Overview
The College of Idaho’s Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) program is a post-professional doctorate, specifically crafted for PAs. It is designed for PAs who are currently, or have previously been, certified or licensed to practice as a PA and delivered with flexibility in mind through an online, asynchronous learning model, allowing PAs to continue to practice or teach full-time while obtaining their doctorate.
The DMSc program offers a rigorous and innovative curriculum leveraging implementation science to lead change using evidence-based practices across disciplines. It offers two pathways: a traditional pathway and an accelerated pathway.
The traditional pathway is a 36-credit hour program that is completed in 18 months and offers PAs the option to choose a concentration in either Health System Leadership or Health Professions Education. The Health System Leadership concentration is based on the American Academy of PA’s Competencies for PAs in Healthcare Administration and is designed to empower PAs to lead in a healthcare setting and meaningfully contribute to the safe, effective, and equitable delivery of healthcare services. The Health Professions Education concentration expands the knowledge and aptitude of established educators and prepares new or aspiring educators with educational skills based on the PA Education Association's Physician Assistant Educator Competencies.
The accelerated pathway grants eligible students 12-18 credits of advanced standing, allowing the doctorate degree to be completed in 9-12 months. The Early Career PA accelerated pathway is designed exclusively for new PAs who have graduated within the past two (2) years from an ARC-PA accredited program and are seeking to further than PA career through the DMSc degree. The Experienced PA Educator pathway is designed exclusively for PA faculty who have been teaching full-time at an ARC-PA accredited program for at least five (5) years and are seeking to expand their knowledge and skills through the DMSc degree. The PA Fellow pathway is designed exclusively for PAs who have graduated within the past two (2) years from an eligible PA fellowship program (also referred to as a clinical postgraduate PA program or a PA residency) and are seeking to accelerate their career through the DMSc degree.
For more information about the curriculum for the traditional pathway and the accelerated pathways, see DMSc Program Requirements.