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Physician Assistant (MS)

Overview

Physician assistants are nationally certified and state-licensed medical professionals who practice medicine under the supervision of a physician. PAs' responsibilities include, but are not limited to: conducting physical exams, diagnosing and treating illnesses, ordering and interpreting laboratory and radiological tests, counseling on preventive health care measures, and assisting in surgery. PAs can write prescriptions in all 50 states, in the majority of the U.S. territories, and in the uniformed services. Within the physician-PA team, physician assistants’ specific duties depend on the setting in which they work, their specialty, and their level of experience.

Accreditation Status

The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status to the D'Youville University Physician Assistant Program sponsored by D'Youville University. Accreditation-Continued is an accreditation status granted when a currently accredited program is in compliance with the ARC-PA Standards.

Accreditation remains in effect until the program closes or withdraws from the accreditation process or until accreditation is withdrawn for failure to comply with the Standards. The approximate date for the next validation review of the program by the ARC-PA will be September 2029. The review date is contingent upon continued compliance with the Accreditation Standards and ARC-PA policy.

The program’s accreditation history can be viewed on the ARC-PA website at https://www.arc-pa.org/accreditation-history-dyouville-college/. 


Specific questions regarding the Program and its plans should be directed to the Program Director and/or the appropriate institutional official(s).

Why Choose D'Youville?

  • Studies show that teamwork across clinical specialties improves patient outcomes. D'Youville's unique interdisciplinary education lab offers the opportunity for you to practice teamwork while treating "patients" (played by actors) with a team of healthcare students from 7 other healthcare majors at D'Youville — all under the supervision of a skilled instructor.
  • Students who live in residence halls tend to perform better academically and are more engaged on campus. We require all students in the Physician Assistant program to live on campus for the first two years of pre-professional study.
  • Our close-knit faculty and staff help you complete an extensive clinical training program that includes nine rotations, two of which are elective rotations. Individualized rotations are offered in diverse areas of practice.

Explore D'Youville's PA Program

Current Students      Prospective Students   ARC-PA Accreditation

Physician Assistant Tuition & Fees   NCCPA PANCE Scores / Success Rates

Technical Standards   Interview Process  Meet Our Faculty

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

What you'll gain:

  • Experience from a degree program designed to balance coursework and fieldwork
  • Support from staff and faculty at a better ratio than other major universities
  • D'Youville has developed relationships with a diverse set of clinical fieldwork sites in a wide array of settings, facilities, and treatment protocols

Hear From Our Alumni

Play video: Physician Assistant Alumni Interview

See how D'Youville University's Physician Assistant program helped students like Tyler achieve their goals.

Clinicals

The clinical rotation experience is an integral part of your education in the physician assistant program. During your clinical phase you'll hone your skills hands-on while you determine the areas of medicine you'll pursue after graduation. And because D'Youville's program has developed a wide range of clinical rotation opportunities for our students, you'll be able to work in a diverse range of clinical settings.

Learn More About the Clinical Experience

Master's Research

During the research portion of the physician assistant program, you'll explore a topic and present your findings. This unique component of the program allows students to become better evaluators of information and to familiarize themselves with research techniques and processes. Though all students will benefit from the research component, students who intend to search out careers in research will find the experience leads to opportunities to develop proven success through presenting at national conferences to publishing their work.

Learn More About Master's Research

Admission Requirements

Due to the limited number of available seats, the selection process for admission to the PA department is extremely competitive. We accept applications for admission from first time in college and transfer undergraduate students, as well as graduate students into the professional portion of the program (didactic and clinical phases). Undergraduate transfer students may apply to matriculate into the B.S./M.S. program during the first or second year.  Graduate students (who have completed a bachelor’s degree) may apply to matriculate into the accredited professional portion of the program, which includes the didactic and clinical phases.  Students may not transfer into the accredited professional portion of the program at any point after the start of the didactic phase.

