Graduates of the Physician Assistant Program at Stony Brook University are highly skilled professionals who are educated at the masters level to provide medical services with physician supervision in all practice settings and a wide range of medical disciplines. Education at Stony Brook emphasizes the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to evaluate and manage patients in the primary care setting. Feedback from physician supervisors and employers indicates that graduates are expected to exercise an appropriate degree of autonomy and be capable of integrating, interpreting, and acting on findings without “over the shoulder” physician supervision or surveillance.
Program graduates are capable of formulating a detailed patient database through the medical history and physical examination and developing a comprehensive patient management plan. They prescribe medications, order and interpret diagnostic studies such as laboratory tests and electrocardiograms, and perform many therapeutic procedures including minor surgery, suturing and casting. Graduates also provide other important aspects of medical care such as patient education, counseling, and health risk appraisal. Program graduates are found in all types of health care settings such as private and group practices, hospitals, managed care setting, geriatric and long term care facilities, industrial and occupational health clinics, correctional facilities, student health services, community clinics, and international medical service organizations. Although the majority of program graduates are employed in primary care disciplines, they are also found in all other specialties and sub-specialties including, but not limited to, emergency medicine, orthopedics, general surgery, hematology-oncology, infectious disease, nephrology, and cardiology. Program graduates are also employed in administrative, teaching, and research positions. The demand for program graduates is high because they are well educated and capable of providing quality, cost-effective patient care services. The fact that they are schooled in the medical educational model facilitates a close working relationship with their physician supervisors and other health care providers. Graduates are encouraged to work in underserved areas and/or with underserved patient populations and are increasingly responding to international health care needs. Their contributions in those venues are well established and recognized. Involvement in local, state, and national professional organizations and activities, and participating in the education of the next generation of physician assistants, are hallmarks of Stony Brook graduates, as is a commitment to maintaining high ethical, moral, and professional standards in all interactions with patients and other health care providers. |
