Interprofessional Education

How will the PA Medicine program be integrated with the DO curriculum?

The PA Medicine curriculum is a 27-month, 108-credit master’s degree that will be administered by the college’s Department of PA Medicine. One of the strategic goals of the college is to lead in medical education innovation and to increase interprofessional collaboration. With that in mind, students in the DO and PA curriculum will be able to attend lectures side-by-side, but have separate objectives, assessments and outcome measures in their curriculums. This will allow both groups to focus on a holistic osteopathic approach to the patient but remain focused on their individual professional goals.  

This innovative model will be a first in Michigan and one of only a few in the nation where physicians and PAs will have this level of interprofessional interaction. 

Currently, the College of Osteopathic Medicine has 70% of its graduates stay in the Michigan working to improve health within the state. The addition of the PA program will improve access to care across the state and improve team-based medical care, allowing the college to once again lead in medical education innovation within Michigan.

How will adding more students affect class size and other college-specific resources?

The PA Medicine Department and program has a separate budget and funding source, separate from the DO curriculum budget and support systems. 

With the addition of the PA Medicine program, the college has been able to expand its admissions staff as well as provide additional faculty support for the college. The collaboration and synergies between the DO and PA programs will provide opportunities for innovation and further the student experience, which is critical to the current strategic plan and a top priority for the college. Additional funding that the PA Medicine department brings into the college will also be able to help support and improve the student experience.

How will clinical rotations be balanced between DO and PA students?

The PA Medicine program will not be in competition with the current base hospitals that support the DO curricular mission. The program will use a statewide approach to clinical training and has secured enough clinical training sites to begin sending students on clinical rotations in the fall of 2023, once students complete the didactic portions of the curriculum. The new program will also provide additional faculty and staff support in an effort to increase the number of health systems the college engages with for clinical training.