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Graduate Course Proposal Form Submission Detail - PAS6005
Tracking Number - 3005

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Current Status: Approved by SCNS - 2013-04-22
Campus: Tampa
Submission Type: New
Course Change Information (for course changes only):
Comments: to GC 1/14/13. for MA in P.A.; GC approved 1/28/13. to USF Sys 1/28/13; to SCNS 2/5/13. Approved eff 4/1/13


Detail Information

  1. Date & Time Submitted: 2012-11-26
  2. Department: Graduate School
  3. College: MD
  4. Budget Account Number: HSC-10009-611600-000000-0000000
  5. Contact Person: Larry Collins
  6. Phone: 813-396-9424
  7. Email: lcollins@health.usf.edu
  8. Prefix: PAS
  9. Number: 6005
  10. Full Title: Behavioral Dynamics/Community Medicine/Military/Special Pop
  11. Credit Hours: 1
  12. Section Type: C - Class Lecture (Primarily)
  13. Is the course title variable?: N
  14. Is a permit required for registration?: N
  15. Are the credit hours variable?: N
  16. Is this course repeatable?:
  17. If repeatable, how many times?: 0
  18. Abbreviated Title (30 characters maximum): BEHV DYN/CMMTY MED/MIL/SP
  19. Course Online?: C - Face-to-face (0% online)
  20. Percentage Online: 100
  21. Grading Option: -
  22. Prerequisites:
  23. Corequisites:
  24. Course Description: The study of the Biopsychosocial model of medical practice demonstrated through multiple interdisciplinary perspectives of needs and interventions for patients with obvious functional deficits.

  25. Please briefly explain why it is necessary and/or desirable to add this course: Needed for new program/concentration/certificate
  26. What is the need or demand for this course? (Indicate if this course is part of a required sequence in the major.) What other programs would this course service? Consistent with other Physician Assistant Degree Programs
  27. Has this course been offered as Selected Topics/Experimental Topics course? If yes, how many times? No
  28. What qualifications for training and/or experience are necessary to teach this course? (List minimum qualifications for the instructor.) PA, MD, PhD, ARNP, MSW
  29. Objectives: 1. Use behavioral science concepts and strategies to integrate patient-centered, disease-based, population-based, and evidence-based medicine into primary care medicine.

    2. Communicate effectively and efficiently within the doctor-patient relationship, and with professionals and the public.

    3. Promote lifestyle changes in the service of health promotion and disease prevention.

    4. Understand the legal context for health care policy, analysis and decision-making.

    5. Realize the historical, complex and often discriminatory relationship between individual behavior and public health initiatives, and the relation to sociological and economic agendas.

    6. Gain a basic knowledge of community health care, the health care safety net, health insurance and access.

    7. Understand concepts, theories and models of health empowerment, behavioral change and the relation to community and health organization development.

    8. Distinguish models of policy development and their implications for effective health advocacy.

    9. Provide basic understanding of legislative processes, political agendas and imperatives, and how policy can be created through other than legislative means.

    10. Develop advocacy skills, including collaboration, consensus building, using media, and writing effective policy and advocacy communications.

    11. Explain the role of social, behavioral and cultural theories and models in health promotion program planning.

    12. Identify pertinent factors related to military service and culture that influenced policy evolution and health care delivery to the veteran population.

    13. Examine veteran health concerns in regard to their commonality among veteran groups and their uniqueness to historical times of conflict.

    14. Explore the unique characteristics and dynamics of the military family.

    15. Identify symptoms, etiology, and clinical presentation of veterans with PTSD.

    16. Discuss practices or treatment modalities in treating veterans with PTSD.

    17. Introduce students to the complexity of combat related injury, traumatic brain injury, and polytrauma rehabilitation.

    18. Discuss the unique needs of patients and families dealing with polytrauma.

    19. Identify the unique health care needs of women veterans.

    20. Define Military Sexual Trauma (MST) and discuss how to identify and assist women who experienced MST.

    21. Describe the effects of factors such as age, urbanization, education, income, culture, and religion affect family health.

    22. Identify secular changes in women's roles and status that affect family health.

    23. Describe societal, economic, and environmental trends in international family health.

    24. Define key communication areas as well as methods for conducting outreach campaigns designed to improve the health of specific intended populations

    25. Define methods used to develop and evaluate health communication materials and activities as well as to measure program outcomes

    26. Describe examples of local, national, and international interventions designed to address current public health problems.

    27. Identify basic principles that underlie the choice of health interventions, and evaluate their strengths and limitations.

    28. Analyze and evaluate the choice of program design and target population, and the effectiveness of specific health interventions.

