Top Ranked Graduate Programs in Physician Assistant

Individuals who wish to program should do so via the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA). Enrollment limited to Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies students.

Northwestern University mission is to prepare physician assistants (PAs) to provide compassionate, high-quality, patient-centered care as members of interdisciplinary teams. Graduates from Northwestern University program are culturally competent, committed to continuous learning and professional development and make significant contributions to communities and the advancement of the PA profession. We're working hard to be the national leader in PA education and to prepare physician assistants of the highest quality. Take a look at Northwestern University program main goals and what we're doing to achieve them.

Physician assistants are educated in basic medical sciences and clinical disciplines, including human anatomy, physiology, pharmacology and clinical laboratory medicine. A physician assistant (PA) is a health care professional qualified by academic and clinical education and by formal certification to practice medicine with the supervision of a doctor of medicine or osteopathy.

Additionally, students participate in clinical training in the areas of family medicine, pediatrics, women’s health, general surgery, general orthopedics occupational medicine, medicine (internal medicine, geriatrics), behavioral and mental health, and emergency medicine. The curriculum consists of -months of didactic and clinical training.

We fulfill this mission in a dynamic learning environment that emphasizes rigorous fundamentals, innovative delivery of the curriculum, and compassionate care to diverse patient populations.

Review of the request for transfer credit will be done by the Registrar to determine if the courses taken are eligible. Credit can only be given to public health courses with a B or better. Reports must be submitted to CASPA. The admissions process requires a grade for each course that is used to calculate a prerequisite GPA. We do not get official grades for AP courses. You must take a higher level course to fulfill each prerequisite for which you receive AP credit. For example, if you received AP credit for part of a prerequisite (e.g. BIO I, but not BIO II), you must take an upper level course. The higher level course must have the Tufts PA Program course (e.g., BIO I) as a prerequisite.

In conversations with local health care leaders, the need for physician assistants was referenced consistently.

As part of their comprehensive responsibilities, physician assistants conduct physical exams, diagnose and treat illnesses, order and interpret tests, counsel on preventive health care, assist in surgery and write prescriptions. Within the physician-physician assistant relationship, the physician assistant exercises autonomy in medical decision making and provides a broad range of diagnostic and therapeutic services. The physician assistant program at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing provides a partial solution to this growing problem by educating and preparing primary-care providers versed in preventive measures, who advance health through health promotion and disease prevention, practice in ambulatory and community-based settings and enhance the existing workforce.

All prerequisites are required at the college level from an accredited school and must be included on the submitted transcript as part of the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) application process. Visit the page for additional details the physician assistant program requirements and prerequisites. Each student admitted to the physician assistant program at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing receives generous for tuition, fees and additional expenses. The Master of Health Services Physician Assistant Studies Program is a Self-Supporting Degree Program (SSDP). Then, click the Physician Assistant, MHS program fee link under the Self-Supporting Degree Programs section for the detailed fee structure for the corresponding academic year. The physician assistant program is a self-supporting degree program.

The first 12 months of didactic training, comprised largely of traditional lectures, seminar sessions, and laboratories, provides the basic and clinical sciences foundation requisite for medical practice as a physician assistant.

GMS PS 700: Anatomy This foundation course prepares the PA student to recognize the cell morphology of specific organs and soft tissues of the human body, identify anatomical structures as they relate to the physical examination, specific diseases and surgical procedures and to employ 3-D spatial reasoning to interpret radiographic studies. The course utilizes lectures, case-based discussion and the dissection laboratory. GMS PS 701: Basic Medical Sciences This course provides a broad foundation for medical sciences study including such topics as biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, and immunology. This course utilizes lectures as its means of instruction.

This prepares a select group of exceptionally qualified clinicians to become leaders in healthcare technology application and development and fosters interdisciplinary collaboration in order to address problems in the healthcare and health information environments both locally and across the globe.

Physician assistant students must demonstrate core knowledge established and evolving biomedical and clinical sciences and the application of this knowledge to patient care in their area of practice. In addition, physician assistant students are expected to demonstrate an investigative and analytic thinking approach to clinical situations. Physician assistant students must demonstrate interpersonal andcommunication skills that result in effective information exchange with patients, patients’ families, physicians,professional associates, and other individuals within the health care system. Physician assistant students must demonstrate care that is effective, safe, high quality, and equitable. Physician assistant students mustacknowledge their professional and personal limitations. Physician assistant students must demonstrate a high level of responsibility, ethical practice, sensitivity to a diverse patient population, and adherence to legal and regulatory requirements. Physician assistant students must be able to assess, evaluate, and improve their patient care practices. Physician assistant students must demonstrate an awareness of and responsiveness to the larger system of health care to provide patient care that balances quality and cost, while maintaining the primacy of the individual patient.

The Physician Assistant Program at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health is a nationally respected professional master’s degree program.

Emphasis on developing an understanding of health care systems and the role of the physician assistant. Current topics, issues, and material related to the activities of the assistant to the primary care physician. The purpose of the Seminar is to provide direction to Physician Assistant (PA) PoD students for the PoD capstone project and to provide an of public health, some of its current issues and tools to help become engaged in the communities in which clinical experiences and practice takes place.

The physician assistant role has allowed PAs to perform tasks previously only performed by doctors. Competencies for the physician assistant profession. Physician Assistant: A Guide to Clinical Practice.

The first class of physician assistants, four ex-military corpsmen, started their training in 1965 in a two-year program that included nine months of training in medical sciences and 15 months of clinical rotations. Physician assistants continue to be educated in principles of medical sciences, with coursework in physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology, human anatomy, physical diagnosis and critical thinking, and in individual sections in the specialty areas of medical practice.Each student is also educated in social science aspects of modern medical practice: ethics, health disparities, human growth and development, health care policy, cultural sensitivity and preventive medicine, among other topics. Some PAs have served in state and national legislatures.Physician assistants, along with nurses, physicians, physical therapists and all the other members of the health-care team, work to bring all people better health. Happy birthday, PAs.— Ralph Rice, D.H.Sc., PA-C, is the associate dean and director of the School of Physician Assistant Studies at the UF College of Medicine. Shalon Buchs, M.H.S., PA-C, is the associate director of the School of Physician Assistant Studies at the UF College of Medicine and a 2005 graduate of the Duke University PA program.