Pre-Physician Assistant Preparation at UHMānoa
(Text compiled from the American Academy of Physician Assistants website www.aapa.org, NAAHP’s Health Professions Admissions guide, and the UHM 2006-2007 Catalog.)
P.A. Programs
Prerequisites for Admission
What makes a strong candidate?
Standardized Tests
The Application Process
Additional Information
Downloadable Brochure
Physician Assistants (PAs, also called RPAs for Registered, or PA-Cs for Certified, or even RPA-Cs) are licensed health professionals who practice medicine as members of a team under the supervision of a physician. PAs see many of the same types of patients as physicians and deliver a broad range of medical and surgical services. PAs conduct physical exams, diagnose and treat illnesses, order and interpret tests, counsel patients on preventive care, assist in surgery, and in all states except Indiana, prescribe medications.
The scope of a PA’s practice is determined by training, experience, state law, and the supervising physician’s practice. Basically, PAs work wherever physicians work, whether in family practice, surgery, a specialty area, or research. A PA’s duties and autonomy depend upon the PA’s clinical experience and his/her relationship with the supervising physician.
Although PAs work under supervision, the supervision can be remote, which means the physician does not necessarily have to be present. PAs may be the principal health care providers in rural or inner city clinics, where the physician is present for limited times or only for consultation via telephone or other media. PAs may also make house calls, check on patients at nursing care facilities, and conduct hospital rounds on their own.
The PA profession began in the 1960s and remains one of the fastest growing occupations. Like physicians, PAs serve in all types of communities, from rural to urban, and in a wide variety of settings, from private practice to clinics and hospitals. PAs also work in specialized settings such as nursing homes, health maintenance organizations (HMOs), and the armed forces.
P.A. Programs
Becoming a Master of Science Physician Assistant (MSPA) requires 4 to 6 ¼ years of education:
- Undergraduate course work (2 to 4 years);
- Physician Assistant program (2 to 2 ¼ years).
Although some of the more than 130 accredited PA programs will accept students with only two years of college credits, completing a Bachelor degree is generally expected, strengthens an application, and is highly recommended.
The first year of PA programs usually consists of courses in basic medical sciences: anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, biochemistry, microbiology, medical diagnosis, and disease prevention. The second year usually consists of rotations through a variety of specialties geared toward primary care, including obstetrics and gynecology, surgery, orthopedics, emergency medicine, psychiatry, pediatrics, and geriatrics, among others.
Graduation from a program accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education of the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) qualifies PAs to sit for the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE) by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) in cooperation with the National Board of Medical Examiners. All PAs must be licensed to practice!
To keep abreast of the changing health care field, PAs log 100 hours of continuing medical education every two years and pass a recertification exam every six years.
Prerequisites for Admission
Prerequisite requirements vary widely from school to school! You must research individual programs (links are available at www.paeaonline.org) to create a list of all the prerequisites you will need to apply to the PA programs you are considering.
The following UHM courses are commonly required for admission to PA programs:
Biol 171/171Lab and 172/172Lab |
Introductory Biology I and II |
Chem 151/151Lab and 152/152Lab (or Chem 161/161Lab and 162/162Lab) |
Chemistry (2 semesters) |
Micr 130 and 140 |
Microbiology (1 semester) |
Phyl 141/141Lab and 142/142Lab |
Human Anatomy and Physiology (2 semesters) |
Psy or Socs 225 |
Statistics (1 semester) |
English |
English (2 semesters) |
Math 140 |
College Math |
Additional requirements may include computer science (ICS 101); medical terminology (Hlth 110 and 125 at KCC); and physics (Phys 151/151Lab and 152/152Lab).
Most programs also require substantial health care experience: 6-12 months of full-time, clinical, "hands on," direct patient care (1000-2000 hours). Consequently, the majority of applicants to PA programs come from those already in health care (see examples, below).
What makes a strong candidate?
PA Admissions committees are looking for students who have:
- completed the prerequisites;
- a high overall GPA;
- a high science/math GPA;
- performed well on the GRE or MCAT;
- strong letters of recommendation;
- life experience and maturity; and
- considerable health care experience
Experience can be divided into two categories:
- Direct patient contact (as a phlebotomist, nursing aide, certified nursing assistant, physical therapy assistant, pharmacy assistant, medical assistant, emergency medical technician, x-ray technician, military corpsman, etc.)
