Pre-Physician Assistant Education

The Physician Assistant Profession
A Physician Assistant (PA) is a licensed health care professional who practices medicine under a physician’s supervision. A PA provides a broad range of health care services that were traditionally performed by a doctor, and often spends extra time counseling patients on ways to stay healthy.  PAs perform physical exams, diagnose illnesses, develop and carry out treatment plans, order and interpret diagnostic tests, suture wounds, assist in surgery, provide preventive health counseling and write prescriptions.

Physician Assistant Education
Physician Assistant education is offered through two masters level programs in Nebraska: University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) School of Allied Health and Union College.  UNMC’s program takes 7 continuous semesters (28 months) of study to complete.  Union College offers a 30 month program.

Undergraduate Preparation
All applicants to the UNMC Physician Assistant Program are required to have completed a bachelor’s degree prior to matriculation.  The undergraduate program includes 50 hours of required course work that must be satisfactorily completed by June 1 preceding the intended fall semester date of enrollment.  Required coursework must be taken for a letter grade.  Required coursework submitted as credit obtained through CLEP examination, Advanced Placement, or graded Pass/No Pass will not be accepted. 

Required and Recommended Courses
The following are entrance requirements for the UNMC Physician Assistant Program.  Students who are considering other programs are encouraged to contact those schools directly for a list of entrance requirements.     

1. Required Courses

 

General Biology with lab – 4 hours 

Human Anatomy with lab – 4 hours 

Human Physiology with lab – 4 hours 

Microbiology with lab – 4 hours 

General Chemistry with lab – 8 hours 

Organic Chemistry with lab – 4 hours (UNMC) 8 hours (Union)  

Biochemistry – 4 hours

General Psychology - 3 hours 

Abnormal Psychology  - 3 hours 

Life Span/Developmental Psychology –3 hours

Statistics  – 3 hours 

English Composition – 6 hours 

Medical Terminology – 1 hour (Required for Union)  __________

Emergency Health Care or CPR Certification – 2 hours (Required for Union)

1. Recommended Courses

Immunology and College Algebra are strongly recommended. Courses in chemistry, biology, mathematics, and psychology beyond the minimums are encouraged.  Some schools require Genetics for application.

Extracurricular Experiences
Pre-Physician Assistant students are encouraged to participate in extracurricular experiences that will help prepare them for PA School and the Physician Assistant profession.  Such experiences include leadership roles, volunteer work, research, and shadowing.  Extracurricular experiences play a significant role in a student’s application to a professional school program.  These experiences demonstrate a commitment to and knowledge about the profession.  In particular, shadowing physician assistants will help students to learn more about the profession.  Programs will vary regarding minimum number of hours spent employed or experiencing health care.  UNMC does not set minimum exposure requirements however, Union College requires documentation of at least 3 months (480 hours, full-time) of work experience related to the medical profession.  For example, nursing, pharmacy, behavioral or medical lab fields including medical corpsman, surgical technician, EMT, or phlebotomist.

Application and Admission
Both UNMC and Union College Physician Assistant Programs participate in a centralized application service called the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA).  Applications and recommendation forms may be obtained from www.capsaonline.org.  After the CASPA application has been forwarded to UNMC, an Application Addendum will be sent to individuals chosen for further consideration.  Union College requires a completed Union College application for admission which includes a personal essay and signed lifestyle agreement (http://www.ucollege.edu/enroll/eforms/domesticapp.htm#agreement).
The general exam of the GRE is required (http://www.gre.org).  The application deadline for both Union and UNMC is November 1.  In addition, both programs require three letters of recommendation.  It is suggested that references come from health care professionals, college teachers, supervisors, employers, and others who are familiar with the applicant’s abilities and talents.  An interview is required as part of the admissions process.   

Additional Resources
Association of Physician Assistant Programs
http://www.paeaonline.org/

American Academy of Physician Assistants
http://www.aapa.org

University of Nebraska Medical Center
Physician Assistant Program
Diane Landon, Admissions Coordinator
984300 Nebraska Medical Center
Omaha, NE 68198-4300
402-559-2232 or 800-686-8431, ext 9-2232
dklandon@unmc.edu
www.unmc.edu/alliedhealth/pa                                                                                        

Union College
Physician Assistant Program
Michael Huckabee, Program Director
Larson Lifestyle Center, Upper Level
Lincoln, NE
402-486-2527
paprog@ucollege.edu
http://www.ucollege.edu  (under Academics section)