Honors College - Pre-Physician Assistant

Pre-Physician Assistant

General Information

A physician assistant (PA) is a medical professional. Under a doctor's supervision, and within the scope of the regulations of each state where the PA is licensed, a licensed PA may perform physical exams, diagnose and treat illnesses, assist in surgery, order and interpret lab tests, provide patient education, and prescribe drugs. Most PAs are found in primary care settings, especially family medicine, internal medicine, Ob/Gyn, and surgery. There are also options to specialize in a variety of medical specialties such as orthopedics, cardiology, dermatology, radiology, pediatrics, and emergency medicine. The PA field is rapidly growing as demand steadily increases and interest in the profession expands. Many people are attracted to the ability to provide healthcare and earn a good salary (~$71,000 starting salary) without the prolonged training of an MD. Additionally, most PAs have more flexibility in their work schedule than MDs.

There are currently 4 fully accredited PA programs in North Carolina :

Duke http://paprogram.mc.duke.edu/
East Carolina University http://www.ecu.edu/pa/
Methodist University http://www.methodist.edu/paprogram/
Wake Forest University http://www1.wfubmc.edu/paprogram/

A new PA program at Wingate University will enroll students beginning in Fall 2008. Provisional accreditation has been granted. http://www.pa.wingate.edu/

Requirements

The following list summarizes the typical requirements for entry into an accredited PA program:

1. Complete a bachelor's degree : PA programs are graduate programs, therefore the student must first finish a bachelor's degree. There is no special preference for BA vs BS degrees, or for any particular undergraduate major.

2 . Complete the prerequisite coursework : although there is a common core of classes that most PA programs require, each PA program has the freedom to add classes to the common core and/or control the level of the coursework (ie, majors-level vs non-majors level courses). There will usually be a minimum GPA necessary to apply to the PA program (see school websites for the minimum GPA requirements).

3. Take the admissions test: the standard admissions test for most PA programs is the GRE General exam. There will usually be a minimum score necessary to apply to the PA program (see school websites for the minimum score requirements). Visit http://www.gre.org/ for more information and also to register for the exam.

4. Complete a minimum number of hours of “direct hands-on patient clinical care experience”: the majority of PA programs require a minimum amount of hands-on patient care experience. Typically, the minimum number of hours ranges from 500-1000 hours, though some PA programs require up to 2000 hours. Successful applicants usually exceed the minimum number of hours.

Most PA programs are very specific about the type of work that can be used to fulfill their patient care requirement. Most programs prefer some type of certification training followed by working/volunteering in healthcare or field settings. Commonly accepted options are working as a certified nurse assistant (CNA), emergency medical technician (EMT), or phlebotomist. There is tremendous variation between schools with regard to what is “acceptable” experience, and it is not safe to assume that if one school accepts a particular type of work, then all other schools will as well. Always consult the PA programs directly to be sure that they will accept your choice of field work.

5. Letter of Reference from a licensed, practicing PA: 1-2 letters of reference from licensed PAs that have directly supervised you (as an employee or volunteer observer) may be requested. The PA programs expect you to be familiar with the PA profession, including issues facing the profession, the ethics of practice, and the daily challenges of practice. Shadowing/observing licensed PAs in a variety of clinical settings is strongly encouraged to gain this professional knowledge.

6. Community Service: some community service is recommended. Community service does not have to be health-related.

Pre-Physician Assistant Prerequisite Courses

	DUKE	ECU	METHODIST	WAKE FOREST	WINGATE
Biology	2 sem		2 sem +	2 sem	1 sem +
Anatomy	1 sem +	1 sem +	½ sem +	1 sem	½ sem +
Physiology	1 sem +	1 sem +	½ sem +	1 sem	½ sem +
Microbiology	1 sem	1 sem +	1 sem +	1 sem	1 sem +
General Chem	2 sem +	2 sem +	2 sem +	1 sem	1 sem +
Organic Chem			2 sem +		1 sem +
Biochemistry		recommended	1 sem	1 sem**	1 sem
Statistics	1 sem	1 sem	1 sem	1 sem	1 sem
Math			1 sem ≥ Algebra		1 sem ≥ Algebra
Psychology		1 sem	2 sem		1 sem
Medical Termin		1 sem	1 sem	1 sem (2010)***
Genetics		1 sem

# Hours Patient Care Experience	1,000 hrs	No minimum	500 hrs	1,000 hrs	500 hrs
GRE Required	yes	yes	yes	yes	no

+ Lab required

** may substitute 2 semesters of organic chem

***for 2009 entering class, must either take 1 semester or pass proficiency test given after matriculation

Additional School Notes :

DUKE : Strongly recommend courses in genetics, cell biology, molecular biology, embryology, histology, immunology.

