Miami Dade College originates from the Office of Equal Opportunity. Policy information can be found online at: Equal Access/Equal Opportunity (mdc.edu). Resolutions to complaints can be sought through College Procedure 1655: Discrimination and Harassment Grievance Process. College Procedure 1655 is available at: College Procedure 1655.
The Miami Dade College PA Program policies apply to all students enrolled in the MDC PA program, its principal faculty, and the program director, regardless of location. In some circumstances, a clinical affiliation agreement or memorandum of understanding may specify additional policies or policies that supersede those of the program.
The Miami Dade PA program does not require students to provide or solicit clinical sites. Students who are interested in a particular clinical site/rotation/preceptor may provide the information to the Clinical Coordinator. The Clinical Coordinator will then evaluate the site/preceptor to see if the rotation will meet programmatic expectations.
The MDC PA program does not require PA students to work for the program.
The MDC PA program does not allow PA students to substitute for or function as: a) Instructional Faculty and b) clinical or administrative Staf
The MDC PA program highly recommends students not work during enrollment in the program.
During New Student Orientation the MDC PA student is provided with instruction along with certification on OSHA guidelines. The student is responsible for following OSHA guidelines for universal precautions during the didactic and clinical phases of the program including the use of gloves, care of sharp objects, use of eyewear and protective clothing, and other precautionary measures.
Student Responsibilities Students must follow OSHA guidelines during both the didactic and clinical phases. This includes proper use of:
Why It's Needed Because medical history and physical exams can’t reliably identify all patients infected with HIV or other blood-borne pathogens, universal blood and body-fluid precautions should be applied to every patient, especially in high-risk environments like emergency care settings.
Guidelines for students and health care workers — didactic and clinical settings.
Barrier Protection
Glove Use
Eye and Face Protection
Clothing
Hand Hygiene
Needle & Instrument Safety
Disposal Procedures
Emergency Resuscitation Precautions
Skin Conditions
Final Notes:
Implementing universal precautions for all patients eliminates the need for the CDC’s former “isolation category of blood and body fluid precautions” that targeted only known/suspected cases.
If You Are Injured On Campus
If You Are Injured At a Clinical Site
Medical ethics and HIPAA forbid violation of patient confidentiality. Students and preceptors should be sensitive to this issue. Any discussion of a patient’s diagnosis, care, or condition should be conducted with discretion and only with those who have a need to know.
Some documents reference alternate administrative contacts. In those cases follow the procedure below:
Document prepared for student reference. Follow the latest CDC/OSHA guidance and your clinical site policies. For policy questions, contact your program coordinator.
During Clinical Rotations, students in the MDCPA program must be clearly identified in the clinical setting to distinguish them from other health profession students and practitioners by wearing the MDCPA program issued white coat along with the Miami Dade College Student identification badge and when appropriate any issue clinical rotation identification.
The MDC PA Program follows the most current CDC guidelines for healthcare provider immunizations. Students will be required to follow all immunization requirements for healthcare workers.
The MDC PA program does not currently participate in international clinical rotations
The MDC PA program primarily assigns clinical rotations within Miami-Dade County. However, some rotations may extend to Broward County and West Palm Beach. While the program attempts to assign students based on geographic location, this may not always be feasible due to site availability. Students must adhere to their assigned clinical sites and are responsible for their own transportation to and from these locations.
Principal faculty, the program director, and the medical director will not serve as healthcare providers for students in the program. In a medical emergency, faculty will monitor the student until public safety arrives.
The MDC PA program prioritizes the academic and general health of its students. The PA program encompasses large amounts of material and sometimes students struggle with acclamation into this level of work.
Faculty Advisors are assigned to each student once they matriculate into the program. Advisors meet with students once a semester and as needed based on the student's need. When identified, faculty advisors will refer students in a timely manner for student services support.
Miami Dade College's student support system is called Single Stop. Single Stop offers students a wide array of services, including public benefits screening, financial coaching, individual counseling, tax preparation, access to a food pantry, and various other services.
All services and resources are available to all students and faculty on the main campus.
The PA Program does not accept advanced placement. All students must successfully complete all courses required in the program.
The MDC PA program defines remediation as a formal process designed to address and correct deficiencies in a student’s knowledge, skills, and/or professional behavior. Remediation is designed to help students stay on track and continue forward in meeting all the competences necessary for promotion in the PA program. Remediation of assessments is initiated upon a student earning < 75% on any written or < 80% practical assessment.
In the didactic year, a student can remediate one failed course. The student will have the opportunity to take a post-remediation comprehensive exam of the course (also known as remedial exams). A student who passes the remedial exam will earn a minimum passing grade of 75%. At this point, the student's academic status will be reevaluated to ensure no further academic action before being allowed to continue in the program. Didactic students must take their remediation comprehensive exam prior to the last day for full refund (per the college calendar) and on the first week of the following term. The time for remediation/study will be assigned by the program. Failure of the remedial exam or failure in future didactic courses will result in immediate dismissal from the MDC PA program.
In the didactic year, students who fail more than one course in the same semester will not be allowed the opportunity to remediate any of those courses.
In the Clinical year, the student will have the opportunity to remediate one failed clinical rotation. At this time, the student will be referred to the student progress committee for evaluation and the appropriate action applied. The timeline for all clinical rotations remediation and exams will be assigned by the Program Clinical Coordinator (refer to the clinical student handbook). Students should note that failure of a course in the Clinical year will result in a delay in graduation.
Professionalism: Students who score < 24 on the professionalism rubric will be required to remediate the deficient skill.
