Master of Physician Assistant Studies (M.P.A.S.)

Requirements for Admission

BS/MS Physician Assistant Program Provisional Acceptance:

• A minimum combined SAT score of 1100 or a minimum ACT score of 22
• Academic GPA of 3.5 or greater
• Complete mandatory interview

Applications for acceptance are due by December 1 for consideration.

Formal acceptance will be offered during the 6th semester (spring prior to starting the program). Criteria to maintain provisional acceptance and be offered formal acceptance is:

• 3.0 Overall GPA 
• 3.0 Math/Science GPA
• Completion of 200 Healthcare Exposure Hours (including 20 hours shadowing a PA-C)

All prerequisite courses must be taken at Elizabethtown College.  Prerequisite courses may not be dropped.  Students must achieve a C or better in all prerequisite courses.

 

Master of Physician Assistant Studies Graduate Program:

• Coursework prerequisites:
  • General Biology - a minimum of 6 credits with laboratory
  • Anatomy and Physiology - a minimum of 6 credits with laboratory
  • General Chemistry - a minimum of 3 credits with laboratory
  • Organic Chemistry - a minimum of 3 credits with laboratory
  • Microbiology - a minimum of 3 credits with laboratory
  • Probability and Statistics - 3 credits
  • Psychology - 3 credits
• Overall GPA of 3.0 or greater
• Prerequisite GPA of 3.0 or greater
• Official GRE scores (ideal composite score of 300) or MCAT scores (ideal score of 500)
• Minimum 200 healthcare exposure hours (including 20 hours of shadowing a PA-C)
• Complete mandatory interview

 

Student Learning Outcomes for Physician Assistant:

The competencies expected of Physician Assistant graduates from Elizabethtown College align with ten competency domains developed from review of literature published by the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA) in the 2019 Core Competencies for New Physician Assistant Graduates and the 2012 Competencies for the Physician Assistant Profession document published by the four national PA organizations. 

Students will be able to:

• Medical Knowledge - Students will demonstrate a deep understanding and application of core medical knowledge that is essential for patient care upon entry into clinical practice.
  • Competent graduates will possess the medical knowledge deemed essential by the program for optimal patient care.
  • Competent graduates will gather accurate and essential patient information, determine differential diagnoses, order and interpret diagnostic studies, perform necessary procedures, diagnose, treat, and manage illness.
  • Competent graduates will recognize healthy versus ill patients throughout various stages of acute and chronic diseases, as well as those at risk for emerging illnesses.
• Patient Centered Care - Students will apply core medical knowledge learned to patient-centered care and utilize evidence-based medicine to refine clinical reasoning and judgement while demonstrating the ability to recognize healthy versus ill patients in various stages of illness.  
  • Competent graduates will establish rapport and communicate effectively with patients, families, and the public to appropriately address the patients’ health needs.
  • Competent graduates will demonstrate the ability to listen to and demonstrate sensitivity to patients’ beliefs and attitudes towards health and health care while having an awareness of one’s own implicit biases.
  • Competent graduates will use an evidence-based approach while using clinical judgment and reasoning during shared medical decision making.
• Society and Population Health - Students will understand how patient health may be affected by psychosocial influences as well as community, environmental, and genetic disparities. Graduates will be able to identify their own implicit biases and understand how these ideas can impact patient care.
  • Competent graduates will recognize and understand potential impacts of biology, immunology, epidemiology and genetics on patient health.
  • Competent graduates will recognize and understand patient barriers surrounding motivation, accessibility, and structural disparities in health care.
  • Competent graduates will recognize and understand psychosocial influences that may affect patient and population health while integrating knowledge of social determinants into medical decision making.
• Health Literacy - Students will utilize emotional intelligence to adjust the style and content of their verbal communication with patients to establish rapport and engage in shared decision-making.
  • Competent graduates will understand the health literacy of the patients they serve, interpret information so patients and their families can understand the information conveyed to them, and use unbiased and professional interpreters when barriers to communication arise.
  • Competent graduates will understand how different perspectives and expectations about health and healthcare can impact the therapeutic relationship and health motivation and outcomes.
• Professional Practice - Students will demonstrate an understanding of Physician Assistant roles and responsibilities while maintaining a level of team awareness, keeping the patient at the center of all health care decisions.
  • Competent graduates work collaboratively in teams and developing interprofessional relationships to ensure that the goals of patients remain the focus of the health care team.
  • Competent graduates will understand the roles of various team members and their various contributions to greater health outcomes.
• Legal, Fiscal, and System Based Healthcare - Students will demonstrate an understanding of ethically and legally appropriate ways to deliver safe, quality and efficacious healthcare to patients in a variety of clinical settings.
  • Competent graduates will provide quality care in a safe and efficient manner.
  • Competent graduates will know the bylaws and regulations of various practice settings.
  • Competent graduates will understand various types of healthcare systems, funding, and insurance; including the role of Medicare and Medicaid.
• Self-Reflection and Assessment - Students will work closely with program faculty and their advisors in an ongoing and continual process to develop strategies necessary for reflection, self-evaluation and self-control while developing confidence in addressing the health needs of their patients.
  • Competent graduates will demonstrate the ability to self-evaluate one’s personal and professional limitations, implicit biases and develop a strategic plan for addressing gaps.