    29. Identify the principal ethical issues involved in health-related interventions.

  30. Learning Outcomes: At the conclusion of this course, the PA student should be able to:

    1. Recognize, define and apply the basic concepts and methods of medical anthropology and community oriented primary care.

    2. Realize that interaction between health, disease, community life and culture can be studied in a holistic and scientific fashion and that quite a bit is known about them from this perspective.

    3. Acknowledge that the social and cultural differences existing among patients and between medical and social systems are variables that need to be taken into account in the treatment of patients.

    4. Locate and assess medical social science data sources in print and online formats; and understand the need to balance an individual approach to patient care with a population approach.

    5. Use basic epidemiological principles in the investigation of diseases and outbreaks and apply health promotion and prevention of communicable and non communicable diseases prevalent in their community.

    6. Contribute to the health system through efficient utilization of human and material resources for provision of health services.

    7. Promote healthy living, nutrition and environment in the community, school and workplaces and advocate for elimination of personal and environmental hazards.

    8. Identify health-care needs of populations and population subgroups, undertake relevant interventions and evaluate the impact.

    9. Provide patient-centric comprehensive primary health care including referral to specialized services while continuing care and responsibility.

    10. Apply the knowledge gained regarding the unique healthcare needs of the veteran population into medical practice both in the VA medical system as well as in the general population.

    11. Describe the continuum of care from battlefield/point of injury to home.

    12. Recognize the dynamics of the military family and their role in the care of veterans.

    13. Recognize the unique healthcare needs of women in the military.

  31. Major Topics: • Medical anthropology

    • Wellness

    • Health care advocacy

    • Health Belief Model

    • Theory of Reasoned Action

    • Social Cognitive Theory

    • Organizational Change

    • Diffusion of Innovation

    • What is a veteran?

    • Military demographics and culture

    • Evolution of the veteran health care system

    • Age specific competencies of the veteran population

    • The military family,

    • Post-traumatic stress disorder, military sexual trauma, polytrauma and rehabilitation

    • Women veterans: a growing population with unique needs

  32. Textbooks: Behavioral Medicine: A Guide for Clinical Practice, Third Edition. by Mitchell Feldman, John Christensen - McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 2007
  33. Course Readings, Online Resources, and Other Purchases: Selected readings based on current events.
  34. Student Expectations/Requirements and Grading Policy: Participation and Group discussion (20%)

    Weekly small group discussions provide an opportunity to engage in in-depth discussions regarding your understanding of the material, and your particular perspective, critical analyses, concern, agreement, and disagreement of aspects of the assigned activities or readings. All group participants will create 2 short answer questions (with full responses/1 page type written) based on key concepts, issues of interest and critical analyses of assigned weekly readings.

    Mid-term exam (40%)

    Short answer and multiple choice questions based on class room discussion, lecture notes, and readings up to midterm.

    Final exam (40%)

    Short answer and multiple choice questions based on class room discussion, lecture notes, and readings for the term.

  35. Assignments, Exams and Tests: Midterm and final exams
  36. Attendance Policy: Course Attendance at First Class Meeting – Policy for Graduate Students: For structured courses, 6000 and above, the College/Campus Dean will set the first-day class attendance requirement. Check with the College for specific information. This policy is not applicable to courses in the following categories: Educational Outreach, Open University (TV), FEEDS Program, Community Experiential Learning (CEL), Cooperative Education Training, and courses that do not have regularly scheduled meeting days/times (such as, directed reading/research or study, individual research, thesis, dissertation, internship, practica, etc.). Students are responsible for dropping undesired courses in these categories by the 5th day of classes to avoid fee liability and academic penalty. (See USF Regulation – Registration - 4.0101,

    http://usfweb2.usf.edu/usfgc/ogc%20web/currentreg.htm)

    Attendance Policy for the Observance of Religious Days by Students: In accordance with Sections 1006.53 and 1001.74(10)(g) Florida Statutes and Board of Governors Regulation 6C-6.0115, the University of South Florida (University/USF) has established the following policy regarding religious observances: (http://usfweb2.usf.edu/usfgc/gc_pp/acadaf/gc10-045.htm)

    In the event of an emergency, it may be necessary for USF to suspend normal operations. During this time, USF may opt to continue delivery of instruction through methods that include but are not limited to: Blackboard, Elluminate, Skype, and email messaging and/or an alternate schedule. It’s the responsibility of the student to monitor Blackboard site for each class for course specific communication, and the main USF, College, and department websites, emails, and MoBull messages for important general information.

  37. Policy on Make-up Work: Didactic Attendance Policies

    Students are encouraged to attend all scheduled hours of instruction. Mandatory sessions and participation requirements are listed on the final page of this syllabus. Recognizing that situations arise which require students to miss time from course responsibilities, the procedures presented below will be followed when absence is necessary.

