PHA - 512 History & Physical Examination

This course is designed to teach PA students the proper techniques for patient assessment. This course covers how to conduct an effective medical interview, how to document clinical findings in the medical record, and how to perform a physical exam. Both the comprehensive and problem focused medical history formats will be discussed and students will practice proper MR documentation using the SOAP note format. Students will learn how to perform a comprehensive physical examination and to recognize the normal examination findings associated with each organ system. The course will also introduce students to common pathological PE findings, and to interpret the significance of these findings to diagnosing disorders. Finally, students will learn to accurately record PE findings as part of a patient medical record. The course material will be presented sequentially in an organ-system basis. The course will present techniques to facilitate accurate and efficient data collection, to foster effective patient communication, and to develop appropriate patient centered responses to different patients in the clinical setting. Developing skills to effectively educate, counsel, and influence patient behaviors will also be discussed. Prerequisites: Successful completion, with a grade of C or higher, of prerequisite undergraduate courses in human anatomy, human physiology, and psychology or equivalent social or behavioral science. Also requires concurrent enrollment in PHA 510 and PHA 514. Retake Counts for Credit: No. Pass/No Pass Grading Allowed: No. Credit(s): 3