Master of Science
A graduate Physician Assistant (PA) provides a broad spectrum of health care services to patients under the supervision of a doctor of medicine or osteopathy. Among these services are the performance of history and physical assessments, the development and implementation of appropriate therapeutic interventions, patient education and counseling, and establishing appropriate referrals. These highly skilled practitioners also provide numerous preventative and health maintenance functions that are characteristic of the practice of medicine. Physician Assistants are educated in basic science, patient assessment and clinical medicine in programs that are nationally accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA).
What are the Job opportunities?
Physician Assistants are employed by hospitals, physician groups or solo practices, outpatient clinics, health maintenance organizations, teaching hospitals, the armed services, and federal, state, and local governments. Salaries vary, depending on an individual's experience, the region of the country, the nature of the practice and the level of job responsibilities. Entry-level salaries for new Physician Assistant graduates average $65,000. The demand for Physician Assistants is strong, and is expected to increase in the coming decade.
What is the Physician Assistant Program?
The PA Program is an intense, full-time, 27-month curriculum with a total of 98 credit hours. A Master of Science degree in Physician Assistant Studies is awarded upon completion of the curriculum and fulfillment of University of Saint Francis Graduate School requirements. Students will spend the first 15 months primarily in the classroom obtaining a foundation of medical knowledge, in the areas of basic biomedical science and clinical skills. Problem-based learning techniques are used extensively throughout the program and exclusively in medical diagnosis and therapeutics courses. During the last 12 months of the program, students will be assigned to clinical rotations spending a minimum of 40 hours per week typically working with a physician or PA preceptor on a 1 to 1 basis in settings such as physician offices, clinics, extended care facilities and hospitals. All students will complete a core of rotations in areas of family medicine, internal medicine, emergency medicine, general surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics & gynecology, psychiatry, and an elective. Then, students may choose from a series of rotations in the areas of trauma / surgical subspecialties, hospital-inpatient care, family practice or internal medicine, geriatrics and long term care experiences and experience with underserved patient populations may be assigned separately or incorporated with one the above specialties.
What kind of classes will I take?
May - August
Biomedical Sciences - Credits 6
Gross Anatomy Topics
Medical Microbiology /Genetics
Physiologic Control Systems
Foundations of PA Studies - Credits 4
Essentials of Patient Assessment
Essentials of Medical Interviewing Documentation
Professional Issues
Introduction to ECG
Introduction to clinical laboratory testing
Pharmacology for PAs - Credits 2
Fall
Pharmacology II - Credits 2
Clinical Medicine for PAs - Credits 2
Pathophysiology - Credits 2
Clinical Problem Solving - Credits 6
Spring
Medical Diagnostics I - Credits 6
Medical Therapeutics I - Credits 6
Research Methods for PAs - Credits 1
Summer
Medical Diagnostics II - Credits 5
Medical Therapeutics II - Credits 5
Medical Ethics - Credits 1
Master's Project I - Credits 1
Fall
Clinical Experience I, II, III, - Credits 15
Clinical Year Seminar - Credits 2
Master's Project II - Credits 1
Spring
Clinical Experience IV, V, VI, - Credits 15
Summer
Clinical Experience VII, VIII, IX - Credits 15
Master's Project III - Credits 1
What kind of clinical experiences will I have?
The core rotations for all students are:
- Family Medicine (5 weeks)
- Internal Medicine (5 weeks)
- General Surgery (5 weeks)
- Emergency Medicine (5 weeks)
- Elective (5 weeks)
- Pediatrics (2.5 weeks)
- Obstetrics & Gynecology (2.5 weeks)
- Psychiatry (2.5 weeks)
- Geriatrics / Long Term Care (2.5 weeks OR incorporated with another experience)
After the Core Rotations, students will choose two additional experiences in one of the following tracts: Trauma/Surgery Subspecialty, Family Practice, Hospital-Inpatient Care, or Internal Medicine.
Choice of Trauma/Surgery Subspecialty Tract Rotations (5 weeks each) may include:
- Outpatient Clinic/Occupational Medicine
- Surgery Subspecialties
- Trauma Emergency Medicine
- Medical Office Orthopedics
- Radiology
Choice of Family Practice Tract Rotations (5 weeks each) may include:
- Pediatrics (additional 2.5 weeks)
- Geriatrics
- Obstetrics and Gynecology (additional 2.5 weeks)
- Psychiatry (additional 2.5 weeks)
- Urgent Care
Choice of Hospital-Inpatient Care Tract Rotations (5 weeks each) may include:
- Cardiology
- Pulmonology
- Oncology
- Intensive Critical Care Unit
- Neurology
- Gastroenterology
Choice of Internal Medicine Tract Rotations (5 weeks each) may include:
- Cardiology
- Pulmonology
- Neurology
- Nephrology
- Gastroenterology
- Endocrinology
- Rheumatology
When are applications accepted?
