Know exactly what you're looking for in a PA program before you apply.
Physician assistant (PA) programs prepare students to serve as medical professionals under the supervision of licensed physicians. According to the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA), as of September 2010 there are 154 accredited physician assistant programs in the United States. Each program is unique in its location, curriculum, faculty experience, facilities, tuition costs and clinical opportunities. While completing your admission requirements, such as prerequisites and patient contact hours, it is advantageous to begin looking into physician assistant programs that you're interested in applying to.
Instructions
1. Accumulate a list of college classes you've taken. Many physician assistant programs require that you complete certain undergraduate prerequisite courses in biology, chemistry and mathematics with a minimum of a C grade in each course. If you've received high marks in courses such as anatomy and physiology, biology, statistics, microbiology, genetics and chemistry, you will meet the course pre-requisite requirements of many physician assistant programs.
2. Identify your wants and needs in a physician assistant program. For example, if you want to live at home to save money on rent, apply to programs close to your home. Consider program differences such as tuition cost, available financial aid, housing availability, clinical rotation locations, class size, degree awarded and faculty experience when choosing which physician assistant programs to apply to. Once you figure out what you want from a program, begin contacting and researching the programs for more information.
3. Communicate with faculty and administration at the programs of your choice. Questions to ask include what they look for in an applicant and what kinds of activities their program offers. Some programs want students to travel internationally during breaks to acquire more patient experience, while other programs want them to be active in clinics for underserved populations. If you don't think you'll be able to handle extracurricular activities while attending a program, refrain from applying to programs that require this experience. By contacting schools, you may be able to narrow down your list of PA programs to apply to.
4. Connect with other pre-physician assistant or current physician assistant students to discuss program options. Ask them what schools they applied to or are going to apply to and why. If you know any current physician assistant students, ask them to give you a quick tour of their school if they have the time. Always visit programs that you're interested in applying to. This helps you decide if you like the location and the facility. For example, you may think you'll like a program in a large city, but you may find out when visiting that the location is too busy for you and would be a distraction from studying. After visiting the program, meeting the faculty and current students and visualizing yourself studying at that facility, you'll be able to determine if you'd ultimately like to apply to that program.
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