Projected job growth from 2020-2030 for physician assistants is 31 percent, much faster than average for all occupations.
Gain vital knowledge and experience to save lives. Learn to diagnose and treat patients in hospitals, clinics and more.
Program Benefits
- Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ’s accredited physician assistant studies program offers first-year students a dual degree track where they can earn both a bachelor’s of science in health science and a master’s in physician assistant studies in just five years.
- Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ physician assistant students have had an average pass rate of 96 percent over the last five years.
- Many clinical experiences are available, including partnerships with over 100 sites in the Buffalo area and New York State.
- Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ continues to have a human cadaver lab taught by a full-time anatomist.
- Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ’s Center for Interprofessional Learning and Simulation (CILS) provides physician assistant studies students experiential learning opportunities to promote best practice and collaboration. This leads to improved health and wellbeing outcomes for individuals, organizations, and communities.
- Core faculty members continue to practice in various areas of medicine and bring their clinical experience into the classroom.
Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ's Physician Assistant Studies Program has been recognized as one of the best in the country in the U.S. News & World Report’s 2020 Best Graduate Schools rankings.
Career Outlook
Graduates deliver medical services in private practices, hospitals, urgent care centers, emergency departments, surgical centers, correctional facilities, and more in a variety of specialties, including surgery, family practice, psychiatry, orthopedics.
Recent graduate employers
- E.J. Noble Hospital
- Dent Neurological Institute
- Rochester General Hospital
- Saint Joseph's Hospital Health Center
- Strong Health
- Unity Hospital
- WCA Hospital
- Northtown Orthopedics
- Excelsior Orthopedics
- Erie County Medical Center
- Veterans Administration
- Buffalo Medical Group
- Buffalo General Hospital
- Team Health
- Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center
- Eastern Niagara Hospital
- Oishei Children’s Hospital
- Catholic Health System
- A wide-variety of other hospitals and private practices
Program Specifics
Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ is a participant in the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA). Apply at online. Current Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ students wishing to apply to the PA Program should meet with the to discuss options.
All successful applicants must demonstrate evidence of strong mathematics and science preparation, knowledge of the profession, and superior interpersonal communication skills. A faculty interview is required. The admissions process is very competitive. Please refer to the FAQ page for more specifics on prerequisites and minimum requirements.
Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ reserves the right to make changes to the physician assistant curriculum, and/or entrance criteria to the three year program, and/or program and graduation requirements. All enrolled students must meet all requirements if changed or amended by Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ.
The physician assistant (PA) degree is recognized as an undifferentiated professional degree that requires the development of entry level knowledge and skills in multiple domains of health care. PA education requires the development of judgment through a wide range of learning activities and supervised clinical practice experiences in preparation for making appropriate, autonomous clinical decisions while practicing on interprofessional health care teams directed by physicians.
The purpose of this document is to ensure that all students entering the Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ Physician Assistant Program (the PA Program) are aware of and understand the requirements of our program and the profession, so that informed decisions can be made regarding pursuit of this profession. Nothing in this document is meant to deter the application or participation of any student who is able to complete the requirements of the PA curriculum with or without reasonable accommodations.
Total Credit Hours for PA Program = 104
Didactic Phase Year 1
FALL YEAR 1: 16 credit hours
- PAS 510/L & PAS 516/L Advanced Human Anatomy
- PAS 511 Microbiology
- PAS 513 Clinical Lab Medicine
- PAS 514 Pathophysiology
- PAS 535 Medical Professional Issues (MPI) I
- PHI 321 Medical Ethics
SPRING YEAR 1: 15 credit hours
- PAS 515 Fundamentals of Medicine I
- Cardio, Pulm, GI, Endo, Urology, Radiology
- PAS 517 Physical Diagnosis I
- PAS 517L Physical Diagnosis Lab I
- PAS 518 Pharmacology I
- PAS 329 Statistics
Didactic Phase Year 2
FALL YEAR 2: 17 credit hours
- PAS 519 Fundamentals of Clinical Medicine II
- Rheum, Derm, Cardio, Psych, Neuro, Radiology/POCUS
- PAS 520 Physical Diagnosis II
- PAS 520L Physical Diagnosis II Lab
- PAS 521 Pharmacology II
- PAS 522 The Cultural and Psychosocial Dynamics of Medicine
- PAS 536 Medical Professional Issues II
- PAS 538 Orthopedics
SPRING YEAR 2: 18 credit hours
- PAS 524 Pediatrics
- PAS 525 Clinical Problem Solving
- PAS 526 Surgery
- PAS 527 Geriatrics
- PAS 528 Emergency Medicine with POCUS
- PAS 529 Research Methodology
- PAS 531 Preventative Medicine
Clinical Phase
- The following courses are divided between summer, fall and spring
- Total clinical year credit hours = 38
- PAS 601-610 Clerkships
- students will complete 10 four week clerkships = 30 credit hours
- 7 core rotations
- family medicine
- emergency medicine
- internal medicine
- surgery
- pediatrics
- women's health (including prenatal and gyn)
- mental health
- 3 non-core/electives
- 7 core rotations
- students will complete 10 four week clerkships = 30 credit hours
- PAS 612 Research I
- PAS 613 Research II
- PAS 614 Clinical Seminar I
- PAS 615 Clinical Seminar II
- PAS 616 Clinical Seminar III
Clinical clerkships are arranged by the PA Program. Students are prohibited from soliciting or arranging clinical sites or preceptors. Requests may be considered.