Applications are accepted from June 1 through December 1 for classes beginning the following May. Acceptance decisions are made as early as mid-September and continue until the class is filled. All applicants are encouraged to apply as early as possible before the class fills.
Who should apply?
Admission to the Physician Assistant Program is granted through a competitive selection process. Classes begin each May. Anyone who is interested in admission to the next class and who anticipates fulfilling all of the entrance requirements by that time may apply. Applicants will file using the Centralized Application Service for the PA (CASPA).
Will there be interviews?
The most qualified applicants are offered interviews on the University of Saint Francis campus. Each applicant will be given a brief orientation to the USF campus and PA program and will have interviews with admission committee members. At the interview, applicants will be expected to provide a written plan to fulfill all entrance requirements that have not been completed to that point.
How is the acceptance decision made?
After the interview, the admissions committee will review all of the application data and materials including evaluations from the interview. If the applicant is accepted into the PA program, it may be without reservation, or it may be contingent upon completion of all entrance requirements. It will be the responsibility of the applicant to fulfill the requirements according to the agreed plan.
How will the class be filled?
We typically accept about 25 students into a class. Up to 5 seats can be filled via the BS/MS Entry Program. Interviewed CASPA applicants will be notified within two weeks of the interview about the admission committee's decision. If accepted, that seat is reserved for two weeks allowing the accepted applicant to respond indicating willingness to attend and submitting a $400 nonrefundable deposit (applied to tuition). This process will continue on a rolling basis until 25 seats are filled. The admission's committee will then build a "wait list". Individuals offered a wait list position will be offered a seat in the class if seats become available. An additional $400 nonrefundable deposit, also applied to tuition, will be due one month after acceptance.
What are the Program objectives or outcomes?
The program is committed to preparing Physician Assistants capable of:
- Successfully pass the National Certifying Examination for Physician Assistants.
- Provide primary health care services with an emphasis on human caring and the underserved
- Perform diagnostic and therapeutic health services appropriate for a wide range of pathophysiologic processes.
- Develop and implement effective treatment plans for care of common conditions.
- Perform technical and surgical procedures within the scope of practice.
- Monitor and manage patients in acute, long term and ambulatory settings.
- Facilitate patient referral to appropriate specialty practices and community agencies.
- Use clinical problem solving to integrate knowledge from the biological and behavioral sciences with medical knowledge and current standards of clinical practice.
- Demonstrate a commitment to professional growth and life-long learning.
- Enlarge the knowledge of the discipline by participating in research projects and publishing findings.
- Demonstrating professional behavior.
What are the Technical Standards required of students?
Please see our Health Profession Program Technical Standards.
What are the academic standards and progression standards required of students?
Each of the following criteria must be met in order for a Physician Assistant student to advance in the program and/or graduate.
- Completion of all required courses with a grade of “C” or equivalent.
- Compliance with the PA Program Attendance Policy.
- Maintenance of a minimum 3.0 GPA.
- Completion of all didactic courses before entry into the clinical year curriculum.
- Completion of all incomplete grades prior to the conclusion of the next grading period.
- Satisfactory completion of all clinical rotation objectives.
- Successful completion of didactic and clinical comprehensive exams.
- Successful completion of Didactic Year Summative Evaluation prior to entering the clinical phase of the program.
- Successful completion Clinical Year Summative Evaluation prior to graduation.
Transfer credit/advanced standing
All courses contained within the PA curriculum must be completed prior to graduation without exception or exemption. No transfer credit or credit by portfolio will be accepted (No students are exempted from classes because of prior courses, training, or experience. i.e. there is no advanced standing.
Academic Review Committee
The Academic Review Committee comprised of the Department Chair, Medical Director and faculty will meet at the conclusion of each semester and summer session and as needed to review student achievement of progression standards. If a student fails to meet the progression standards, the Academic Review Committee will consider actions including remediation, repetition of course, retesting or dismissal from the program.
Dismissal from program
Dismissal of students from the PA Program is under the jurisdiction of the Program’s Academic Review Committee. Causes of dismissal include but are not limited to: unprofessional behavior, breech of the Academic Honesty policy, unsuccessful remediation, unsafe patient practices, patterns of deficiencies, or failure of course, clinical rotation or progression standards. Failure to meet University rules and expectations is also cause for dismissal. Dismissal from the program does not necessarily equate to dismissal from the University.
Graduation Requirements
A physician assistant student must meet the following requirements to graduate with a Master of Science Degree:
- Complete all 98 credit hours in the physician assistant curriculum with a minimum of "C" or its equivalent in every course.
- Maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of at least 3.0.
- Fulfill all financial obligations to the University of Saint Francis.
- Fulfill all of the progression standards.
What about certification?
Graduates of an accredited program are eligible to take the certification examination offered by the National Commission on Certification for Physician Assistants. Successful completion of the examination allows the individual to use the title "Physician Assistant-Certified" or PA-C.
How do I find out more?
Call the Office of Admissions at 260-399-8000 or 800-729-4732.