and a weight room that can be accessed when athletes are not in training sessions. The Broadhurst gymnasium houses a weight room, a basketball gym and a small gym (with pickleball courts.) Outdoor facilities include tennis courts/pickleball courts, sand volleyball, and a disc golf course.

SNU provides spiritual life services and counseling through the office of the Chaplain.  For appointments please contact: bspindle@snu.edu, 405-717-6216

Dear Clinician,

The Physician Assistant Studies Program at Southern Nazarene University is requesting your active participation in the provisional accreditation of its PA Program with the Accreditation Review Commission (ARC-PA).

The provisional accreditation process for the SNU PA program begins with the submission of an application to the ARC-PA in January of 2024. The ARC-PA will visit the program in April of 2024 and make its accreditation decisions in September of 2024. While this is some time away, a large portion of the accreditation success hinges on the development of clinical preceptor partnerships. As part of the application process for January 2024, the PA program must demonstrate affiliation with enough clinical preceptors for its entire class size. Students will not start clinical rotations until January of 2026, but accreditation requires our due diligence to guarantee students have rotation sites when they join the SNU PA program.

As you can see, the success of Southern Nazarene University’s PA Studies program is contingent upon the commitment of providers like yourself to training our PA students clinically. Your early engagement with the SNU’s PA Program, as a preceptor, is instrumental to the successful provisional (and ongoing) accreditation of the PA Program at Southern Nazarene University.

Please return the following completed documents to the Southern Nazarene University PA Program electronically at mmoran@mail.snu.edu.

1. A preceptor application
2. A copy of your Curriculum Vitae.
3. A copy of your state licensure.
4. A copy of your board certification or NCCPA ID number.
5. A signed affiliation agreement

As Program Director, it is my goal during the clinical phase of the program to ensure the success of not only the Southern Nazarene University PA students, but also the collegial partnership between SNU’s PA Studies Program and “you” as the preceptor.

To support preceptor’s commitment to training SNU students, SNU will make the following resources available to preceptors upon request:

1. Preceptor Orientation/Training
2. Classroom teaching opportunities
3. SNU library access

1. UpToDate Access through SNU
2. CME opportunities (Category 1 for PAs)
3. Clinical faculty appointment

Thank you so much for your support of the Southern Nazarene University Physician Assistant Studies Program during its provisional accreditation process with ARC-PA. Please feel free to contact me at any time should you have any questions about the PA Program, by phone at (405) 491-8182 or by email at: mmoran@mail.snu.edu.

Sincerely,

Mark Moran

Chair and Program Director

Physician Assistant Studies

SNU is actively recruiting Physicians and Physician Assistants to serve as primary clinical preceptors. The minimum requirements are Board certification and licensure for physicians and NCCPA certification and licensure for physician assistants. Other healthcare professionals (Nurse Practitioners, Pharmacists, Physical Therapists, Dentists, Optometrists, Podiatrists, Medical Residents, etc) are valuable to the SNU preceptorship and are organized to participate through primary clinical preceptors.

SNU collects and verifies primary clinical preceptor credentials and practice information through a preceptor application. Once the credentials are verified, the preceptor is approved to participate. Upon approval, an affiliation agreement is entered into by both SNU and the primary preceptor. Upon execution of this agreement, SNU visits the practice site and works with the preceptor(s) to assign students.

For Preceptors who commit to three or more students (4 week rotation blocks) a year, SNU will provide:

• Opportunity to support and improve community healthcare and impact the training of future colleagues.
• Appointment as an SNU Clinical Faculty
• Access to SNU Library, including Up To date
• CME
  • Physicians can usually claim CME for precepting or teaching healthcare students. Physicians should check with their particular board to determine eligibility. The SNU PA program will assist in providing any necessary documentation for claiming CME activity. For example, see the AAFP
  • Physician Assistants can generally claim Category 2 CME for precepting and teaching activities. In addition, SNU is seeking approval from AAPA to provide Category 1 CME to PA preceptors.

• Ensure the physical safety and security of the student
• Guide and mentor students through patient encounters
• Mentor students in the following:
  • Patient communication, particularly obtaining patient histories and both pertinent positive and negative findings
  • Patient examination, particularly focused, problem oriented physical examination
  • Identifying appropriate, problem focused laboratory and radiologic studies for ongoing patient care
  • Critically evaluate collected data for medical decision making
  • Patient autonomy and informed consent
  • Utilizing pharmacotherapeutics safely
  • Best business practices
  • Interprofessional relationships
  • Personal and patient safety
• Provide opportunities to document patient care
• Provide opportunities to perform supervised procedures
• Give professional feedback for practice improvement
• Document the student’s progress on SNU forms
• Notify the program of any significant student or program deficiencies identified

The SNU PA program's application for provisional accreditation from the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) was not approved. As a result, we will not be accepting students in January 2025 as anticipated.  We encourage prospective students to stay connected with us for updates!  Email PAadmissions@mail.snu.edu with any questions.

Please check back for further updates.

The SNU PA Program will be offered on the main SNU campus in Bethany, Oklahoma.

The University administration and PA program faculty are developing clinical partners for preceptorships across the City of Oklahoma City and the greater state of Oklahoma. Some partnerships are likely to be developed outside of the state of Oklahoma.

Please check back for further updates.

PA education is an extensive professional master’s degree program, and it is a full-time, on-campus endeavor which requires nights and weekends for study and preparation.

What sets the SNU PA Program apart from others is its mission. While all programs must meet the rigorous accreditation standards to train qualified and skilled PAs, each does it from its own perspective. SNU is a faith based institution whose mission is to make Christ-like disciples. The PA program mission is consistent with the University mission in training PAs to be compassionate and empathetic; treating others in a Christ-like manner. SNU PA students will be taught by, mentored by, and surrounded by Christian faculty who seek to honor Christ with the practice of medicine.