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 11
Mth 10, 11, or 16

Eng 21
Chm 11

Bgy 18
Chm 12
Psy 21

Sophomore

Chm 21
Psy 23
Mus 20

Chm 12
Bgy 26

Bgy 42
Bgy 30
Eng 12

Selected Physician Assistant Programs

State

School

Telephone Number

Degree

Dead-
line

#
Mos.

Class Size

Res
Tuition

Non-Res
Tuition

Requirements

AL

Univ. of Alabama -Birmingham

205-934-4407

cert / BS

1-Mar

24

20

$6,160

$12,320

More information

CT

Quinnipiac College

203-281-8672

cert / M

31-Dec

27

24

$31,000

$31,000

More information

Yale University

203-785-4252

cert

1-Jan

25

32

$30,700

$30,700

More information

DC

George Washington Univ.

202-994-4034

cert/BS/M

15-Dec

24

55

n/a

$36,225

More information

Howard Univ.

202-806-4476

cert / BS

1-Feb

24

40

$19,250

$19,250

More information

FL

Barry University

305-899-3000

           

More information

Nova Southeastern Univ.

305-949-4000

cert / BS

15-Jan

24

65

$13,500

$15,500

More information

Univ. of Florida

904-395-7955

cert / BS

1-Dec

22

60

$4,035

$15,637

More information

GA

Emory Univ.

404-727-7825

M

12-Dec

28

50

$26,500

$26,500

More information

Medical College of Georgia

706-721-2725

BS

1-Jan

24

32

$5,728

$16,752

More information

South College

912-691-6023

           

More information

KY

Univ. of Kentucky

606-323-5743

cert / BS

1-Feb

24

35

$7,814

$19,715

More information

MD

Essex Community College

410-780-6579

cert

1-Dec

21

35

$3,954

$7,458

More information

MA

Northeastern Univ.

617-373-3195

cert / M

15-Dec

24

30

$19,200

$19,200

More information

MO

St. Louis Univ.

314-577-8521

cert / BS

1-Nov

27

28

$29,704

$29,704

More information

NJ

Rutgers Univ.

908-235-4444

BS / M

1-Jan

36

46

$10,922

$22,232

More information

NY

Albany-Hudson Val

518-262-5251

cert

10-Jan

24

36

$5,700

$11,600

More information

Bayley-Seton Hosp

718-390-5570

cert / BS

31-Jan

23

45

$17,600

$17,600

More information

Bronx Lebanon Hospital

718-960-1255

cert / BS

15-Mar

24

35

$18,000

$18,000

More information

Brooklyn Hospital

718-250-8144

cert / BS

1-Feb

24

40

$19,200

$19,200

More information

Catholic Medical Center

718-805-7599

cert

19-Jan

23

50

$24,500

$24,500

More information

City Univ. of NY

212-939-2525

cert / BS

31-Oct

28

35

$9,600

$20,400

More information

Cornell Univ.

212-746-5133

cert

1-Feb

26

24

$25,920

$25,920

More information

D'Youville College

716-881-7600

BS

15-Dec

42

32

$9,420

$9,420

More information

Daemen College

716-839-8225

BS

15-Jan

48

30

$10,000

$10,000

More information

Rochester Institute of Technology

716-475-2978

BS

15-Jan

48

25

$14,670

$14,670

More information

SUNY-Brooklyn

718-270-2324

BS

1-Jan

27

25

$11,215

$16,115

More information

SUNY-Stony Brook

516-444-3190

cert / BS

15-Jan

24

50

$9,100

$21,800

More information

Touro College

516-673-3200

BS

1-May

23

55

$22,400

$22,400

More information

NC

Bowman-Gray

910-716-4356

cert / BS

1-Dec

24

48

$24,000

$24,000

More information

Duke University

919-286-8234

cert / M

1-Dec

25

44

$33,600

$33,600

More information

PA

Duquesne Univ.

800-456-0590

M

1-Dec

27

30

$39,840

$39,840

More information

Gannon University

814-871-7407

BS

15-Jan

41

35

$40,000

$40,000

More information

King's College

717-826-5853

cert / BS

15-Jan

24/48

40

$28,400

$28,400

More information

Medical College of PA/Hahn'n

215-762-7135

cert / BS

1-Nov

24

90

$25,000

$25,000

More information

Phil.Col.of Tex/Sci

215-951-2908

cert / BS

1-Jan

24/48

35

   

More information

St.Francis College

814-472-3020

cert/BS/M

15-Jan

24/48

60

$18,600

$18,600

More information

SC

MUSC

803-792-6429

BS

31-Dec

21

22

$14,400

$44,225

More information

TN

Trevecca Naz'r.Univ

615-248-1225

cert / BS

1-Jan

24

30

$28,017

$28,017

More information

TX

Baylor Col of Med

713-798-4619

M

1-Jan

27

30

$8,200

$8,200

More information

Univ. of Texas -Galveston

409-772-3046

cert / BS

1-Nov

26

45

$3,000

$22,000

More information

U.TX-Southwest'n

214-648-1700

cert / BS

15-Nov

27

40

$3,450

$20,585

More information

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