-Options for Anatomy & Physiology:

Human A&P 1+2, with labs

Animal Physiology (w/lab) + Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy

-Microbiology: Pre-med level preferred

Bacteriology acceptable

-Chemistry: CHEM 1203 + 1204 are acceptable

ECU :

-Options for Anatomy & Physiology:

Human A&P 1+2, with labs

-Bacteriology acceptable for microbiology

-Medical Terminology: will accept a 1-semester course taken at a 4-year institution

If taken at a NC Community College, MUST be a 2-semester course sequence

-Chemistry: CHEM 1203 + 1204 are acceptable

METHODIST : Recommend courses in genetics, developmental biology, cell biology, general physics, public speaking.

-Options for Anatomy & Physiology:

Human A&P 1, with lab
Animal Physiology (w/lab) + Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy

- Microbiology: Pre-med level is recommended

Bacteriology acceptable for microbiology

-Biology: must be human or animal life sciences (ie, no botany, ecology, etc)

-Chemistry: CHEM 1203 + 1204 are not acceptable

WAKE FOREST :

- Options for Anatomy & Physiology:

Human A&P 1+2, with labs

Animal Physiology + Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy

Animal Physiology + Vertebrate Zoology

- Microbiology: Lab preferred, but not required

Bacteriology acceptable for microbiology

- Biology: will accept non-majors level general biology (BIOL 1110 + 1115)
will accept upper-level biology courses (must be animal or human biology)

*beginning with 2010 entering class, the biology requirement will change to 1 semester of general biology + 1 semester of upper-division biology (3000 or 4000 level; must be animal or human biology content)

- Chemistry: CHEM 1203 + 1204 are acceptable (*note, however, that you will not be able to advance to organic chemistry at UNCC; only the CHEM 1251/1252 sequence satisfies the prerequisites for organic chemistry)

WINGATE :

- Microbiology: Bacteriology acceptable for microbiology

- Chemistry: CHEM 1203 + 1204 are not acceptable (because you cannot advance to organic chemistry; only the CHEM 1251/1252 sequence satisfies the prerequisites for organic chemistry)

- Biology: introductory level courses may not be acceptable

Admissions Process

There are 3 steps for admission: the primary application, the secondary (supplemental) application, and the interview.

1) PRIMARY APPLICATION

The primary application process often involves 2 primary applications; the student must apply to the graduate school of the parent institution, and also apply directly to the Physician Assistant program itself. The student must be accepted by both the graduate school and the PA program in order to begin official enrollment into the PA curriculum.

Recently, an online electronic application service for PA schools was established: the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA). Many, but not all, PA schools participate in CASPA. If a school uses CASPA, you must apply to the school through CASPA. Currently, all 4 of the North Carolina PA programs use CASPA. CASPA streamlines the primary application process; the applicant fills out one online application form, pays one fee, and submits a list of PA schools that should receive the application. The applicant also submits official transcripts, letters of reference, and GRE scores directly to CASPA for processing. CASPA then sends the completed application to each of the applicant's PA schools. Information on CASPA can be found at http://www.caspaonline.org/.

If a school does not use CASPA, you must contact the school directly for the necessary applications.

Graduate school applications, if required, are usually obtained directly from the parent institution's graduate school admissions office.

2) SECONDARY APPLICATION

CASPA is not part of the secondary process; the student deals directly with the PA program for the secondary application. Each PA program will handle this stage differently. Typically, the 'secondary' will request more information, including short essays, and an additional fee.

3) INTERVIEW

After processing primary and secondary applications, only the top applicants will be invited for an interview. This is the final step of the admissions process. Following the interview, an applicant may be accepted, rejected, or placed on a waiting list.

Resources & Links

2005 National Entry Statistics:
7,088 applicants
2,576 matriculants
26.69 mean age
3.29 mean science GPA
3.39 mean overall GPA
2006 National Entry Statistics:
8, 032 applicants