Physician Assistant Preparation

www.paeaonline.org

Preparation for physician assistant requires, first and foremost, that certain pre-requisite courses be completed. In addition, it is important to research the programs you are interested in to determine if health care experience is required and if so, how many hours. Many programs only admit students who have already been working in the health care field: EMT, paramedic, office medical assistant, surgical technician, respiratory therapist, medical lab technologist, licensed acupuncturist, etc.

Because the path to physician assistant is complex, we have prepared a 25 minute lecture on the topic at this site, www.salisbury.edu/henson/hpap/davis . Students are required to listen to this lecture on their own before coming to their HPAP appointment to discuss their own unique situation

You may want to subscribe to the PA Programs Directory, the only comprehensive listing of PA education programs in the United States. The directory contains each program’s contact information, admission deadlines and application instructions, entrance requirements, curriculum, tuition, and other relevant information. The directory also links to the program’s web-sites. You can subscribe to this directory by using the web-site above. A Salisbury University alum who gained admission to PA School also advises considering the following resources:

"So you want to be a Physician Assistant", by Beth Grivett, PA-C
http://www.physicianassistantforum.com/forums/forum.php

You can choose any undergraduate major, provided that you include the required physician assistant school prerequisite classes in your course of study. You must do very well academically in the area of study that you choose and also in all prerequisite courses. Requirements may vary by school, but the following courses are generally required:

Edward Mikula Biology Major Chemistry Minor Towson University Physician Assistant Program	Meghan Smith East Medical Lab Science Major Biology Major Towson University Physician Assistant Program
Allison Kollinger Ross Biology Major Earth Science Minor Duke University Physician Assistant Program