Committed to excellence in training of students to provide primary care and specialized health care in a variety of settings.

Location:

Scranton, United States

Program Type:

Full Degree

Degree Level:

Master

Specialty:

Physician Assistant

Program Overview

Program Description:

The Physician Assistant Program at Marywood University is committed to providing students with an exceptional education in a supportive and nurturing environment. This professional education will include the knowledge necessary to diagnose, treat, educate, and empower patients in a variety of settings.

Multiple Points of Entry

Enter as a Freshman – five year program; enter as a Transfer – two to five year program based on approved credits for advanced standing; enter as a Graduate Student – those with a B.S. may earn their master’s degree in PA studies after 27 months.

Clinical Diversity

Students may choose to focus their studies and clinical experience in any one of the following areas of concentration: Primary Care, Hospitalist, Pediatrics, General Surgery, Emergency Medicine, Orthopedics/Sports Medicine.

Program Overview

The five-year program consists of two distinct phases: The Pre-Professional Phase (years 1-3), and the Professional Phase (years 4 -5). The curriculum for the Professional phase is further divided into a Didactic and Clinical period.

The Pre-Professional Phase

During this phase of the program students undertake a period of study to meet the liberal arts core requirements and the science requirements to prepare for admittance to the Professional phase of the program. A description of this program can be seen in the undergraduate catalog.

The Professional Phase

This consists of 27 months of continuous study in the clinical sciences. The first 12 months are didactic and include classroom and laboratory work in basic and applied medical science. The final 15 months are clinical and include six 6-week rotations and two 3-month preceptorships. These are performed at local and regional clinical sites such as hospitals and medical offices, providing experiences in the areas of pediatrics, surgery, orthopedic surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, psychiatry, and emergency room medicine. During this phase students will be required to complete a Professional Contribution paper/project, or Thesis.

Clinical Concentration

In the fifth year of the program students will be able to select specialty tracks to focus their graduate education and clinical acumen. These tracks are General PA Studies (Primary Care), Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, Hospitalist, Pediatrics, General Surgery, and Emergency Medicine. Students will have to petition to enter the Specialty tracks and the enrollment will be limited to 3-4 students per track. The Preceptorship and Thesis and/or Professional Contribution will likewise be defined by the track the student has chosen. The tracks serve to allow students an opportunity to refine their clinical abilities within an area of specialization. These tracks do not make a student a specialist. No certification is conferred beyond that of the M.S. in PA Studies.

Degree Conferral and Certification

Those students entering the program as undergraduates will be awarded the B.S. in Health Sciences upon successful completion of the PA curriculum through year four. Students successfully completing the Professional Phase (years 4 and 5) of the PA Program are awarded the Master of Science degree in Physician Assistant Studies and are eligible to take the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE) administered by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants. Once a candidate passes the examination, he/she is certified to perform a broad range of diagnostic and therapeutic services under the supervision of a licensed physician.

 

Accreditation & Memberships

Marywood University’s Physician Assistant Program is fully accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARCPA). We are institutional members of the Association of Physician Assistant Programs (APAP) and The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA), the only national organization that represents physician assistants in all specialties and all employment settings.

Year 4 – PA Didactic Phase

Summer

*Clinical Assessment and Diagnosis I

*Pathophysiology I

*Medical Anatomy and Physiology I

*Clinical Medicine I

*Diagnostic Methods I

*Developmental Medicine I

*Epidemiology/Research Methods

Fall

*Clinical Assessment and Diagnosis II

*Pathophysiology II

*Medical Anatomy and Physiology II

*Clinical Medicine II

*Diagnostic Methods II

*Basic Medical Science I

*Developmental Medicine II

*Research Methods II

*Seminar I

Spring

*Clinical Medicine III

*Basic Medical Science II

*Behavioral Sciences

*Developmental Medicine III

*Seminar II

*Emergency Medical Technology

*Concepts and Issues in Gerontology

Year 5 – PA Clinical Phase

Summer

*Clerkship I

*Clerkship II

Fall

*Clerkship III

*Clerkship IV

*Clerkship V

Spring

*Clerkship VI

*Preceptorship I

Summer

*Preceptorship II

*Professional Contribution or Thesis

Additional Program Information

Accreditation:

Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Financial Aid:

Yes

Requirements:

Professional Phase Requirements *Successful completion of the Pre-Professional Phase at Marywood or a bachelor's degree from another college or university. *A minimum overall QPA of 3.00 *A minimum overall QPA of 3.00 in the following required science courses: 2 semesters of General Chemistry with lab, 2 semesters of General Biology with lab, 1 semester of Microbiology with lab, 2 semesters of Anatomy and Physiology with lab. In most cases these courses must have been completed within the last 7 years. *GRE scores *3 letters of recommendation *A minimum of 500 documented direct patient care hours *Completion of Technical Standards (upon acceptance to the program) *Submission of an application through CASPA (Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants). The application deadline is 12/1. *Successful interview by the Physician Assistant Selection Committee.