Physician Assistant Program

Admissions

Admission Requirements

To be considered for the Physician Assistant program, applicants must:

1. Submit all application materials to the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) at www.caspaonline.org/ including official transcripts for all institutions of higher education attended and three recommendations. All applicants are asked to read and adhere to the CASPA Admissions Code of Cooperation available on the CASPA web site

2. Submit official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test (verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing) scores from exams taken after 2002. These must be sent directly to Shenandoah University, college code 5613. While there is no minimum GRE score required for admission, the successful candidate generally has scores above the 50th percentile. Note: GRE test scores are not required if the applicant already possesses a relevant graduate degree (i.e., MS or MPH). 

A new version of the GRE exam will be administered beginning August 1, 2011.  Scores from these tests will not be available until mid-November.  If you have not previously taken the GRE, we highly recommend that you take the GRE prior to August 1 to insure timely processing of your application.

Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
www.gre.org
Phone: (609) 771-7670

International students must have their transcripts submitted for independent evaluation of equivalency by an acceptable credential evaluation agency. International students are also required to demonstrate English language proficiency as outlined in the Graduate Catalog.

3. Preference will be given to candidates who can demonstrate a commitment to practice in primary care in rural or urban medically underserved areas. Candidates requesting this preference must do so in the form of a letter or e-mail sent directly to the PA program (not CASPA) and include their rationale for the request along with documentation supporting the commitment to primary care practice in underserved communities. Documentation is best achieved by identifying and describing prior work or community volunteer experience.

4. As a part of the CASPA application, candidates will prepare an admissions narrative, which will be evaluated by the admissions committee and must be considered graduate student quality. Use this narrative to explain why you are interested in becoming a physician assistant and demonstrate that you have an in depth understanding of the PA role in the health care system. In addition, candidates are encouraged to use the CASPA narrative to explain any aspects of their application that may require clarification (e.g., gaps in education or work, etc.).

5. Health-care experience (voluntary or paid) or observational experience with a physician assistant is not required, but highly suggested and considered by the SU PA admissions committee. This will also be documented within the CASPA application.

6. Academic Requirements:

Applicants must hold a bachelor's degree from a college or university (accredited by an agency recognized by the US Dept. of Education) with a minimum 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) undergraduate cumulative grade point average (GPA) to be considered for regular admission. Candidates with a science (BCP) GPA of 3.0 or greater are considered to be more competitive.  A candidate with less than a 3.0 undergraduate grade point average may be considered for admission with regular student status if he/she has completed at least 15 semester hours of relevant coursework at the graduate level and has a minimum GPA of 3.0 for these courses.

Applicants must complete the following prerequisite coursework (documented via official transcripts):

  1. Human  Anatomy and Physiology with lab - 2 semesters 
  2. General or Introductory Chemistry with lab - 1 semester
  3. Biochemistry - 1 semester  
  4. Microbiology with lab - 1 semester
  5. Abnormal Psychology - 1 semester
  6. Child Developmental or Life Span Psychology (preferably Life Span) - 1 semester
  7. Mathematics (preferably statistics) - 1 semester
  8. Medical Terminology - 1 semester
  • In order to satisfy a prerequisite, courses must have been passed with a grade of C or better at a college or university accredited by an agency recognized by the US Dept. of Education. In order to be competitive, however, it is strongly recommended that prerequisites be completed with a grade of B or better.
  • Science courses must be current within ten (10) years of application.
  • Distance education formats are not permitted for the science courses that require a laboratory component.
  • In some cases, work experience specific to the science course older than 10 years may substitute for repeating the course. Contact the PA program for information on how to request the substitution.
  • Anatomy and physiology sequence should be taken at the same university to ensure continuity and must cover all body systems. Comparative anatomy, vertebrate anatomy, functional anatomy, anatomy and physiology designed for specific disciplines, or fundamentals of anatomy and physiology courses are not counted toward the A & P requirement.
  • Candidates may take anatomy and physiology as separate courses provided both have laboratory components and both have a human,comprehensive focus.

7. The PA Program reserves the right to verify credentials documented in the candidate's application.

The PA program uses a rolling admissions process. Early application is strongly encouraged. After the interview is conducted, the admissions committee may recommend one of the following based upon the collective judgment of the committee and a point scoring system:

  1. Acceptance: Candidates with all prerequisites completed will be recommended for full acceptance. Candidates with outstanding prerequisites will be recommended for conditional acceptance. The number of candidates recommended for acceptance will be determined annually by the PA program class size.
  2. Admission Alternates: A limited number of applicants will be ranked as alternates and will generally be notified of their admission status on or before June 1. Applicants not admitted from the alternate list must reapply, if they wish to be considered in subsequent years. Rank or position on the alternate list will not be disclosed to candidates due to its dynamic nature.  (See FAQs)
  3. Non-Acceptance: Applicants denied acceptance will be notified in writing. Candidates wishing to be considered in a subsequent admission cycle must reapply and must satisfy all admission requirements for that cycle.

Other Requirements

Applicants selected for admission to the program must provide evidence of good health and up-to-date immunizations prior to matriculation. Prior to beginning coursework, students are required to authorize and submit to a criminal background check, including sex offenses and crimes against minors. Students may also be expected to submit to drug testing required by clinical practice sites. Non-compliance with the criminal background checks and/or drug testing policies may be cause for dismissal from the program of study.

In addition, students are required to maintain health insurance and liability insurance coverage. Further information will be reviewed in detail at orientation. Accepted students are required to attend all orientation sessions scheduled by the program.

Falsification of any portion of the application process, including the CASPA application, will be cause for immediate dismissal from the PA Program.

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