³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏing to Physician Assistant School
PA programs require various prerequisites for admission and consider a variety of clinical and non-clinical experiences. This typically includes:
- A bachelor's degree
- Specific prerequisite coursework
- Standardized test scores
- Clinical and non-clinical experiences
Become a Physician Assistant:
- Learn more about the profession
- Always check with your schools of interest to see which specific prerequisites they require, and which ones they recommend.
- Find a Program (CASPA Directory):
Specialty areas:
There are no limitations to specialty areas for PAs. Anywhere you find physicians, you will find PAs. As a Physician Assistant, you have the flexibility to change specialties: ;
Why become a PA? and
PA vs. NP
What major should you choose? You can major in anything and apply to medical school. Admissions requirements vary from school to school, so you should do your research to make sure you have a plan to meet all of the requirements needed for your schools of interest. The Health Pathways page provides information about health-related programs at ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ. This is a good place to start exploring options to make sure you've chosen your best fit major.
How to Build a Competitive Application
You will typically need at least 3.0 but many programs have an average GPA of 3.5 or higher for admitted students.
You'll apply through a Centralized Application Service, or CAS. The link below explains how GPAs are calculated:
| Physician’s Assistant |
Always check with your schools of interest, may not be required. A standardized test is NOT required by VHS MPA program. Tests that may be required depending on the program could include the GRE, CASPER TEST, or the PA-CAT
Shadow:
PA programs strongly recommend that applicants have patient care experience where they are "directly responsible for the care of a patient" beyond daily living activities like feeding/bathing/changing or basic patient interactions gained through volunteering. For this reason, it is strongly recommended that students seek a certification that will allow them to gain at least 1000-2000 hours of direct patient care experience before applying to PA programs.
- Become a Medical Assistant: or search for local Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) courses
- Become a Patient Care Technician: Sentara offers a 16-week program which includes 180 hours of hands-on experience
- Become an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT): Search local Community Colleges or health care institutions for programs in your area, such as You can also check with your local Emergency Medical Services (EMS) department to see if they offer EMT training. Some cities, like Virginia Beach, offer free EMT training in exchange for a volunteer time commitment:
- Become a Tech: ED Tech, Patient Care Tech, Nuclear Medicine Tech, Radiology Tech, etc. are all great ways to gain the clinical experience needed to be competitive for PA programs.
Research
Research experience, either as an undergraduate or during a gap year can be a great way to hone your analytical skills and can help to strengthen your PA school application:
As a R1 research institution, there are many opportunities on campus to gain research experience as an undergraduate. Look up faculty in the College of Sciences, Ellmer College of Health Sciences, Ellmer School of Nursing, and Joint School of Public Health and reach out to professor(s) whose research matches your interests.
Leadership
Join a club or organization and volunteer for a leadership position.
- Medical Brigades
-
Unique Life Experiences
- Multilingual
- Study Abroad or travel outside of the US
- Peace Corps
- Military Experience
- Work full time
Early Assurance Program
EVMS offers outstanding and qualified ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ undergraduate students the opportunity to gain early assurance of acceptance into the PA program before beginning their final year of college.
Common Prerequisites / Pre-PA Guide
| Common Prerequisite Courses | Course Numbers | |
| Anatomy & Physiology I & II w/labs | BIOL 240 or 250 | BIOL 241 or 251 |
| Microbiology or Cell Biology | BIOL 150/151 or BIOL 293 | BIOL 316/317 (requires BIOL 293 and 294 prereqs) |
| General/Inorganic Chemistry I & II w/ labs | CHEM 121N/122N | CHEM 123N/124N |
| Organic Chemistry I (some programs require lab) | CHEM 211/212 | |
| Math or Physics | MATH 102M or 103M or 162M or PHYS 111N or STAT 130M | |
| Intro to Psychology + Advanced Psychology | PSYC 201S |
PSYC 203S or PSYC 306 or PSYC 353 or PSYC 405 |