Physician Assistant/Associate
MS Master of Physician Assistant Studies, PA-C Physician Assistant-Certified
Physician assistants are health professionals licensed to practice medicine with physician supervision. As part of their comprehensive responsibilities, PAs conduct physical exams, diagnose and treat illnesses, order and interpret tests, counsel on preventive health care, assist in surgery, and write prescriptions. Within the physician/PA relationship, physician assistants exercise autonomy in medical decision making and provide a broad range of diagnostic and therapeutic services. The clinical role of physician assistants includes primary and specialty care in medical and surgical practice settings in rural and urban areas. Physician assistant practice is centered on patient care and may include educational, research, and administrative activities.*
Services performed by physician assistants include, but are not limited to the following:
- Evaluation – initially approaching a patient of any age group in any setting to elicit a detailed and accurate history, perform an appropriate physical examination, delineate problems, and record and present the data.
- Monitoring – assisting the physician in conducting rounds in acute and long-term inpatient care settings, developing and implementing patient management plans, recording progress notes and assisting in the provision of continuity of care in office-based and other ambulatory care settings.
- Diagnostics – performing and/or interpreting, at least to the point of recognizing deviations from the norm, common laboratory, radiologic, cardiographic and other routine diagnostic procedures used to identify pathophysiologic processes.
- Therapeutics – performing routine procedures such as injections, immunizations, suturing and wound care, managing simple conditions produced by infection or trauma, participating in the management of more complex illness and injury, and taking initiative in performing evaluation and therapeutic procedures in response to life-threatening situations.
- Counseling – instructing and counseling patients regarding compliance with prescribed therapeutic regimens, normal growth and development, family planning, situational adjustment reactions and health maintenance.
- Referral – facilitating the referral of patients to the community’s health and social service agencies when appropriate.
Because of the close working relationship the PAs have with physicians, PAs are educated in the medical model designed to complement physician training. Upon graduation from an accredited physician assistant educational program, physician assistants take a national certification examination developed by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) in conjunction with the National Board of Medical Examiners. To maintain their national certification, PAs must log 100 hours of continuing medical education every two years and sit for a recertification every 10 years. Graduation from an accredited physician assistant program and passage of the national certifying exam are required for state licensure.
After completing your bachelor’s degree, Physician Assistant Graduate Degree programs take approximately 26 months (two to three years) to complete. After graduating from an accredited PA program, graduates will be eligible to take the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE) administered by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA). You then will obtain a state license to practice. (Information provided by American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA, 2021).
Academics
- Suggested Timeline
- Prerequisite Chart
- PreHealth Requirements (PDF)
- UF School of Physician Assistant Studies Prerequisite Courses
- Human Anatomy & Physiology* (6–8 semester hours, including labs)
- Microbiology** (3–5 semester hours, including lab)
- General Chemistry (Inorganic)*** (8–11 semester hours, including labs)
- Statistics (3 semester hours)
- Medical Terminology (1+ semester hour)
- *Human Anatomy & Physiology: Two semesters combined or one semester Anatomy + one semester Physiology with labs
- **Microbiology: Must include a laboratory
- ***Chemistry: General Chemistry sequence with labs
- No CLEP/Advanced Placement Courses accepted
- Check schools of interest for additional prerequisites.
- Recommended Additional Courses
- Medically-related Sciences
- Biochemistry, Biostatistics, Cell Biology, Immunology, Virology, Molecular Genetics, Endocrinology
- Non-medically-related Sciences
- Physical Chemistry, Physics, Quantitative Analysis
- Social and Behavioral Sciences
- Psychology, Sociology, Medical Ethics, Developmental Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, Anthropology
- Writing
- Expository Writing, Technical Writing
- Humanities/Liberal Arts
- Communications and Humanities
- Check schools of interest for any additional recommended courses.
- Medically-related Sciences
- GPA Information
- A minimum Overall Science GPA of 3.0 (UF School of Physician Assistant Studies)
- All prerequisite courses must be completed at regionally accredited institutions.
- Prerequisite courses must be completed with a grade of C or better by the fall semester before matriculation.
Extracurriculars
- Patient Care Experience
- Direct hands-on experience is essential (UF requires 2,000 hours minimum)
- Examples: EMT, CNA, medical assistant, phlebotomist, paramedic, respiratory therapist
- Shadowing
- Exposure to physician assistants in various specialties
- Volunteering
- Community service and medical-related volunteer work
- Leadership & Involvement
- Student organizations, clubs, service projects, and leadership roles
Application
- CASPA (Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants)
- Opens annually in late April
- CASPA Website
- Application Materials
- Official Transcripts
- GRE scores (check school requirements)
- Letters of Recommendation
- Personal Statement
- List of shadowing, patient care, volunteering, and extracurricular activities
- Interviews
- Competitive programs invite selected applicants
- Expect traditional, ethical, and scenario-based questions
Specialty Programs
- University of Florida School of Physician Assistant Studies
- UF PA Program Website
- Program length: 24 months
- Class size: ~60 students
- Degree awarded: Master of Physician Assistant Studies
- Other Florida PA Programs
- NOVA Southeastern University
- Barry University
- Florida International University
- AdventHealth University
- Keiser University