Department of Physician Assistant Studies

Applications for the January 2020 cohort will be accepted through CASPA, until the November 1, 2019 deadline.
 

Mount St. Joseph University’s Physician Assistant program seeks to prepare students to become outstanding clinicians fully prepared to deliver quality health care in an ever-changing environment.

The 27-month graduate degree program will emphasize critical thinking and lifelong learning through its use of hands on patient care and state of the art technology.

 

Program Highlights

• A Physician Assistant (PA) is a licensed health care professional who practices medicine under the supervision of a physician.
• PA education requires a 27-month graduate program with classroom training including anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, clinical medicine, genetics, diagnostic lab, EKG, physical exam and clinical skills.
• Clinical rotations in family medicine, internal medicine, general surgery, women’s health, pediatrics, emergency medicine, orthopedics and behavioral health. Following the clinical phase, students complete a comprehensive summative evaluation.
• Graduates receive a Master’s degree in Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS) and are eligible to take the PA national certification exam (PANCE).
• PAs practice in all specialties although the majority are in primary care. They take medical history, perform physical exams, order and interpret diagnostic tests, diagnose and treat illness, write prescriptions, perform minor surgery and provide preventive care.

Accreditation

 

The ARC-PA has granted Accreditation-Provisional status to the Mount St. Joseph University Physician Assistant Program sponsored by Mount St. Joseph University.

Accreditation-Provisional is an accreditation status granted when the plans and resource allocation, if fully implemented as planned, of a proposed program that has not yet enrolled students appear to demonstrate the program’s ability to meet the ARC-PA Standards or when a program holding Accreditation-Provisional status appears to demonstrate continued progress in complying with the Standards as it prepares for the graduation of the first class (cohort) of students.

Accreditation-Provisional does not ensure any subsequent accreditation status. It is limited to no more than five years from matriculation of the first class.

 

Professional Licensure Information

 

Mount St. Joseph University’s Physician Assistant Program has Accreditation-Provisional status from the ARC-PA.  Successful completion of the PA program, whether delivered face to face or via virtual platform, satisfies the academic requirements for initial licensure in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.   

Requirements for licensure/certification as a Physician Assistant vary from state to state.  For students who wish to practice in a state other than Ohio, please contact the program director or faculty advisor to discuss additional requirements in that state. 

A chart describing initial PA licensure requirements in each state and the District of Columbia is available here, and a directory of state medical licensure boards here.

 

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