Qualified applicants are determined on the basis of several criteria:

  • Interpersonal and intrapersonal, verbal and written communication skills
  • Written application materials
  • Results of personal interview
  • Ability to master the rigorous academic content of the program
  • Understanding and knowledge of the PA role within an interprofessional healthcare team
  • Emotional maturity and understanding of and motivation to enter the profession
  • Commitment to social justice and community engagement

At D'Youville, we are committed to selecting students who are academically well-rounded and committed to meeting the challenges of a high-quality education. For first-time in college students, if you have been successful in a traditional college preparatory program in high school, you should be well-prepared for the academic challenges at D'Youville. While we don't require you to submit ACT or SAT test scores, if you have taken or intend to take a standardized test we encourage you to submit your scores if you'd like them to be evaluated as part of your application.

First Time in College Student Requirements
  • Submitted application for admission by November 1
  • Official high school transcripts
    • A minimum class average 85 with successful completion of high school graduation requirements and three years of math.
    • Math and science subjects must have a minimum grade of at least 83 (B).
    • One-year high school science courses in biology/living environment and chemistry.
  • Three letters of recommendation.
  • Admissions essay addressing all of the questions (below). Essays should not exceed 750 words.
    • Why have you chosen the physician assistant profession over other healthcare professions?
    • Describe what makes you distinctly qualified to pursue the physician assistant professional degree at D'Youville.
    • Identify the methods you used to research the physician assistant profession.
    • Provide examples of how you found the physician assistant profession to be different from other healthcare professions.
  • Compliance with technical standards of the profession as noted in the application.

Not Required (but utilized in a holistic review for admission if provided; may make an applicant more competitive):

  • Standardized SAT/ACT test scores
  • Direct patient interaction hours, either through volunteer activities or employment activities.
    • Documentation of direct patient interaction (DPI), either through volunteer activities or employment activities, is strongly encouraged. While there are no current minimum requirements, candidates who have completed higher numbers of DPI hours will be considered more competitive.

Commitment to Social Justice/Community Engagement

The program seeks to enroll students who demonstrate a commitment to social justice and community engagement and will consider evidence of such a commitment in the applicant’s submitted materials.  Applicants with a demonstrated commitment will be considered more competitive.

Transfer Admission (Undergraduate) Required Review Criteria

Admission to the Physician Assistant program is offered to a select group of undergraduate transfer students who meet the following criteria. Applications and all required documents must be submitted and verified by CASPA by October 1st. Please be aware that verification of applications can take up to 4 weeks.

  • Cumulative GPA and Science GPA of 3.00 or higher on a 4.0 scale for competitive applicants
    • Undergraduate transfer students who complete a majority of prior academic work at a 4-year school and/or were pursuing a healthcare degree will be considered more competitive candidates.
    • Applicants with higher GPAs and more rigorous courses will be considered more competitive candidates.
  • Official transcripts from ALL previously attended colleges/universities
  • Earned grade of B- or better in all science courses (which can only be transferred in for direct credit to the program if they are less than six years old at the time of acceptance into the department). Specific upper-level science courses need to be taken within 18 months; please see the D'Youville course catalog regarding coursework, including:
    • Human Gross Anatomy – 6 credits
    • Pathophysiology – 3 credits
    • Biochemistry – 3 credits
  • Three letters of recommendation 
  • Admissions essay specifically addressing the topic of why the student wants to pursue a career as a Physician Assistant.
  • Compliance with technical standards of the profession as noted in the application. 

Not Required (but utilized in a holistic review for admission if provided; may make an applicant more competitive):

  • Documentation of completed hours of direct patient interaction either through volunteer activities or employment activities.
    • Documentation of direct patient interaction (DPI), either through volunteer activities or employment activities, is strongly encouraged. While there are no current minimum requirements, candidates who have completed higher numbers of DPI hours will be considered more competitive.

Commitment to Social Justice/Community Engagement

The program seeks to enroll students who demonstrate a commitment to social justice and community engagement and will consider evidence of such a commitment in the applicant’s submitted materials. Applicants with a demonstrated commitment will be considered more competitive.

Graduate Admission Required Review Criteria

Admission to the accredited professional phase Physician Assistant program is offered to a select group of graduate students who meet the following criteria. Applications and all required documents must be submitted and verified by CASPA by October 1st. Please be aware that verification of applications can take up to 4 weeks.

