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Graduate Course Proposal Form Submission Detail - PAS6010
Tracking Number - 3006

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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: 6010
  10. Full Title: Human Physiology
  11. Credit Hours: 4
  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): HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY
  19. Course Online?: C - Face-to-face (0% online)
  20. Percentage Online: 100
  21. Grading Option: -
  22. Prerequisites:
  23. Corequisites:
  24. Course Description: This course will provide students with the fundamental knowledge of human physiology that will serve as an essential foundation for their future professional studies. The physiology of all organ systems will be covered.

  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. Demonstrate an understanding of the normal function and dysfunction for each organ system and how all systems interface to maintain a viable homeostatic environment.

    2. Understand the physiology underlying the symptoms seen in dysfunction of each organ system and how they relate to the body as a whole.

    3. Demonstrate the ability to apply clinical data to the diagnosis and treatment of physiological malfunction in the organ systems.

    4. Develop an adequate basis of knowledge in physiology on which to build as the student advances through to the second year courses and clerkships.

    1. Knowledge

    1. Recognize the scientific bases of health, disease, and medicine to common and high impact medical conditions in contemporary society.

    2. Describe the function of the healthy human body and each of its major organ systems at the macroscopic, microscopic, and molecular levels.

    3. Recognize and discuss the implications of altered structure and function (pathology and patho-physiology) of the body and its major organ systems that are seen in various diseases and conditions.

    4. Identify changes in the function of the human body associated with the aging process and be able to distinguish normal changes associated with aging from those that denote disease.

    5. Describe basic clinical science principles to analyze and solve problems related to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease.

    2. Skills

    6. Demonstrate the ability to evaluate the patient’s medical problems and to formulate accurate hypotheses to serve as the basis for making diagnostic and treatment decisions.

    7. Demonstrate the ability to acquire new information and data and to critically appraise its validity and applicability to one’s professional decisions, including the application of information systems technologies for support of clinical decision-making.

    3. Attitudes/Behaviors

    8. Demonstrate professionalism and high ethical standards in all aspects of medical practice, specifically competence, honesty, integrity, compassion, respect for others, professional responsibility and social responsibility.

  30. Learning Outcomes: During this course, the student will have the opportunity to become conversant with and knowledgeable about the physiology of the human body so that she or he may be able to:

    1. Compare and contrast the normal functioning of particular cells, tissues, or organ systems of the human body with the pathological state;

    2. Describe how organ systems are integrated to maintain homeostasis;

    3. Diagram the methods of effective ligand signaling, listing the agents, receptors, and response mechanisms, particularly in the autonomic nervous system;

    4. Display a practical working knowledge on the topics of general cell physiology, cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, gastrointestinal and endocrine physiology by being able to give detailed descriptions of each;

    5. Cite examples relating knowledge of fundamental physiological concepts to clinical correlates of these concepts in humans;

    6. Demonstrate a solid foundation of physiological principles through critical application to novel future pathophysiological and pharmacological concepts.

  31. Major Topics: Overview of physiology

    Membrane transport

    Neurophysiology

    Muscle physiology

    Electrocardiogram (EKG)

    Cardiovascular physiology

    Respiratory physiology

    Gastrointestinal physiology

    Renal physiology

    Endocrinology

    Reproductive physiology

    Thermal regulation

    Exercise physiology

  32. Textbooks: Hall, John E., and Arthur C. Guyton. Guyton and Hall Textbook of Medical Physiology. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders/Elsevier, 2011
  33. Course Readings, Online Resources, and Other Purchases:
  34. Student Expectations/Requirements and Grading Policy: There will be a total of 4 EXAMINATIONS throughout the semester held at the completion of each section. The examinations are not cumulative.

    The overall final course grade will be calculated as follows:

    Exam % of final grade

    Exam 1 – 25%

    Exam 2 – 25%

    Exam 3 – 25%

    Exam 4 – 25%

  35. Assignments, Exams and Tests: There will be a total of 4 EXAMINATIONS throughout the semester held at the completion of each section. The examinations are not cumulative.

    The overall final course grade will be calculated as follows:

    Exam % of final grade

    Exam 1 – 25%

    Exam 2 – 25%

    Exam 3 – 25%

    Exam 4 – 25%

  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.