Technical Standards
Technical standards provide a reference against which candidates for enrollment to the RCRMC/RCC Primary Care Physician Assistant Program are evaluated by the Enrollment Committee in the selection of students for the program. The intention of the applicant to practice in only a narrow portion of the spectrum of medical endeavor does not negate the requirement for the full participation in the program of training.
Successful candidates for the RCRMC/RCC Primary Care Physician Assistant Program must have somatic sensation and functional use of the senses of vision and hearing. Applicants' diagnostic skills will be lessened without the functional use of the senses of equilibrium, smell, etc. Additionally, applicants must have sufficient exteroceptive senses (touch, pain, temperature), sufficient proprioceptive sense (position, pressure, movement, stereognosis , vibratory) and sufficient motor function to permit them to carry out the activities described below. Applicants must be able to integrate all information received by whatever sense(s) employed, consistently, quickly and accurately, and must have intellectual ability to learn, integrate, analyze, and synthesize data.
A candidate for the PA profession must have the following abilities and skills: observation, communication, motor, intellectual-conceptual, integrative and quantitative, and behavior/social attributes. Technological compensation can be made for disabilities in certain areas, but candidates should be able to perform in a reasonably independent manner, with or without accommodation.
Visual: Applicants must be able to observe and participate in experiments in the basic sciences (for example, physiologic and pharmacological demonstrations and microscopic studies for micro-organisms and tissues.) In order to make proper clinical decisions, candidates must be able to interpret x-rays and other graphic images, and digital or analog representations of physiologic phenomena, such as EKGs with or without the assistive devices. The functional use of vision is necessary.
Oral-Auditory: Applicants must be able to communicate effectively and sensitively with patients. Applicants must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently with other members of the health care team. In an emergency situation, applicants must be able to understand and convey information essential for the safe and effective care of patients in a clear, unambiguous and rapid fashion. Applicants must also be able to relate information to and receive information in a caring and confidential manner.
Motor: Applicants must possess the motor skills necessary to perform palpation, percussion, auscultation and other diagnostic maneuvers. Applicants must be able to execute motor movements reasonably required to provide general emergency medical care such as airway management, placement of intravenous catheters, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and application of pressure to control bleeding and suturing of lacerations. These skills require coordination of both gross and fine muscular movements, equilibrium and integrated use of these senses of touch and vision.
Cognitive: Candidates must be able to measure, calculate, reason, analyze, integrate and synthesize in a timely fashion. Candidate must comprehend three-dimensional relationships and understand the special relationships of structures.
Social: Candidates must possess the emotional health required for the utilization of their intellectual abilities for the exercise of good judgment, for the prompt completion of all responsibilities attendant to the diagnosis and care of patients, and for the development of effective relationships with patients. Candidates must tolerate physically taxing workloads and function effectively under stress. They must be able to adapt to changing environments, display flexibility, and learn to function in the face of uncertainties inherent in the clinical problems of patients.
Curriculum Requirements: Applicants must be able to successfully complete, with or without accommodation, all required components of curriculum.
Test and Evaluations: In order to evaluate the competence and quality of candidates, the RCRMC/RCC Primary Care Physician Assistant Program employs periodic examinations as an essential component of the PA curriculum. Successful completion of these examinations is required of all candidates as a condition for continued progress through the curriculum. Reasonable accommodation will be made in the form or manner of administration of these evaluations where necessary.
Clinical Assessment: Demonstration of clinical competence is also of fundamental importance to the career curriculum progression of the applicant. The process of faculty evaluation of clinical performance of candidates is an integral and essential part of the curriculum. Although reasonable accommodation will be made, participation in clinical experiences and the evaluation of participation is required.
Attendance: Class attendance is deemed an important component of the educational experience. Reasonable accommodation will be provided, but attendance requirements must be satisfied for successful completion of these courses.
Evaluation and Accommodation of Disabilities: Although a candidate's self identification as a person with a disability is voluntary, the RCRMC/RCC PA Program can only accommodate known disabilities. In order to establish eligibility for and to request accommodation, a student must provide appropriate notice to the Office of Disabled Student Services at Riverside Community College.
The RCRMC/RCC Primary Care Physician Assistant Program will consider any qualified applicant who demonstrates the ability to acquire the knowledge necessary for the practice of medicine, as well as the ability to perform, or to learn to perform, the skills, as described in this document.
Students wishing more information on resources and support services for students with documented physical or learning disabilities should contact Mr. Joseph Reynolds , Counselor/Learning Disabilities Specialist, Disabled Student Programs & Services, Moreno Valley Campus, 951-571-6204.