Physician assistant program online masters

The best online physician assistant programs are accredited and offer you the structure and curriculum you need to meet your personal and professional goals. Below are a few questions you can ask about each program you're considering. You want to ensure that both the school and the individual program are accredited because this will be crucial for obtaining certification.

If you want to keep working while earning your master's degree, you may need to choose a program with asynchronous online classes that don't require you to sign in at particular times. At the very least, you'll need a program with class times that don't interfere with your work schedule. Colleges with good pass rates generally feature these numbers prominently on their PA program pages. Tuition is the largest portion of a degree's cost, but not the only one. Be sure to tally mandatory fees and the cost of books and supplies when calculating expenses.

PA students may be able to secure financial aid to help alleviate costs. See below for details. Financial aid can help reduce student debt by lowering the total cost of a degree. Although most graduate students take out student loans, they should give priority to scholarships, grants, and work-study opportunities that don't require repayment.

Most financial aid processes begin by applying for federal aid through the FAFSA and institutional awards through a student's college. Below, we've listed a few opportunities from private sources that PA students may also qualify for. Always check with your school's financial aid office to make sure you can use a particular scholarship at that school.

The NHSC may pay for tuition and fees and offer a stipend to eligible students. Applicants must agree to work in an underserved area for a period of one year for each year of funding they receive, with a two-year minimum commitment. As a federal program, only U. Applicants must be student members of the American Academy of PAs in an accredited degree program.

Additional criteria vary by scholarship. Applicants must be members of the Society of Emergency Medicine Physician Assistants who intend to work in emergency medicine after graduation.

Accreditation is an important indication of a school's quality. Colleges earn accreditation by passing a voluntary review by a recognized agency at the national or regional level, certifying that the school meets specified standards for faculty, curricula, and student support.

Regional accreditation is more prestigious than national accreditation, and regionally accredited schools will usually only accept transfer credits from other regionally accredited schools. However, either designation allows a school's online students to receive federal financial aid. Beyond regional and national accreditation at the school level, individual degree programs can also earn accreditation.

It's important that you graduate from a program accredited by the ARC-PA, or you won't be able to obtain certification to practice as a PA in any state. The road to PA certification starts with a bachelor's degree, progresses through a master's degree and clinical rotations, and ends with a comprehensive exam called the PANCE. This test is administered by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants , which also maintains continuing education standards for PAs.

To sit for the exam, applicants must have graduated from an ARC-PA-accredited master's degree program within the previous six years. Prospective PAs can make six attempts to pass the PANCE before they're required to re-enroll and graduate from a master's program again. Once certified, PAs must complete hours of continuing medical education every five years to maintain their credential. Only certified PAs can apply for a license to practice in their state or the District of Columbia. The American Academy of PAs maintains a list of state licensing boards for reference.

In most states, part of the licensure requirement is an agreement with a supervising physician that defines the scope of the PAs authority. PAs often serve as primary care providers and have a wide range of diagnostic and prescriptive powers, and supervisory agreements are designed to ensure necessary oversight.

These certificates indicate proficiency in one of seven specializations such as emergency medicine or orthopedic surgery. CAQs last for 10 years and may help make a PA more competitive in their job search. PA studies is a specialized educational discipline designed only to educate PAs. But the possible career options for licensed PAs are almost as wide as the medical field itself, and PAs can work for doctors in almost any specialty.

This versatility is one reason why the job outlook is so healthy for PAs in the U. Other reasons for the increasing need for medical care include a decline in the number of doctors and an aging population. Below are some examples of specialties that a PA can pursue once they earn certification and licensure. All information on wages comes from the AAPA's salary survey. No single answer will suit all who ask this question because everyone's personal and financial circumstances differ.

However, an online master's degree in physician assistant studies is the gateway to a lucrative and stable profession that many people have found rewarding. The program admits a class of 44 students on the University's Oakland campus annually. The first four semesters of the MPA curriculum are devoted to basic medical and clinical science.

The final three semesters one year involve full-time clinical experiences in primary care, geriatric and emergency medicine, and surgery. All courses are required; no transfer or advanced placement credit is offered.

All students must be enrolled full-time. Due to the rigorous nature of the MPA Program, being employed outside the University while enrolled is strongly discouraged.

Benchmarks and measures of success for current class es and three previous cohorts Reviewed and updated annually in August. Goal 1: To admit applicants who will enhance the diversity of our student body and the profession. A drop in enrollment of black and Hispanic students in resulted from issues we experienced managing a large pool of applicants. Goal 2: To graduate knowledgeable PAs through rigorous didactic and clinical education.

Data accreditation-provisional accreditation-continuing accreditation-probation. Class of average cum GPA 3. Probation is a status of temporary accreditation conferred when a program does not meet the Standards and when the capacity of the program to provide an acceptable educational experience for its students is threatened.

The University has provided support in the form of additional personnel and an accreditation consultant to facilitate this work. The PA Program will be reviewed again in with the potential restoration of our accreditation status to "Accreditation-Continued" in July, In , we implemented a PANCE success plan that identifies students who might benefit from faculty support based on the metrics above. Faculty support includes student-specific PANCE study plans based on test preparation, literature, and individualized coaching.

Goal 3: To graduate PAs who function as effective members of Interprofessional teams. Students participate in multi-learning simulation scenarios with colleagues from other disciplines and learn from and with each other in this unique learning experience.

