PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT

Program Description

A Physician Assistant is a dependent mid-level health professional licensed by the state to practice medicine as delegated by and under the supervision of a physician. As a part of their responsibilities, physician assistants perform physical exams, diagnose illnesses, develop and carry out treatment plans, order and interpret lab tests, assist in surgery, provide patient education and in most states, prescribe medications. PA’s are employed in virtually all types of health care settings including private offices, clinics and hospitals. PA’s can practice in almost any field of medicine including family practice, surgery, pediatrics, psychiatry and orthopedics to name just a few.

The King’s College Department of Physician Assistant Studies has over 25 years of experience in preparing students for the PA profession and provides sophisticated didactic and clinical training in all areas of general medicine. King’s College has graduated over 800 Physician Assistants who practice throughout the country in all areas of medicine.

The Five-Year BS/MS Program

The five-year BS/MS program is an accelerated and challenging program for students entering King’s College as a first semester freshman only. It is composed of two parts: a three-year pre-professional phase and a two-year professional phase. For the first three years, students follow a prescribed academic sequence consisting of liberal arts and preparatory science prerequisites needed for the professional phase of the program. All courses must be successfully completed by the end of the third year in order to enter the professional phase.

Throughout the first three years at King’s, a pre-professional phase student must meet or exceed the “Progression Criteria” for the major. Students are given a full copy of the “Progression Criteria” during advisement. A summary of these requirements is as follows:

GPA REQUIREMENTS:

A grade of less than a C- (1.75) in any course will exclude the student from the 5-year BS/MS program.

Students must also complete a minimum of 500 hours of “Clinical Experience Hours”, the majority of which must be direct patient care before entering the professional phase. It is strongly recommended that some of these hours be spent shadowing a physician assistant. Students will receive more information regarding the “Clinical Experience Hours” during their initial meeting with their academic advisors.

After successful completion of the first three years, students enter the professional phase of the program (see The Professional Phase Years 4 and 5 for more information).

Two-year Master’s Program for applicants with a Bachelor’s Degree

Applicants who possess a bachelor’s degree or higher from any institution may apply to the professional phase of the program. A candidate may receive an interview if they meet the academic prerequisites and selection requirements as outlined below.

1. All candidates must have a minimum cumulative G.P.A. of at least 3.0 and a minimum cumulative science G.P.A. of 3.0.

2. All candidates must have taken: anatomy and physiology (8 credits), general science/ biology (8 credits), chemistry (8 credits), and microbiology (4 credits).

3. All candidates must have completed 500 hours of “Clinical Experience Hours” (voluntary or paid), the majority of which must be direct hands-on experience. It is strongly recommended that some of these hours be spent shadowing a physician assistant.

4. If English is not your native language, you must take the TOEFL exam. You need to achieve a 90% proficiency in that exam. If you have a degree from an English-speaking college or university, you do not need to take the TOEFL exam.Minimum TOEFL Scores needed to apply: Internet-based Test minimum of 108/20. Computer based Test minimum of 270/300 and a 5.5 on the essay Paper-based Test minimum of 610/677. Test information may be obtained from ETS, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, or by calling (609) 771-7100.

5. International graduates must have their transcripts evaluated by an accredited education service.

6. It is the responsibility of the applicant to inquire as to the completeness of his/her application.

Qualified applicants must make application through CASPA (Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants)

CASPA
P.O. Box 70958
Chevy Chase, MD 20813-0958
(240) 497-1895

www.caspaonline.org

Deadline for applications: December 1st

Early application is encouraged to ensure that applications are complete with CASPA by the deadline. Applications will be reviewed and interviews will be conducted January through March.

The Professional Phase (Years 4 and 5)

The professional phase is full-time only and a total of 24 months in duration, beginning with 10.5 months of didactic instruction in all areas of medicine. Direct patient encounters begin early and are greatly expanded during the final 13.5 months of clinical rotations. The full-time program faculty, along with clinical adjunct faculty, including physicians, physician assistants, pharmacists, and other health care professionals, present the curriculum and monitor the students’ clinical experiences. Students in the professional phase (year 4) must earn no less than 80% (2.5 or “C+”) in each didactic module and achieve a minimum cumulative G.P.A. of 3.0

(87% or “B”)*. Pre-professional grades are not included in this calculation. Students must maintain this minimum G.P.A. throughout the professional program.

The clinical phase of the program consists of 6 six-week mandatory rotations in the following areas: Emergency Medicine, Women’s Health, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Surgery and Internal Medicine. There is also one six-week elective rotation. Students may choose from a wide variety of electives provided by the program or students may arrange their own elective. In order to provide a well-rounded clinical experience, all students will be scheduled for some rotations “away” from the Wilkes-Barre area. The program offers a variety of “away” rotation sites where students may be scheduled. Students are also encouraged to arrange their own “away” rotations. Students will have clinical rotations in various settings such as private clinics, community hospitals, rural health centers and teaching institutions.

Students conclude their clinical year with a three and a half month primary care preceptorship. Once again, the program can provide students with preceptor sites or students may arrange their own preceptorship. Approval of student requests for the elective rotation, “away” rotations and the preceptorship is NOT automatically guaranteed. Students must maintain a 3.0 G.P.A. (87% or “B”) for each clinical rotation, their preceptorship and their master’s project in order to remain in good standing during the clinical year and graduate*.

*Note: the professional phase grading scale deviates from the traditional undergraduate grading scale.

Degrees Offered

Upon successful completion of the first four years of the five year program, students receive a Bachelor of Science Degree in Medical Studies with a minor in Biology. After successful completion of the two-year Professional Program, students will be awarded a Master of Science Degree in Physician Assistant Studies (MSPAS) and will be eligible to take the National Board examination for certification as a Physician Assistant.

Experiential learning credits and the Professional phase of the PA program.

The professional program does not allow for exemption from courses, clinical skills, laboratories, or clinical education regardless of prior experience, degree or credential. All aspects of the program are required for graduation.