Technical standards and essential skills refer to those physical, cognitive, and behavioral abilities required for satisfactory completion of all aspects of the curriculum. Students must possess all of the abilities described in the five categories below, with or without reasonable accommodations, as determined by the Office of Accessibility Services in the Student Success Center.
Fulfillment of the technical standards with reasonable accommodation during the didactic phase of the PA program does not guarantee a student will be able to fulfill the technical standards, with or without reasonable accommodations, required for the clinical phase of the program, and does not guarantee a graduate of the program will be able to fulfill the technical standards of employment or residency.
Policy and Procedures
The procedures for dissemination and acknowledgement of these technical standards and essential skills are as follows:
- All accepted applicants will be referred to this document through postings on the University’s website and will be provided with a hard copy upon receiving an offer of acceptance to the program.
- Accepted applicants (and parents/guardians if the student is <18 years of age) will be asked to review and sign this document at the time of deposit.
- All students will be required to re-attest annually by August 1st.
Technical Standards and Essential Skills
1. Observation and Sensory Abilities
Students must be able to observe and interpret demonstrations, laboratory exercises, diagnostic tests, medical images, patient monitoring devices, and patient findings at both close range and at a distance. Students must be able to understand spatial and dimensional relationships of anatomical structures. They must be able to assess body structures and recognize signs of disease using visual, auditory, tactile, and olfactory senses during comprehensive and focused physical examinations. Students must be able to examine patients and peers and be examined by peers as part of learning and practicing physical examination skills.
2. Communication
Students must communicate clearly, effectively, and professionally in English with faculty, classmates, patients, family members or caregivers, physicians, and other members of the health care team. Communication includes verbal, nonverbal, and written formats. Students must be able to interpret and respond appropriately to verbal and nonverbal cues, actively listen with empathy and cultural sensitivity, provide and receive feedback, and accurately document patient care in written and electronic records. Students must seek supervision when appropriate.
3. Motor Skills
Students must have the physical ability to learn and perform the skills required for physical examinations, diagnostic procedures, and medical treatment. Students must be able to maintain patient and personal safety at all times, including adherence to universal precautions and sterile technique. PA students are expected to serve as patients for peers during selected laboratory and procedural training activities, which may include physical examinations, point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS), EKG lead placement, casting, injections, and blood draws.
4. Intellectual Abilities
Students must possess the cognitive abilities necessary to acquire, understand, and apply medical and scientific knowledge. This includes the ability to comprehend, retain, analyze, integrate, and synthesize information. Students must demonstrate effective reasoning, problem-solving, and decision-making skills appropriate to PA practice and must be able to read, count, calculate, and measure accurately. Students must recognize their limitations and seek assistance when needed.
5. Behavioral and Social Attributes
Students must demonstrate professionalism, integrity, compassion, and cultural competence. They must possess the emotional health and stability required to exercise sound judgment, function effectively under stress, and adapt to clinical environments that may change rapidly or unpredictably. Students are expected to interact with others in a respectful, responsible, and professional manner at all times. They must be able to accept and respond to constructive feedback, manage conflict appropriately, and engage in self-reflection, self-assessment, and lifelong learning.
Accommodations
Daemen University provides disability support through Accessibility Services in the Student Success Center and is committed to equal opportunity and nondiscrimination in accordance with federal and New York State law. No qualified person with a disability shall be excluded from admission, participation, or denied benefits or subjected to discrimination solely by reason of his or her disability.
The Daemen University Student Handbook details services available to students with disabilities. These services are coordinated by Accessibility Services in the Student Success Center.
Students are responsible for submitting documentation and requesting accommodations they believe are reasonable and necessary to meet program requirements. Requests should be made before the semester begins through Accessibility Services in the Student Success Center (access@daemen.edu).
Approved students may receive reasonable accommodations or assistive technology, but must still be able to perform essential program functions with reasonable independence.
All accommodation requests are reviewed individually. Accommodations may be denied if they:
- Threaten health or safety
- Fundamentally alter curriculum requirements
- Lower academic standards
- Create an undue administrative or financial burden
- Require a third party to perform essential student functions
Approved accommodations are implemented at the student’s discretion. Students are responsible for notifying their instructors of approved accommodations in a timely manner.
Classroom accommodations do not automatically apply to labs or clinical (SCPE) settings—these require separate review and coordination with faculty.
Because clinical accommodations can take additional time, students should begin that process at least two months before starting SCPE rotations in order to avoid delay of completion.