Physician Assistant

The Basics

• What is a PA?
• Physician assistants (commonly known as PAs) provide health care under the supervision of a physician.
  
  The scope of practice for PAs varies state to state, but in general a PA can take medical histories, examine patients, order and interpret laboratory tests and x-rays, and make diagnoses. They also treat minor injuries by suturing, splinting, and casting. PAs may also prescribe medications under the supervision of a physician. PAs specializing in surgery can provide pre- and post-operative care and may work as first or second assistants during major surgery.
  
  PA’s obtain a master’s degree in Physician Assistant Studies.
  
  See the AAPA's "What is a PA?" to learn more about this profession.
   
• Becoming a PA
• Obtain undergraduate degree and complete all pre-PA requirements, including prerequisites, the GRE, and experiences (4 years)
  
  Attend an accredited PA program (2-3 years)
  
  Pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE) to become certified
  
  Optional: Complete a fellowship (length varies)
  
  Become licensed by the state in which you want to practice
  
  Maintain certification 
  
  PAs can work in any specialty in medicine, including surgery, emergency medicine, oncology, and more. Many PAs will switch from one specialty to another over the course of their careers. 
   
• Physician Assistant School Prerequisites

• PA School Prerequisites	Courses to take at UC Davis
  Most schools require:
  General Biology with Lab	BIS 2ABC
  General Chemistry with Lab	CHE 2ABC or CHE4ABC
  Human Physiology with Lab	NPB 101/NPB 101L  OR NPB 110C/NPB 101L  ***NPB 110C is for NPB majors, NPB 101 is for non-NPB majors
  Human Anatomy with Lab	EXB 106/106L  OR CHA 101/101L
  Microbiology with Lab	MIC 102/103L
  Statistics	STA 13 OR STA 100
  General Psychology	PSC 1
  Some schools require:
  Organic Chemistry	CHE 8AB OR CHE 118 ABC
  Genetics	BIS 101
  Biochemistry	BIS 102 & 103*
  Nutrition	NUT 10 & 11**
  Math	College-level math course
  Sociology	SOC 1 OR SOC 3 OR SOC 162/163/164
  Medical Terminology	Course not offered at UC Davis*
  English Composition	any combination of 3 quarters of ENL and UWP courses* *Make sure the course is writing intensive, there may be some grey area with some courses. Updated 11/2022
  Spanish	SPA 1, 2 & 3

  * Each school has different prerequisite coursework. Please check with individual schools to ensure you satisfy their prerequisite coursework.
  **Please note if a PA school requires Nutrition, NUT 10 may or may not fulfill the unit requirement. Students are recommended to take NUT 10 and NUT 11 if they are planning to fulfill the requirement at Davis.
  * If you have already taken BIS 105, we encourage having the syllabus ready to share with schools. Applicants don’t necessarily need to take additional classes before they apply. Requirements vary by school. Please call HPA’s Express Advising for questions.​ Updated 2/2023.
  
  See the Physician Assistant Program Prerequisite Chart for a sample list of PA programs and their requirements. Note that pre-requisite courses may be taken at an accredited community college or four-year university.
  
  See our community college course charts for Microbiology, and Anatomy & Physiology.
   

  Note: The above courses are only suggested, not absolute. 

  
  You can choose any major and apply to PA school. Even if your major does not require certain prerequisite courses for PA programs, you are still required to take them for admission to that school. Always cross-check your major requirements and the medical school requirements when choosing classes.
  
  Complete all of your prerequisite courses for a letter grade - DO NOT take any of them P/NP.
  
  HPA recommends that pre-PA students maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0, although many programs will have GPA averages above this minimum. Many programs have a 3.0 cutoff, meaning that they may "screen out" your application if you apply with lower than a 3.0
  
  Some PA programs require you to have your prerequisites done before you apply, while other programs want them done before you start the program. See HPA's California PA Program chart for more information. 

• Standardized Exams

• Please check the websites of schools that you are interested in applying to, for which exam they require or recommend.
  
  As of Summer 2020, some schools require or recommend the GRE and/or the PA-CAT.
  
  As of December 2018, only 3 PA programs in California required the GRE (Stanford University, Chapman University, and University of Southern California) and only 1 PA program recommends it (Dominican University of California).
  
  Available on a continuous basis throughout the year. Register for the GRE here.
  
  The GRE includes three sections:
       Verbal Reasoning
       Quantitative Reasoning
       Analytical Writing

  
  The exam cost $205 each time you take it.  You are only allowed to take the GRE every 21 days after your previous exam.

  The GRE is not a course-dependent test, meaning there are no specific UCD courses you need to take to prepare. The best way is to give yourself time to study the test by buying test prep books or taking a test prep course.