Goal 4: To graduate PAs who effectively use data, information, and technology to support medical decision-making. Data For the CY cohort, students were rated at a 4 or 5 by their preceptors on out of The program has met its benchmark for CY Note: This goal was added for the clinical year in order to support newly-revised Institutional Learning Outcomes. To assess our performance relative to our benchmark, we have added a question to our preceptor evaluation of clinical year students and we are using the data from those surveys to demonstrate our success at achieving this goal beginning in spring of Goal 5: To graduate PAs who engage in effective self-care and wellness strategies to avoid provider burnout.

In , the advising form has been changed to mandate the conversation occurs and is documented at all advising encounters. Note: The issue of provider wellness is an emerging topic in PA education as well as medical fields generally. In recognition of this important issue, Samuel Merritt University has added an Institutional Learning Outcome dedicated to provider wellness and prevention of burnout.

At the PA program, we will continue to work to ensure this conversation is a regular feature of routine advising meetings. We will add prompts to student reviews and advisor feedback forms that facilitate the conversation. Additionally, we will work with the University and other sources to integrate wellness into our curriculum and student experience, including recommending that students, faculty and staff make regular use of resources available through SMU's BeWell SMU Hub. We believe that recruiting high-quality candidates who will actively engage in graduate medical education and honor the responsibility placed on a health care provider is imperative to the success of our graduates and our institution.

To this end, the PA faculty has identified core values that will be evaluated in all candidates for admission to our program. These values, in order of importance to PA faculty, are:.

In our review of your application, we will be looking carefully for evidence demonstrating these values. It is the applicant's responsibility to use the components of the CASPA application including personal statements, supplemental essays, and descriptions of previous experiences to demonstrate the values listed above.

Please understand we are currently operating in fluid environment and will continue to make updates to the FAQs, as needed. Will the program accept online prerequisites? Yes, the program will accept all prerequisite coursework including labs completed online from an accredited institution. Will the program accept virtual shadowing experience? Yes, the program will accept virtual shadowing experience for the admission cycle. Virtual shadowing may be conducted through Telehealth or other online platforms.

Will there be any delay in processing of applications? Will there be any changes made to the interview process dates? We anticipate that current state and county guidelines limiting travel and group gatherings will remain in effect.

As a result, we have made the decision to conduct our admissions interviews online. If you are selected for an interview, you will be given more information later in the fall or winter. All candidates must meet the following criteria in order to be considered for admission:. Baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution;. All prerequisites must be completed by the time of application;. Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.

Minimum science GPA of 2. Minimum of hours of health care experience described below ;. Three letters of reference. Preference is given to letters from physicians and physician assistants. Letters from relatives or family friends will not be considered. See below. This experience can be gained through a variety of occupations including, but not limited to: medical assistant back office , EMT, paramedic, certified nursing assistant, phlebotomist, scribe, registered nurse, and medic, among many others.

In order to diversify our classes, we also accept work experience as a patient advocate, medical interpreter, or community health worker. Our process is modeled after the four core principles of holistic admissions articulated by the AAMC:. In accordance with principle one of the core principles of a holistic review process published by the AAMC, the admission process outlined here is consistent with University mission and program goals and uses a broad array of selection criteria to create a diverse cohort.

Consistent with core principle three of the AAMC principles of holistic review, admission staff and program faculty collaborate in a review of applications that occurs in three stages:.

Stage 1 — Preliminary review, conducted by admission staff—Candidates who have met the minimum requirements defined above are selected for departmental application review. Stage 2 — Initial departmental review—Candidates are selected for detailed application review. Personal attributes and demographic factors are considered in addition to traditional metrics in this stage but do not contribute to the detailed application review or scoring of the application see below for further detail.

The intent of this step is to help create the most diverse pool of qualified applicants possible for detailed faculty review and scoring and to assist in tracking student performance in the program.

This step is consistent with core principle four of the AAMC principles of holistic review. Stage 3 — Detailed departmental review—Faculty review the entire application and assign a score based upon a balance of traditional academic metrics GPA and health care experience and personal attributes and experiential factors see below for further detail.

This step is consistent with core principle two of the AAMC core principles of a holistic application review. Traditional academic metrics used in this review include overall and science GPA and clinical experience. GPA in the last 60 units of the academic record may be used in stage two for candidates whose overall record may not provide a complete and current picture of academic performance and potential.

Preference is also given to those with experience shadowing a PA. Additionally, preference is given to candidates from populations that are underrepresented in medicine, veterans, and those who received their baccalaureate degree more than 10 years ago. Finally, preference is applied to veteran candidates and foreign-trained medical graduates. No matter where they work, PAs are focused on patient wellness and are integral in managing patient care and supporting health and well-being.

There is growing opportunity in the medical field and increasing demand for skilled PA practitioners. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of physician assistants in the United States is projected to grow 31 percent from to , much faster than the average for all occupations 1.

Learn more about board certification. Founded in , YSM is a world-renowned medical center that embraces the proud traditions of the past while innovating for the future of health care, which includes the establishment of Yale PA Online. Learn more about Yale School of Medicine. Take the next step in earning your online physician assistant degree MMSc through Yale PA Online by speaking with an admissions counselor.

Ask questions and discuss the program to learn how you can advance your health care career by becoming a physician assistant. Request More Information. Next Step. Admissions Requirements. Upcoming Deadlines. Yale PA Online Curriculum. Classes and Coursework. Clinical Experience in Early Didactic. Clinical Rotations. Request Information. Online Learning at Yale School of Medicine. Physician Assistant: A Critical Profession.