This is an overview and should not substitute for personally reviewing the requirements of each school. Please visit the respective school's website, as these requirements are subject to change. Each school has additional requirements regarding social sciences, humanities, and writing. This is only an overview of the science pre-requisites. For all non-science course requirements, please visit each PA School's website.
Physician Associate/Assistant School
A Guide to Course Requirements for the Physician Assistant Track
Hunter College does not offer a Physician Assistant Program.
General Information
Per the American Academy of Physician Associates, PAs are medical professionals who diagnose illness, develop and manage treatment plans, prescribe medications, and often serve as a patient's principal healthcare provider. With thousands of hours of medical training, PAs are versatile and collaborative and practice in every state and in every medical setting and specialty, improving healthcare access and quality.
The PA profession is a social innovation that evolved to help fill health care gaps, first in primary care and today, in all medical and surgical specialties and subspecialties. The PA profession is continuing to have a positive impact on healthcare, growing from 103 PAs for every 1,000 physicians in the U.S. in 2015 to 156 in 2019. PAs work in over 69 different medical and surgical specialties and subspecialties.
The Graduate Admissions Process
Most Physician Assistant programs accept between 30-50 students a year making admissions very competitive. Many Physician Assistant programs require that applicants take the GRE (Graduate Record Examination). Remember, the information above only applies to Physician Associate programs in New York State but there are many other programs throughout the country.
There are 30 Accreditation Review Commission Physician Assistant programs in New York State. For specific information regarding a physician assistant graduate program, check the PA Education Association (PAEA) website's Graduate Programs page.
Academics
Applicants are expected to complete an undergraduate degree, as well as an accredited graduate program. Please check each institution for their prerequisites for admission. In general, a minimum 3.34 science GPA and a 3.6 overall GPA is considered competitive. Please check website admissions for each school for more specific information.
Admissions Exams
- GRE: Currently, 26 of 30 New York State schools do not require the GRE. Please refer to the individual school to check on their policy as they change from cycle to cycle. A competitive GRE score is above the 50th percentile with a score between 300 and 310 or above and a 3.5 score on the writing section.
- PA-CAT: Not required by any institution.
Applying
- The Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) opens on the last Thursday of April and closes April 1 of the following year. Be sure to get in your transcripts and application early!
- CASPA Costs: FEE waivers are available. Please apply and apply early.
Recommended Activities & Student Statistics
Physician Assistant programs require extensive health care experience. While every school has its own minimum requirement, most schools require between 500-1000 documented hours of health care experience—particularly direct patient care.
Each school also feels differently about volunteering versus getting paid. Some would even like applicants to have non-health care related community service hours in addition to their health care experience.
Other schools would like students to have experience in more than one health care setting.
Check with each school for its preferences. Generally, the more hours of experience you earn the better candidate you become.
Below is a partial list of recognized experiences:
- Emergency Medical Technician
- Paramedic
- Medical Assistant
- Surgical Technologist
- Licensed Practical or Registered Nurse
- Dental Assistant
- Dental Hygienist
- Patient Interactive Scribe
- Certified Nursing Assistant
- Home Health Aide
- Residential Aide
- Physical Therapy Assistant
- Physical Therapy Aide
- Occupational Therapy Assistant
- Occupational Therapy Aide
- Respiratory Therapist
- Perfusionist
- Electrocardiographic (EKG) Technician
- Ophthalmologic Technician
- Volunteer Work involving Direct Patient Care
Working with the Pre-Health Office & Opening Your Pre-Health File
If you plan to apply to Physician Assistant programs, you may choose to open a Pre-Health File with the Pre-Health Professions Advising Office so that you can have access to advising, resources, and opportunities. Our office can also assist you in application planning, personal statement review, and uploading your letters of recommendation to CASPA.
Moreover, if you are unsure whether you want to pursue medical school or physician assistant studies, then you should open a file with our office and begin collecting the appropriate evaluations and letters of recommendation. By doing so, you preserve your options and your ability to apply for a Committee Letter if you choose to apply to medical schools.
