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Doctor of Medical Science Degree for Physician Assistants

The Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) degree for Physician Assistants (PAs) is a 24-credit online post-professional doctorate degree program designed to provide certified PAs with knowledge and competencies to contribute to a patient-centered, safe, and cost-effective healthcare system.

Program Overview

The program focuses on the role of the PA as a critical member of the healthcare team through coursework in population health, patient-centered care, health policy, health informatics, and healthcare finance. The program provides students with foundational knowledge in healthcare delivery and payment models and their relationship to healthcare outcomes.

Program Requirements

To receive a Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) at Northern Arizona University, students must have a degree from an ARC-PA accredited PA program, official transcripts from bachelors and masters-level degree-granting institutions (must hold a master's degree for consideration), and then complete a planned group of courses, consisting of 24 units of specified graduate-level courses depending upon the student's previous experience, training and transcripts.

Admission Requirements

• Degree from an ARC-PA accredited PA program.
• Official transcripts from bachelors and masters-level degree-granting institutions (must hold a master's degree for consideration).
• Minimum overall graduate cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A"), or the equivalent.
• Current resume or curriculum vitae.

Curriculum

The program curriculum includes the following 3 credit hour courses:

• PHA 700: Health Care Systems and Practices in the U.S.
• PHA 701: Population Health Management
• PHA 702: Improving Health Care Using a Health Equity Lens
• PHA 703: Policies and Practices to Address Social Determinants of Health
• PHA 704: Health Informatics for Practice and Management
• PHA 705: Change Management in Health Care
• PHA 706: Financing Health Care Delivery in the U.S.
• PHA 707: Culminating Project

Tuition and Fees

• Tuition: $665 per credit hour
• Fees:
  • One or two courses: $229/semester
  • Three or more courses: $259/semester

Tuition Discounts

• Alumni from NAU's Physician Assistant Studies program are eligible for a 10% tuition discount for the Doctor of Medical Science Program.
• Employees of NAU Healthcare Partner organizations, government entities, and non-profit educational organizations may be eligible for a 10% tuition discount.

Program Goals

1. Equip PAs with an advanced understanding of healthcare system structures, incentives, and policies that drive the current state of US healthcare, enabling them to successfully navigate and contribute to the ever-evolving healthcare landscape for overall system improvement.
2. Empower graduates with cutting-edge knowledge in evidence-based practice, team-based care, population health management, technology integration, healthcare finance and operations, enabling PAs to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare delivery at the local and national level.
3. Cultivate leaders who can address the complex interplay between healthcare delivery and social determinants of health, promoting patient-centered high-value care for all through adept management strategies, inclusive healthcare practices, and community engagement.

Student Learning Outcomes

• Critique the interrelationship between the U.S. healthcare structure, financing and organization, and patient outcomes and apply these findings to new models of healthcare delivery.
• Apply cultural and historical constructs, outcomes data, and state and national policy changes to a comprehensive understanding of the design and delivery of U.S. healthcare.
• Explore frameworks for collecting, analyzing, and using data to inform decisions, facilitate care coordination, and improve health outcomes of populations within and outside the health system.
• Construct evidence-based interventions to address healthcare inequities that apply to all components of the healthcare delivery system.
• Recommend technology-driven, systems solutions to improve the delivery of safe, patient-centered care.
• Communicate effectively with peers, faculty, and health systems stakeholders on behalf of patients and communities.
• Design a focused and personal plan of independent study for the culminating project.
• Synthesize concepts in the discipline with the goal to enhance the patient experience, improve the health of the population, reduce costs, and improve the well-being of the healthcare workforce.

Graduate Certificates

The NAU Department of Physician Assistant Studies also offers two, 12-credit online post-professional graduate certificates for Physician Assistants:

• Health Equity
• Operations and Leadership These certificate programs are designed to elevate competencies in healthcare operations, leadership, and health equity. In addition, students who complete one of these certificates can have their credits transfer seamlessly, once completed, into the Doctor of Medical Science program, should they wish to pursue that degree.