Physician Assistant Program - Southwest Florida

Admissions Requirements

The NSU PA Program SW Florida matriculates one class, in June of each year. Prospective students are selected by the Committee on Admissions (COA), which considers the overall qualities of the applicant. Areas of consideration include:

Personal interviews are offered to the most qualified applicants to assess interpersonal and communication skills, maturity, altruistic attitude and commitment to a PA career.

Dual Admissions Program

Undergraduate/Physician Assistant Dual-Admission Program with Hodges University

Nova Southeastern University’s College of Health Care Sciences has established an articulation agreement with Hodges University for a select number of highly motivated, qualified students interested in pursuing professional studies in the Physician Assistant Program. Candidates must complete all Hodges University core requirements and all prerequisite courses for entry into the NSU PA Program–Southwest Florida and will earn a baccalaureate degree from Hodges University prior to entry into the PA Program. In addition, candidates must maintain a specified grade point average during the undergraduate years at Hodges University and must achieve scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) that are no less that the mean scores for each element of the GRE of those students admitted to the NSU PA Program–Southwest Florida the prior year.

For more information and requirements, contact:

Hodges University
Office of Admissions
2655 Northbrooke Dirve
Naples, Florida 34119
(239) 513-1122

Application Procedure

The program participates in the Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) for the receipt and processing of all applications. However, CASPA takes no part in the selection of our students. CASPA application packets may be obtained from http://www.caspaonline.org/ or by calling (240) 497-1895. Deadline for the CASPA application is January 15 for the class matriculating in June.

Supplemental Application Form

Once the CASPA application has been received by Nova Southeastern University, a supplemental application will be made available online. Your complete supplemental application must be received no later than February 15 in order to be considered for admission for the June entering class. Once we receive the GRE scores, the supplemental application, and the $50 fee, your file will be reviewed by the admissions counselor.

Additional Requirements
Required Semester Hours & GPA
Prior to matriculation, applicants must have received a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university, with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a four point grading scale, and a minimum science GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 grading scale.
Required Courses
The College requires applicants to earn a grade of C (2.0) or better in each of the following required subjects:
  • College Algebra or higher - 3 semester hours (sh.)
  • English - 6 sh.
  • Humanities/Arts - 3 sh.
  • Social Sciences - 9 sh.
  • General Chemistry (I & II) including laboratory - 8 sh.
  • Microbiology including laboratory - 4 sh.*
  • General biology and lab OR Zoology including laboratory - 4 sh.
  • Human Anatomy - 3 sh.*
  • Human Physiology - 3 sh.*
  • Biochemistry or Organic Chemistry - 3 sh.
  • Medical terminology - 1 sh.

* Note: The science courses designated with an * must have been completed within the seven years prior to application to the program.

Note: Graduates of foreign institutions where English is not the primary language of instruction must present transcripts showing at least 18 semester hours (sh) of study from a regionally accredited college or university in the United States. Of these 18 semester hours: 3 sh must be in English Composition, English Literature, and Public Speaking (courses do not include ESOL). The remaining nine semester hours can be any course of the applicant's choosing (excluding physical education).

Recommended Courses
  • Biochemistry lab - 1 sh.
  • Organic chemistry lab - 1 sh.
  • Anatomy lab - 1 sh.
  • Physiology lab - 1 sh.

Applicants are encouraged to complete their elective course work in the areas of behavioral, physical and social sciences or humanities. Upon review of a student's record, the Committee on Admissions may require additional course work and testing as a condition of acceptance. In addition, previous clinical experience is highly recommended.

GRE Entrance Examination

All applicants are required to submit official scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general test to the EPS, attention Physician Assistant SW Florida Admissions. NSU's school code for the SW Florida program is 5522. The GRE must have been taken within the past 5 years and must be taken early enough for official scores to be received in the admissions office by the supplemental application due date of March 31st. Applications will not be considered complete without GRE scores.

For further information, contact:

Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
http://www.gre.org
1-609-921-9000

Basic Cardiac Life Support
We no longer require proof of current certification in Basic Cardiac Life Support. All students are required to take BLS/BCLS, ACLS and PALS (pediatrics) during the program regardless of previous certification status or training.
Computer Requirement
All students are required to have a computer and printer. The computer must have the following minimum specifications:
  1. IBM compatible PC
  2. 1 GB RAM
  3. DVD capability with CD-RW
  4. Sound capability and speakers
  5. Internet connection with private Internet Service Provider (ISP) for access from home to the Internet.
  6. Printer

The following are recommended features:

  1. Windows XP or higher
  2. Video capable of 800 x 600 screen display or better
  3. Microsoft Office 2003 or higher with Power Point, Word, and Excel minimum
  4. Surge suppresser electrical power
Clinical Year clinical experience tracking
All students will be required to track clinical experiences during the clinical year. The Program utilizes a web-based software program to track these experiences. Students may print out hard copies of the tracking pages and document their clinical experiences by hand-writing them into the pages for entry into the software program at a later date. However, to facilitate the tracking electronically, students may also prefer to purchase an IBM compatible laptop, a windows compatible PDA, or a cell phone with internet connectivity.
Computer Skills
All applicants must show evidence of computer skills through course work or self study prior to the end of the first term. Students may obtain instruction through the NSU Microcomputer Laboratory or other training facilities.
Foreign Transcripts
Applicants who have attended foreign universities or colleges are required to have their academic credentials evaluated for U.S. institution equivalence by either World Education Services, Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc. or Josef Silny and Associates, Inc.

World Education Services, Inc.
P.O. Box 745
Old Chelsea Station
New York, NY 10113-0745
(212) 966-6311
www.wes.org

Josef Silny & Associates, Inc.
International Education Consultants
7101 SW 102nd Avenue
Miami, FL 33173
Phone: (305) 273-1616
Fax: (305) 273-1338
www.jsilny.com

Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc.
P.O. Box 415070
Milwaukee, WI 53203
(414) 289-3400
www.ece.org

Healthcare Experience
Prior health care experience is highly recommended and is considered for admission. Applicants must submit verifiable information about prior health care experience in order to be competitive for admission to the program. The most current PA program brochure, university catalog and application information should be consulted for the most up-to-date information.
Transcripts
Official transcripts from the Registrar of all institutions where course work was completed OR attempted must be mailed directly to CASPA by the institutions. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that arrangements are made for these transcripts to be sent.
Letters of Recommendation
Three letters of recommendation must be submitted. One letter of evaluation must be sent from an individual (other than a relative) such as an academic advisor, professor, co-worker, supervisor or close friend. Two letters of evaluation must be from health care professionals, one of which must be a physician or physician assistant (PA).