PRE-PHYSICIAN ASSOCIATE ADVISEMENT WORKSHEET - OUHSC 2004-2005

PRE-PHYSICIAN ASSOCIATE PROGRAM

The physician assistant (P.A.) is a professional member of the health care team qualified by academic and clinical education to provide a broad range of patient care services under the supervision of a licensed physician. P.A.s are formally trained to perform many of the routine but time-consuming tasks physicians usually perform. They take medical histories, perform physical examinations, order laboratory tests and x-rays, make preliminary diagnosis, and give inoculations. They also treat minor injuries by suturing, splinting and casting. In approximately 35 states and the District of Columbia, physician assistants may prescribe medications.

P.A.s always work under the supervision of a physician. The proximity of supervision; however, depends upon the locality. For example, some P.A.s work in rural or inner city clinics where a physician may be available only one or two days each week and make “house calls” or go on “hospital rounds” to check patients and report back to the physician. P.A.s assist physicians in specialty areas, such as family practice, internal medicine, general and thoracic surgery, emergency medicine, and pediatrics. P.A.s specializing in surgery, provide pre-and post-operative care and may work as first or second assistants during major surgery.

OPPORTUNITIES Employment opportunities are expected to be excellent for physician assistants, particularly in areas or settings such as rural and inner city clinics, that have difficulty attracting enough physicians. Employment of P.A.s is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through the year 2005 due to anticipated expansion of the health care services industry and an emphasis on cost containment. Physicians and institutions are expected to employ more P.A.s to provide primary care and assist with medical and surgical procedures, thus freeing physicians to perform more complicated and revenue-generating tasks. The public and third-party payers also seem to approve of P.A.s use. For example, Medicare now allows physicians to bill the government for services provided by their P.A.s to hospital and nursing home patients. The growth of HMOs and group medical practices should also lead to more jobs for P.A.s.

STARTING SALARIES: According to the American Academy of Physician Assistants, the national average starting salary for P.A.s is approximately $65,000. The national average for practicing P.A.s is $76,000.

MINIMUM ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS: Admission to the program requires completion of prerequisite course work and submission of all application materials. The department admissions committee will review application materials and may require additional information from each applicant. Successful completion of minimum admission requirements does not assure that an interview will be granted. Interview invitations do not insure acceptance to program. Applicants are considered only for the fall semester, however classes begin the 1st of July. The application deadline is October 1 for admission to the next class entering the following July. To be considered for admission to the Physician Associate Program an applicant must:

1. have successfully completed a minimum of ninety (90) semester hours of course work from any accredited college or university, prior to admission to the P.A. program;
2. be in good standing with the college or university last attended;
3. submit general portion of the GRE (Graduate Record Examination) by the October 1 deadline. Score must be current within the last 5 years. To register: http://www.gre.org/
4. submit a completed University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center application with application fee, a Physician Associate Supplemental application form, prerequisite form with processing fee, official transcripts from all colleges or universities attended and a statement on “Why I wish to become a Physician Associate”. (It is recommended that applicants have health-related experience whereby direct patient contact is emphasized);
5. complete three (3) reference forms;
6. have a minimum grade point average of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale;
7. and have successfully completed the courses listed on the front of this form.

A recently admitted class had the following academic averages: Number of science hours completed: 50; GPA: 3.6; Science GPA: 3.5. GRE scores: A-599, Q-561, V-452. Applicants are urged to investigate physician assiting as a career prior to application in such ways as observation or working with a PA during a typical day and investigating advantages and disadvantages of the discipline

The size of any physician associate class shall not exceed 50 students selected by an Admission Committee. The program lasts for thirty (30) months, consisting of seventeen (17) months of didactic training on the Health Sciences Center campus. The remaining thirteen (13) months of rotations are preformed at various hospitals, clinics, and doctor offices within the state.

Contents of this publication are subject to revision without notice. The provisions of this publication do not constitute a contract, expressed or implied between any applicant, student, or faculty member of the Physician Associate Program at the Health Sciences Center.