- Health care related experience (as a lifeguard, ski patrol personnel, first aid personnel, laboratory or research staff, etc.)
Successful applicants log their health care experience in terms of months or years, not hours.
Standardized Tests
All accredited PA programs require applicants to submit scores from a standardized test, but which test varies from school to school. Many programs require the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), while others require the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT).
The GRE can be scheduled for almost any day of the year and is available only in computer-based format. Appointments are scheduled first-come, first-served basis. You can register three ways: via telephone, at 1-800-529-3590, using a credit card; via mail, by completing the Authorization Voucher Request Form in the GRE Registration Bulletin and mailing it, along with the registration fee payment, to the designated address; or via online at www.gre.org, using a credit card.
The GRE requires approximately 3-4 hours and tests your verbal, quantitative (math), and writing skills. Some versions include an ungraded, experimental section. Scores for the verbal and quantitative sections range from 200 to 800, with 800 being highest; scores for the writing section range from 0 to 6, with 6 being highest. Your score report will be mailed to you, usually within about two weeks of the test date, and will include not only your scores but also your percentile ranking.
The MCAT is now available only in computer-based format and is offered several times each year. To register, visit www.aamc.org. The test takes approximately 4 hours and tests your knowledge and skills in Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences, Verbal Reasoning, and Writing. Scores for the biological, physical, and verbal sections range from 1 to 15, with 8 being average. Scores for the writing section range from 'J' (lowest) to 'T' (highest), with 'O' being average. Both individual and composite scores are reported; a composite score of 25 'O' and higher is considered competitive.
The Application Process
The application cycle begins in early summer each year, and you should plan on applying in the summer before your senior year, one full year before you plan to enter a PA program. The application cycle usually closes at the end of March.
Most PA programs participate in the Centralized Application Service (CASPA). Applying through CASPA requires three general steps: the initial, or primary application through CASPA; the secondary or supplementary applications for individual schools; and the interview. Applying to PA programs that do not participate in CASPA requires only two steps: the individual schools’ applications and the interview.
To apply to programs that do not participate in CASPA, you will need to contact each school directly to request their individual applications.
To apply to schools that do participate in CASPA, begin by registering on the website and by checking for updates on application procedures and deadlines, then complete the CASPA application. Once your application is complete, CASPA will forward it to whichever schools you specify. You are not done with this step until you verify with CASPA that your application is complete.
The CASPA and individual schools' applications generally require:
- a completed application form, which includes a log of health care experiences;
- a personal statement or essay;
- transcripts from every institution attended; and
- letters of evaluation and possibly character references.
After reviewing the CASPA applications they have received, PA programs send their own applications (often called the "secondary application" or "secondaries") directly to students who meet their basic criteria for admission. Secondary applications frequently request additional information.
After reviewing the secondary applications, PA programs invite promising applicants to an interview. The interview is a very important part of the process; interviewees will be assessed on professional motivation, knowledge of the profession, interpersonal skills, and dedication to health care. Applicants are responsible for all costs incurred while interviewing, including airfare, lodging, and meals.
CASPA has established an Admission Code of Cooperation to detail the responsibilities of applicants, schools, and CASPA; applicants should become familiar with the Code.
- The more you know about the school, the better your chances of being accepted.
- Contact individual schools' Admissions Offices to find out how they handle:
- advanced placement (AP) credits
- College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) credits
- courses taken at a community college
- courses taken for credit/no credit instead of a grade
- residency issues
- time limits on acceptable science courses
- coursework taken outside the U.S.
Additional Information
UHMānoa’s Pre-Health/Pre-Law Advising Center (PAC) has reference books, lists of volunteer opportunities, academic planning worksheets, and one-on-one advising by peers who can help you prepare for and apply to physician assistant programs.
| UHM's Pre-Medical Association (PMA) | www.hawaii.edu/premed premed@hawaii.edu |
| Physician Assistant Education Association (includes a link to the PA Programs Directory) |
www.paeaonline.org |
| American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) | www.aapa.org |
| Association of Physician Assistant Programs (APAP) | www.apap.org |
| Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) | https://portal.caspaonline.org/ |
| Graduate Record Examimation (GRE) | www.gre.org |
| Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) | www.aamc.org/students/mcat |
| Physician Assistants in American Medicine by Hooker and Cawley | available in PAC |