Pre-Physician Assistant
What is a Physician Assistant?
A physician assistant (P.A.) is a certified medical professional that is licensed to practice medicine under the supervision of a medical doctor. PAs go through a masters program offered by health science centers all over the U.S. There are about 187 P.A programs in the U.S and 9 programs in Texas alone.
Prerequisites
Prerequisites are suggested courses that most PA programs require/recommend students to take before applying.
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**These courses are not required and are only recommended electives*
Tips to be a competitive P.A. school applicant
- Keep your GPA as high as possible. Although most PA schools have a minimum of about a 3.0 GPA PA school is very competitive and having a higher GPA give you an advantage.
- Shadow PAs in your community as much as possible and highlight your experience in your application.
- Get several letters of recommendation from professors, work professionals and PAs that you have shadowed.
- Get involved with community activities, volunteering opportunities, internship experiences, and join the Pre-PA club on campus!
Graduate Record Exam (GRE)
The GRE is a standardized test used by many graduate school programs (PA & PT/OT) to assess the skills and abilities of applicants in specific subjects. The GRE is required by all Texas PA schools.
How to apply to Texas P.A. schools
All applications to Texas PA schools must be done online through the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA).
The application cycle runs from April 26th, 2018 – March 1st, 2019
To complete the application
- Fill out the online application
- Send in supporting documents/transcripts/ letters of recommendation.
- Fill in the necessary GRE information
- Pay for each application
- Paid application flat rate fee of $175 and $45 for each designation
Texas Physicians Assistant Programs:
Baylor College of Medicine
Physician Assistant Programs in Texas Baylor College of Medicine One Baylor Plaza Houston, Texas 77030 713-798-4619 http://www.bcm.tmc.edu/pap The University of Texas South Western Medical Center at Dallas School of Allied Health Sciences Physician Assistant Program 6011 Harry Hines Boulevard Dallas, Texas 75390-9090 http://www8.utsouthwestern.edu/utsw/cda/dept48945/files/54102.html University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth Physician Assistant: Studies Program 3500 Camp Bowie Boulevard Fort Worth, Texas 76107-2699 817-735-2301 http://www.hsc.unt.edu/education/pasp |
The University of Texas Medical Branch
Department of Physician Assistant Studies School of Allied Health Sciences 301 University Boulevard Galveston, Texas 77555-1028 409-772-3046 http://shp.utmb.edu/pas/ UT Pan Am at Edinburg Physician Assistant Program 1201 W. University Dr. Edinburg, TX 78539 (956) 381-2298 (956) 381-2438 (fax) http://portal.utpa.edu/utpa_main/daa_home/hshs_home/pasp_home Texas Tech University Health Science Center Department of Diagnostic and Primary Care Physician Assistant Program 360 N Garfield Midland, Texas 79705 915-686-4213 http://www.ttuhsc.edu/sah/mpa/ |
The University of Texas Health Science
Center at San Antonio UTHSCSA Mail Code 7702 Allied Health Sciences Admissions 7703 Floyd Curl Drive San Antonio, Texas 78229-3900 210-567-2660 http://uthscsa.edu/shp/pa/ |
What is P.A. school like?
The P.A program curriculum is similar to the medical school curriculum. The program is very intense and typically lasts about 26-30 months (2.5 years). During this time, students experience a combination of classroom and clinical instruction. They take instructional classes like anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, physical diagnosis, pathophysiology, microbiology, clinical laboratory science, behavioral science, and medical ethics. They also engage in more than 2000 hours of clinical rotations in family medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, general surgery, emergency medicine, geriatrics and psychiatry.
- See more at: http://www.aapa.org/landingquestion.aspx?id=290#sthash.xkH3knix.dpuf
- See more at: http://www.aapa.org/landingquestion.aspx?id=290#sthash.xkH3knix.dpuf
What can a P.A. do?
A PAs job description varies upon their experience, training, state laws, and the physicians on their health care team.
Generally PAs can do most of what physicians can do. This includes but is not limited to, conduct physical examinations, diagnose and treat illnesses, prescribe medication (in 49 states including Texas), assist in surgery, order and interpret lab tests, perform procedures, provide patient education and counseling, and make rounds in hospitals and nursing homes.
- For more information visit: http://www.aapa.org/landingquestion.aspx?id=290#sthash.xkH3knix.dpuf
Generally PAs can do most of what physicians can do. This includes but is not limited to, conduct physical examinations, diagnose and treat illnesses, prescribe medication (in 49 states including Texas), assist in surgery, order and interpret lab tests, perform procedures, provide patient education and counseling, and make rounds in hospitals and nursing homes.
- For more information visit: http://www.aapa.org/landingquestion.aspx?id=290#sthash.xkH3knix.dpuf
Resources
- http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/education/school-of-health-professions/programs/masters-programs/physician-assistant-studies/admissions/requirements.html
- https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/majors/health-professions-related-clinical-sciences-allied-health-diagnosis-intervention-treatment-physician-assistance
- https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/careers/health-diagnosis-treatment-physician-assistants
- https://portal.caspaonline.org/
- http://www.pasconnect.org/five-tips-for-getting-into-pa-school/
- http://blogs.calbaptist.edu/alliedhealth/2012/09/28/dr-kidd-shares-how-to-become-a-more-competitive-pa-school-candidate/
- http://www.thepalife.com/physician-assistant-program-tuition-and-costs-estimated/