    1. Religious Observances

    All students, faculty and staff at the University of South Florida have a right to expect that the University will reasonably accommodate their religious observances, practices and beliefs. Students are expected to attend classes and take examinations as determined by the University. The University will attempt, at the beginning of each academic term, to provide written notice of the class schedule and formal examination periods. The University, through its faculty, will make every attempt to schedule required classes and examinations in view of customarily observed religious holidays of those religious groups or communities comprising the University’s constituency. Any student who believes that he/she has been treated unfairly with regard to the above should contact the Office of Student Affairs.

    2. Lectures

    a. Emergencies for Personal Illness, Family Illness, etc.

    The student must contact both the Course Directors by e-mail or telephone and Student Affairs by e-mail or telephone to report his/her absenteeism on the first day of being absent. He/she should indicate the nature of the emergency or unexpected illness. The student must also complete and submit the Absence Report Form. Specifics on planned and unplanned absences, as well as unexcused absences, are listed below.

    b. Exam Attendance Procedures

    Students are expected to attend all scheduled hours of instruction. However, attendance at all examinations is mandatory, and all students should take the examinations on the day and time scheduled.

    Planned Absence

    Absence for attendance at a professional meeting or other educational or research related activity should be submitted for approval to the Course Directors at least 6 weeks prior to the event. Each request for absence will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Personal travel plans should not be considered valid excuses for missing an exam.

    To receive an excused, planned absence, the student must submit a completed Exam Absence Request form to the Course Directors. A copy of the written request must also be submitted to the Office of Student Affairs as soon as possible before the exam occurs. The Course Directors or designee will make the final determination to grant or deny the request and will inform the Office of Student Affairs of the decision. The Office of Student Affairs will subsequently notify the student and the Office of Educational Affairs.

    Unplanned Absence

    If the student has an unanticipated, unplanned absence on the day of an exam, he/she must contact Student Affairs by 8:30 a.m. on the day of the exam. When the student returns to school he/she must fill out and sign the Absence Report form. Documentation for the absence to be excused (e.g. physician’s note, accident report, etc.) will be at the discretion of the OSA.

    Students who miss an examination for any reason are required to contact the Office of Educational Affairs (974-2435) prior to returning to class to determine the date and time of the make-up examination. Dates and times of make-up examinations are determined by the Program Director in consultation with Course Directors.

    In general, make-up examinations must be taken within 48 hours of the original examination date. If a student’s absence from an examination is unexcused, the grade recorded for the exam will be the student’s actual score or 69, whichever is lower, and will not include a group score. A second unexcused absence will result in a grade of “0” and action taken by the Academic Performance Review Committee (APRC) regarding professionalism.

    3. Mandatory Course-Specific Events

    In addition to examinations, the following are all considered mandatory events:

    a. Laboratories

    b. Small group conferences

    c. Problem-solving sessions

    d. Team Based Learning sessions

    e. Large group/Active Learning sessions

    Planned Absence

    In general, in order to be excused from one of these events, the same procedure for examinations is followed. The student must first directly contact the Course Directors with a copy of the request to Student Affairs. The Absence Request form should be completed and given to the Course Directors as soon as possible for planned absences. The Course Directors will make the determination to grant or deny a request in addition to any required remediation.

    Unplanned Absence

    An unanticipated absence on the day of an event requires notification of the Course Directors and Student Affairs. Upon returning to campus, the Absence Report form should be completed and given to the Course Directors. The Course Directors will make the determination to grant or deny the absence in addition to any required remediation.

    Students who miss course-specific mandatory events are expected to acquire the same level of competency as other students involved in the course. Therefore, students with an excused absence may be assigned work to complete by the Course Directors in order to remediate. In the case of an unexcused absence the Course Directors may assign a “0” or no credit for the missed work and/or require other remediation at their discretion. Multiple absences, or a prolonged absence, could result in failure of the course or a grade of “Incomplete”, at the discretion of the Course Directors. In any event all absences for course-specific mandatory events and the outcome should be reported to the OSA by the Course Directors.

    Sign-in sheets will be used for laboratories, case studies and group discussion conferences to determine attendance (Sign-in sheets WILL NOT be used for lectures). Signing an attendance roster when you didn’t attend or arrive late to a lab, or signing the roster for another student is considered an unprofessional act and a violation of the honor code.

  38. Program This Course Supports: Physician Assistant
  39. Course Concurrence Information: n/a


- if you have questions about any of these fields, please contact chinescobb@grad.usf.edu or joe@grad.usf.edu.