Introductory Concepts in Medicine

Catalog description

This course includes a variety of introductory concepts necessary for further study within the PA program; including the history and development of the physician assistant profession, medical terminology, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, pharmacogenetics, basics of prescription writing and medical dose calculations, HIPAA, OSHA, informed consent, and PA prescribing privileges. Students will discuss the basics of laboratory medicine; including sensitivity and specificity, precision and accuracy, negative and positive predictive value, screening and confirmatory tests, reference range, therapeutic range, therapeutic index. Students will also assess general vital signs and discuss normal and abnormal growth and development. Through this course, students will develop the skills necessary to build rapport and establish a patient-provider relationship, perform a basic medical history, and learn about general medical documentation requirements.