Physician Assistant
The physicians assistant is a member of the health care team who, working in a dependent relationship with a supervising physician, provides comprehensive medical care. The PA is educated to provide diagnostic and therapeutic patient care in order to free the supervising physician to spend more time with complex patient problems only the physician can treat. The PA is qualified to perform a minimum of 70% of the clinical procedures carried out by a general practice physician. The PAS obtains patient histories, performs comprehensive physical examinations, orders and interprets diagnostic laboratory tests, prepares a diagnosis, implements basic treatment procedures for common illnesses, and treats emergency cases.
Most PA programs accept students who have had two years of college, as well as prior experience in health care delivery settings. About one-third of accepted applicants have worked as orderlies or nurses aides, one-fourth are emergency medical technicians, one-third as clinical technicians, and 13% as medical corpsman. Of those who entered PA programs in 1980-81, 45% entered the programs with a bachelor's degree. Ninety-one percent of the students had some prior college education. PA programs should not be looked upon as stepping stones to medical school, but rather as entry into a unique professional role in health care.
PAs work in settings
such as private practice, multispecialty private practice, comprehensive health clinics,
hospitals, satellite clinics, federal and state prison systems, the military services,
nursing homes, health maintenance organizations, industrial clinics, student health
services, the Veterans Administration and Public Health Service. Seventy-five percent of
PAs practice in primary care specialties (family/general practice, general internal
medicine, emergency medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology), while the remaining
25% are spread evenly in the surgical specialties (general surgery, orthopedic surgery,
thoracic and cardiovascular surgery, urology, and neurosurgery) cardiology, allergy,
dermatology, industrial and occupational medicine, psychiatry, public health and
preventive medicine.
The following websites provide additional information:
American Academy of Physican Assistants
US News & World Report PA program rankings
Example of a 2+2 Curriculum
Year |
Fall |
Winter |
Spring |
Freshman |
Bgy 11 |
Eng 21 |
Bgy 18 |
Sophomore |
Chm 21 |
Chm 12 |
Bgy 42 |
Selected Physician Assistant Programs
State |
School |
Telephone Number |
Degree |
Dead- |
# |
Class Size |
Res |
Non-Res |
Requirements |
AL |
Univ. of Alabama -Birmingham |
205-934-4407 |
cert / BS |
1-Mar |
24 |
20 |
$6,160 |
$12,320 |
|
CT |
203-281-8672 |
cert / M |
31-Dec |
27 |
24 |
$31,000 |
$31,000 |
||
203-785-4252 |
cert |
1-Jan |
25 |
32 |
$30,700 |
$30,700 |
|||
DC |
202-994-4034 |
cert/BS/M |
15-Dec |
24 |
55 |
n/a |
$36,225 |
||
202-806-4476 |
cert / BS |
1-Feb |
24 |
40 |
$19,250 |
$19,250 |
|||
FL |
305-899-3000 |
||||||||
305-949-4000 |
cert / BS |
15-Jan |
24 |
65 |
$13,500 |
$15,500 |
|||
904-395-7955 |
cert / BS |
1-Dec |
22 |
60 |
$4,035 |
$15,637 |
|||
GA |
Emory Univ. |
404-727-7825 |
M |
12-Dec |
28 |
50 |
$26,500 |
$26,500 |
|
706-721-2725 |
BS |
1-Jan |
24 |
32 |
$5,728 |
$16,752 |
|||
South College |
912-691-6023 |
||||||||
KY |
606-323-5743 |
cert / BS |
1-Feb |
24 |
35 |
$7,814 |
$19,715 |
||
MD |
410-780-6579 |
cert |
1-Dec |
21 |
35 |
$3,954 |
$7,458 |
||
MA |
617-373-3195 |
cert / M |
15-Dec |
24 |
30 |
$19,200 |
$19,200 |
||
MO |
314-577-8521 |
cert / BS |
1-Nov |
27 |
28 |
$29,704 |
$29,704 |
||
NJ |
908-235-4444 |
BS / M |
1-Jan |
36 |
46 |
$10,922 |
$22,232 |
||
NY |
Albany-Hudson Val |
518-262-5251 |
cert |
10-Jan |
24 |
36 |
$5,700 |
$11,600 |
|
Bayley-Seton Hosp |
718-390-5570 |
cert / BS |
31-Jan |
23 |
45 |
$17,600 |
$17,600 |
||
Bronx Lebanon Hospital |
718-960-1255 |
cert / BS |
15-Mar |
24 |
35 |
$18,000 |
$18,000 |
||
Brooklyn Hospital |
718-250-8144 |
cert / BS |
1-Feb |
24 |
40 |
$19,200 |
$19,200 |
||
Catholic Medical Center |
718-805-7599 |
cert |
19-Jan |
23 |
50 |
$24,500 |
$24,500 |
||
212-939-2525 |
cert / BS |
31-Oct |
28 |
35 |
$9,600 |
$20,400 |
|||
Cornell Univ. |
212-746-5133 |
cert |
1-Feb |
26 |
24 |
$25,920 |
$25,920 |
||
D'Youville College |
716-881-7600 |
BS |
15-Dec |
42 |
32 |
$9,420 |
$9,420 |
||
716-839-8225 |
BS |
15-Jan |
48 |
30 |
$10,000 |
$10,000 |
|||
Rochester Institute of Technology |
716-475-2978 |
BS |
15-Jan |
48 |
25 |
$14,670 |
$14,670 |
||
718-270-2324 |
BS |
1-Jan |
27 |
25 |
$11,215 |
$16,115 |
|||
516-444-3190 |
cert / BS |
15-Jan |
24 |
50 |
$9,100 |
$21,800 |
|||
516-673-3200 |
BS |
1-May |
23 |
55 |
$22,400 |
$22,400 |
|||
NC |
910-716-4356 |
cert / BS |
1-Dec |
24 |
48 |
$24,000 |
$24,000 |
||
919-286-8234 |
cert / M |
1-Dec |
25 |
44 |
$33,600 |
$33,600 |
|||
PA |
Duquesne Univ. |
800-456-0590 |
M |
1-Dec |
27 |
30 |
$39,840 |
$39,840 |
|
814-871-7407 |
BS |
15-Jan |
41 |
35 |
$40,000 |
$40,000 |
|||
King's College |
717-826-5853 |
cert / BS |
15-Jan |
24/48 |
40 |
$28,400 |
$28,400 |
||
Medical College of PA/Hahn'n |
215-762-7135 |
cert / BS |
1-Nov |
24 |
90 |
$25,000 |
$25,000 |
||
Phil.Col.of Tex/Sci |
215-951-2908 |
cert / BS |
1-Jan |
24/48 |
35 |
||||
St.Francis College |
814-472-3020 |
cert/BS/M |
15-Jan |
24/48 |
60 |
$18,600 |
$18,600 |
||
SC |
803-792-6429 |
BS |
31-Dec |
21 |
22 |
$14,400 |
$44,225 |
||
TN |
Trevecca Naz'r.Univ |
615-248-1225 |
cert / BS |
1-Jan |
24 |
30 |
$28,017 |
$28,017 |
|
TX |
Baylor Col of Med |
713-798-4619 |
M |
1-Jan |
27 |
30 |
$8,200 |
$8,200 |
|
Univ. of Texas -Galveston |
409-772-3046 |
cert / BS |
1-Nov |
26 |
45 |
$3,000 |
$22,000 |
||
U.TX-Southwest'n |
214-648-1700 |
cert / BS |
15-Nov |
27 |
40 |
$3,450 |
$20,585 |