Physician Assistant

Career Overview:

Physician assistants work in collaboration with a licensed physician to provide medical care to patients.
The physician-PA relationship is fundamental to the profession and enhances the delivery of high-quality health care. Because of their advanced education in general medicine, modeled after physician education, physician assistants can treat patients with significant autonomy.
Duties include diagnosing and treating illnesses, performing physical examinations, assisting in surgeries, making rounds in hospitals, and performing assigned tasks during a procedure

Physician Assistant Requirements:

Earn a Bachelor’s Degree with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 and a minimum science GPA of 3.0 on at 4.0 grading scale.
GRE scores in the 40^th percentile or higher in each of the three categories.
Obtain and submit Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA). CASPA application deadline for admission in May is mid-December
Three letters of recommendation from individuals with whom the applicant has had a professional working relationship in the health care field.
Additional, application nonrefundable fee of $50.
Prior health care experience is highly recommended and higher consideration may be given to applicants with prior direct patient contact.

NSU Physician Assistants Program:

The entry-level physician assistant program at NSU, leading to a Master of Medical Science (MMS) degree, is a fully integrated program encompassing basic science, clinical, and professional work. The course of study in the 15 month didactic/academic phase includes a curriculum that builds on student knowledge of the basic sciences, introduces clinical medicine and fosters the development of the critical thinking process. The second year consists of clinical rotations in hospitals, private practices, and other patient care areas over the remaining 12 months of the program. Some electives may be available for choice by the student. The following areas of concentration are required in this education phase: Internal Medicine, Surgery, Emergency Medicine, Pediatrics, and Family Medicine. Students also complete one selective rotation in orthopedics, dermatology or prenatal care/gynecology.