  Whatever you do, do not take the test without preparing! Click here to register for the GRE.
  
  The PA-CAT is a new science based entrance exam. As of June 2020, no California PA program requires the PA-CAT, but a PA-CAT score can be sent to select schools. Please always double check the schools you plan to apply to for updates. For more details and to register visit the PA-CAT website. 

• Pre-PA Experiences

• Asking, "Will this look good on a PA school application?" is the wrong way to approach your experience at UC Davis. PA schools will see who you are and what you care about through experiences that align with your interests, goals, and passions. Whatever you choose to do, be sure you are dedicated, passionate about it, and motivated to pursue it for the right reason!
  
  Many PA programs require 1,000 - 3,000 hours of Patient Care Experience (sometimes called “direct” or "hands-on" patient care). Most schools will have a sample list of experiences that will satisfy this requirement (See the UC Davis PA Program's experience requirements), but here is a list of Patient Care Experiences students commonly participate in during their undergraduate years or in their gap year:
  
       Medical assistant
       Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
       Certified nursing assistant (CNA)
       Phlebotomy technician
       Scribe
       Shadowing*
       Student-Run Clinics
       Health-Related Experiences*
       * may not be accepted at all programs for the hands-on patient care requirement

  In addition to Patient Care Experience, you can also include the following types of experiences on your application:
       Health Care Experience (paid and unpaid experience in a health care setting that does not meet the criteria for Patient Care Experience)
       Employment
       Shadowing
       Research
       Volunteer
  
  Click here to see a powerpoint with more information about gaining PA Experiences.

Applying to PA Programs

• Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistant (CASPA)

• The CASPA application cycle opens in April and will closes in May.

  It is very important that you read the CASPA Instructions & FAQ before starting your application. You are responsible for knowing this information before you apply.
  
  The initial cost for CASPA is $175 for the first program you apply to. Any additional programs you choose to apply to will cost $50 per school.

• Personal Statement

• You will have 5,000 characters to write a “brief statement expressing your motivation or desire to become a physician assistant.” - CASPA Instructions & FAQ

  All programs you apply to will see the same personal statement. Once you submit your CASPA application, you cannot update or edit your personal statement.

  The personal statement is your first chance to provide admissions committees with subjective information about your qualifications and your reasons for choosing this particular career. In other words, the personal statement is your initial opportunity to present yourself as an interesting and unique applicant who deserves a closer look.

• Letters of Recommendation

• CASPA allows you to submit 3 - 5 letters of recommendation, also called evaluations.

  Letters must be completed within CASPA at the time of your application. CASPA will not accept letters from Interfolio or other letter services.

  Your letter writers will also complete a questionnaire in which he or she evaluates you on a scale of 1–5 in regards to several different criteria.

  See CASPA’s How to Submit a Letter of Reference for more information.

• Supplemental Applications

• Some secondary questions are embedded in CASPA and sometimes sent later in supplemental applications, school-specific applications.

  Each school has a different supplemental application - some schools might ask you to complete additional short essays or a questionnaire, or they could ask for a resume or a headshot.

  Usually supplemental applications include a fee that can range from $50 - $100.

• Interviews

• Some PA schools include interviews in their admissions process, while others do not. 

  Interview styles vary by school and may include one-on-one conversations, panel interviews, and/or multiple mini interviews (MMI). 
  
  Schools using multiple mini interviews:
  A.T. Still University
  George Washington University
  Mercer University
  Midwestern University
  Mount Saint Joseph
  Rosalind Franklin University
  SUNY Upstate
  University of Evansville
  University of Findlay
  University of Texas Southwestern
  Western University of Health Sciences
  
  
  
  
  
  
   

• Choosing Schools

• There are over 200 accredited PA programs in the U.S. and many more in the process of becoming accredited. See the ARC-PA list of programs. 

  There are a variety of factors that go into choosing which PA programs to apply to, including location, environment (i.e. urban), tuition, class size, focus or mission statement, etc. Spend some time researching schools online and create a spreadsheet that tracks the factors most important to you. HPA also recommends meeting with an advisor to discuss your school list.

  California PA programs:
  
       California Baptist University
       Chapman University
       Charles R. Drew University
       Dominican University (Accreditation in progress)
       Keck School of Medicine (USC)
       Loma Linda University
       Samuel Merritt University
       Southern California University of Health Sciences
       Stanford University School of Medicine
       Touro University California
       University of California, Davis
       University of La Verne (Accreditation in progress)
       University of the Pacific
       Western University of Health Sciences
  
  Click here to see the list of California PA School's Policies on DACA.