Physician Assistant Program

The Physician Assistant (PA) program is an articulated program. Physician Assistants are health care professionals licensed to practice medicine with physician supervision. As part of their comprehensive responsibilities, PAs conduct physical exams, diagnose and treat illnesses, order and interpret tests, counsel on preventive health care, assist in surgery, and in most states write prescriptions. The education of PAs is based on the medical model designed to complement physician training. Upon graduation, Physician Assistants take a national certifying examination developed by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (http://www.nccpa.net/) in conjunction with the National Board of Medical Examiners (http://www.nbme.org/).

PAs work in a variety of clinical settings. More than half are employed in one of the primary care fields: family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics, and obstetrics and gynecology. Other popular areas of practice include surgery and emergency medicine.

Students in the entry-level component of the Physician Assistant Program spend about three years at Felician University completing 99 credits in the pre-professional component (47 credits in the General Education Curricular Commons and 52 credits in the required departmental core). Students must formally apply for admission for their professional coursework Physician Assistant Program. Upon successful completion of their first year of courses in the professional program, Felician University will award a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. Upon successful completion of the remainder of the required coursework, the professional program will award a Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies.

Admission Requirements

General Information:

The admissions committee thoroughly reviews each application and only the most competitive applicants are invited for an interview.

Applications: Applications are submitted directly to the PA Program by June 1 of the calendar year prior to matriculation. When initially screening applications, the committee looks for evidence of the following:

1. ability to handle a rigorous science course load as demonstrated by the applicant's previous coursework and GPA
2. prior healthcare experience
3. familiarity with the PA profession as evidenced by exposure to PAs through programs such as PA shadowing
4. a commitment to community service

GPA: The applicant must have an overall and science grade point average of no less than 3.2 (on a scale where 4.0 equals A.)

SAT/GRE: SAT scores should be submitted directly to the PA Program. The SAT Designated Institution Code is 2765. GRE scores are not required.

Prerequisite coursework: If any of the prerequisite courses have been satisfied by taking a CLEP exam, the scores should be submitted directly to the PA Program. The CLEP Designated Institution Code is 2145. All foreign transcripts must be evaluated by an evaluation agency.

Recommendations: Three completed Recommendation Forms (provided in Application package) are required. Applicants should seek recommendations from individuals who are thoroughly familiar with the candidate's academic ability, their work ethic and professionalism, and their general characteristics. Examples may be an instructor, a previous employer or volunteer supervisor, a community leader, etc. Many of our more highly competitive applicants have recommendations by healthcare providers such as physicians and PAs.

Please note that the Waiver of Access statement on the recommendation form must be signed by the applicant.

Healthcare Experience: Patient contact is required. The Program has not established a minimum number of hours of healthcare experience, but the most competitive applicants will be able to document experience working directly with patients. Examples of the types of experiences that are recommended include, but are not limited to, medical assistants, nursing assistants/aides, nurses, EMTs, patient care technicians, physical therapy assistants, hospice volunteers, etc.

PA Shadowing: It is important that applicants spend time with PAs to ensure a sufficient understanding of the PA role in the delivery of healthcare. Therefore, applicants to the PA Program must be able to demonstrate familiarity with the PA profession through direct experience. This can be accomplished by either shadowing PAs in practice or working alongside PAs.

Interviews: Interviews will be conducted in June-July. Only the most competitive applicants will be interviewed. The determination is made following an initial screening by the Admissions Committee. The interview will serve to identify qualities such as communication skills, motivation, and general interpersonal skills. The applicant should demonstrate a clear understanding of the PA role and how it fits into the applicant's career goals. The applicant is reminded that competition is very keen for the available spaces.

Acceptances: Final notices of acceptance will be made by September 1st of the year prior to enrollment. Commencement of studies at the PA Program is contingent upon completion of all required coursework and maintaining a minimum overall GPA of 3.2.

Note: The minimal satisfaction of entrance requirements does not guarantee acceptance into the professional portion of the program. The final decision for acceptance rests with the professional school.

Program length:  48 months (based on full-time enrollment)

Major Requirements