Technical Standards for Program Admission
The technical standards for admission establish the expectations and abilities considered essential for students admitted to the Primary Care Associate Program in order to achieve the level of competency required for graduation and practice. All students admitted to the Primary Care Associate Program are expected to be able to demonstrate the abilities specified below.
Primary Care Associate Program students:
- must have the mental capacity to assimilate and learn a large amount of complex, technical and detailed information in order to formulate diagnostic and therapeutic plans;
- must have the ability to maintain composure and emotional stability during periods of high stress;
- must have the ability to communicate effectively and sensitively with patients from different social and cultural backgrounds, and develop effective professional rapport with patients and co-workers;
- must have the ability to record examination and diagnostic results clearly, accurately and efficiently;
- must have adequate sensory function and motor coordination to fulfill minimum competency objectives for inspection, palpation, percussion and auscultation necessary to perform a physical examination;
- must possess sufficient postural control, neuromuscular control and eye-to-hand coordination in order to utilize standard medical/surgical instruments and possess sufficient control of the upper extremities to meet the physical requirements for training and performing a safe physical examination;
- must possess sufficient strength and motor coordination to stand and walk for up to 90% of work time, to lift up to 45 pounds and to carry up to 25 pounds;
- must be able to learn and perform common diagnostic and therapeutic procedures (e.g. blood drawing, suturing, etc.) and interpret the results;
- must have a high degree of coordination of motor skills necessary to respond to emergency situations quickly and appropriately.
Candidates are urged to ask questions about the program’s technical standards for clarification and to determine whether they can meet the requirements with or without reasonable accommodations. Questions may be directed to the Director of Admissions.
Revealing a disability is voluntary; however, such disclosure is necessary before any accommodations may be made in the learning environment or in the program’s procedures. Information about disabilities is handled in a confidential manner. Reasonable accommodations will be made to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. These require program and institutional approval.
Requests for accommodations must be submitted in writing, allowing sufficient time prior to matriculation for action on these requests. Candidates who feel that they may not meet the technical standards are encouraged to contact the Director of Admissions to discuss and identify what accommodations, if any, can be made by the Primary Care Associate Program so that the candidate might be able to meet the standards.