ARC-PA defines deceleration as the loss of a student from the entering cohort, who remains matriculated in the physician assistant program. MDC PA students remain in their entering cohort if they graduate by the end of the term following graduation. Deceleration is not an option in lieu of academic or disciplinary action including probation or dismissal. Deceleration may occur for the following reason:
Deceleration requires approval by the Program Director and may involve a re-entry plan with an ongoing reassessment of progress. Deceleration will impact tuition and fees, and students are responsible for meeting with the Office of Financial Aid to determine the effect on loans, scholarships, tuition, and fees. Students who are decelerated from MDC will also be decelerated from NOVA.
Baccalaureate degree (any discipline) from a regionally accredited or internationally recognized college or university.
Students who successfully fulfill all clinical year requirements and meet the academic and institutional criteria established by Miami Dade College will be eligible for recommendation for graduation. The Physician Assistant Program is designed to be completed within 27 months of matriculation. Under exceptional circumstances, students may be granted an extension, but all program requirements must be completed within a maximum of 33 months.
Students can withdraw from the MDC PA Program at any time. Students should meet with the program director before initiating withdrawal. Students must follow the MDC procedures for withdrawal, including terms set forth by the financial aid office. Refer to the MDC Academic Calendar for details on deadlines for withdrawal. Any student withdrawing from the MDC PA program must also withdraw from the affiliated master’s degree granting institution. The MDC PA program will notify the affiliated master’s degree granting institution of any student who withdraws.
Students who wish to voluntarily withdraw from the program may reapply. Readmission of a previously enrolled student is not guaranteed. Students reapplying must follow the most current admissions guidelines and standards.
A student in the Physician Assistant Program will be dismissed if s/he meets any of the following criteria:
Once dismissal is recommended, the student will:
Students dismissed for academic or professional failure will be required to withdraw from all NSU courses and will not be readmitted into the program. Students may appeal the course failure per college and program policy and procedures (School of Health Science Handbook, page 16. See section on appeals).
In compliance with federal and state laws, it is the policy of MDC to prohibit unlawful harassment and sexual misconduct by any person and in any form. For more information regarding the MDC Student Grievance and Allegations of Harassment Policy visit here.
Discrimination and Harassment Grievance Process College Procedure 1655 available at: College Procedure 1655.
Student Grievance process: Manual of Procedure 4032 - Student Complaints
In the event of a grievance filed against a clinical preceptor, the Clinical Director will investigate the incident and report to the Program Director, who will then follow the MDC policy and submit the proper complaint form to the office of OEOP/ADA and/or the applicable clinical site management as appropriate. If the incident is proven to be substantiated, the clinical preceptor will be discontinued from the roster of preceptors for the MDC PA program.
Students who disagree with the score or qualitative evaluation of any formal assessment should attempt to resolve the difficulty or concern in a professional, non-confrontational manner with the instructor of the course.
If the matter cannot be resolved to the student’s satisfaction, the student should contact his/her faculty advisor for assistance. The faculty advisor will seek assistance from the Academic Director to attempt to resolve the concern.
If still unresolved, a written appeal to the Program Director may be made within 10 days of the assessment evaluation. The Program Director will independently evaluate the situation and render a decision. The decision of the Program Director is final.
A student who believes that he or she has been unfairly graded in a particular course should first appeal the grade to the faculty member. If satisfaction is not achieved, the student may appeal through administrative channels (Department Chair, Academic Dean, or the grade appeals committee). The procedure can be found here.
NSU will award 5 Prior Learning credits toward the M.H.Sc. Program’s Generalist curriculum degree requirements. Each student will earn a maximum of 5 Prior Learning credit hours that may be applied towards the M.H.Sc. degree. To earn Prior Learning credits from NSU, MDC will submit a log indicating the completion of a minimum of 200 clinical hours, submission of a completed clinical case study from the MDC program and provide proof of meeting all MDC requirements for graduation.
Retention, promotion, and graduation are not automatically granted to students in the PA Program. The progress of each student throughout the curriculum requires continuous, satisfactory academic and professional performance. At the end of each semester, the Academic Director, Program Director and the Committee on Student Progress, meet and review the performance of each student in order to determine progress to the next term.
Promotion from the academic to the clinical year is dependent upon various items during the first year. First, all academic year courses must be passed and the student must exhibit professional conduct throughout the academic year in order to be promoted to the clinical year. The Committee on Student Progress will formally review each student's professionalism at the end of each semester. Additionally, every student must demonstrate adequate performance of a complete head-to-toe physical examination, at the end of the didactic year, as well as problem-focused practical examinations and written comprehensive examination at the end of each academic year. Failure to complete and pass these items may lengthen the program, delay graduation, increase tuition, or result in dismissal from the program. Incomplete grades will not be granted for any academic courses to any student in the physician assistant program.
A student must maintain a grade of "C" or better in all courses in order to meet program requirements. Failure to maintain the required minimum average by failing one course will result in placing the student on academic probation. Student will be provided the opportunity to remediate one course during the academic year (Please review Student handbook section on remediation on page 20-21). Failure to pass the remediation exam will result in deceleration (See student handbook page 26) and eligibility to repeat the course the following year. Students on academic probation as a result of failing one course who fail another course within their tenure in the program will be automatically dismissed from the program.
No credit for experiential learning will be awarded to a student in the Miami Dade College Physician Assistant Program.
The Miami Dade College PA Program does not allow any PA students to work as instructional faculty or in any other capacity during their tenure in the program.
Due to the rigors of the PA program, students are strongly discouraged to seek or maintain employment during their tenure in the program.