  • Received a baccalaureate degree or higher from a regionally accredited college or university, with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 grading scale and a minimum science GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 grading scale as calculated by CASPA at the time of application.
    • Graduate students who complete a majority of prior academic work at a 4-year school and/or earned baccalaureate degree in science field or other healthcare field will be considered more competitive candidates.
    • Applicants with higher GPAs and more rigorous courses will be considered more competitive candidates.
  • Official transcripts from ALL previously attended colleges/universities.
  • Earned grade of B- or better in all science courses (which can only be transferred in for direct credit to the program if they are less than six years old at the time of matriculation into the department). Specific upper-level science courses need to be taken within 18 months, including:
      • Human Gross Anatomy – 6 credits
      • Pathophysiology – 3 credits
      • Biochemistry – 3 credits
    • Introductory and survey courses are not accepted to fulfill the required science prerequisites.
    • Applicants must earn a grade of B- or better in each of the following required subjects:
      • Human Anatomy & Physiology (I & II) including laboratory – 8 semester hours*
      • General or Developmental Psychology – 3 semester hours
      • General Inorganic Chemistry (I & II) including laboratory - 8 semester hours
      • Organic Chemistry including laboratory - 3 semester hours
      • Microbiology including laboratory - 3 semester hours
      • Statistics – 3 semester hours
      • English (including 3 semester hours of English Composition) – 6 semester hours
    • *Applicants who take the combination class of Human Anatomy & Physiology I (A&P I), then must complete the sequence by taking Human Anatomy & Physiology II (A&P II).
    • Note: Students who have not completed pathophysiology and/or graduate-level gross anatomy will be required to complete those courses at D'Youville prior to starting the didactic phase of the program.
  • Three letters of recommendation.
  • Admissions essay specifically addressing the topic of why the student wants to pursue a career as a Physician Assistant.
  • Compliance with technical standards of the profession as noted in the application. 

Not Required (but utilized in a holistic review for admission if provided; may make an applicant more competitive):

  • Documentation of completed hours of direct patient interaction either through volunteer activities or employment activities.
    • Documentation of direct patient interaction (DPI), either through volunteer activities or employment activities, is strongly encouraged. While there are no current minimum requirements, candidates who have completed higher numbers of DPI hours will be considered more competitive.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Commitment to Social Justice/Community Engagement

The program seeks to enroll students who demonstrate a commitment to social justice and community engagement and will consider evidence of such a commitment in the applicant’s submitted materials. Applicants with a demonstrated commitment will be considered more competitive.

 

Advancement Placement

The D’Youville PA program’s curriculum for the accredited professional portion of the program is administered in a sequential fashion with each subsequent semester of coursework building upon the previous one. Consequently, the program does not consider applicants for advanced placement into the accredited professional portion (didactic and clinical phases).

Interview and Acceptance

Following the review of application materials, select applicants are invited for an interview by the PA department faculty. Not all applicants who meet the minimum application requirements will be invited for an interview. 

Preference for Specified Individuals or Groups

The program does not maintain admission and enrollment practices that favor specified individuals or groups (e.g., military experience) except for those that are specified on the Admissions Requirements listed above 

Program Policies

The following are select policies of the Physician Assistant Program Policies

For detailed course information and complete academic policies and procedures please refer to the D’Youville Academic Catalog

Careers

Physician assistants exercise autonomy in medical decision and your D’Youville training will prepare you to work with physicians in all clinical disciplines. Nationally, physician assistants are employed in both primary and non-primary care specialties.   

A Physician Assistant's Role

Physician assistants are nationally certified and state-licensed medical professionals who practice medicine under the supervision of a physician. PAs responsibilities include but are not limited to conducting physical exams, diagnosing and treating illnesses, ordering and interpreting laboratory and radiological tests, counseling on preventive health care measures, and assisting in surgery.

PAs can write prescriptions in all 50 states, the majority of the U.S. territories and the uniformed services. Within the physician-PA team, physician assistants’ specific duties depend on the setting in which they work, their specialty, and their level of experience.

The training you receive at D’Youville will prepare you to work with physicians in all clinical disciplines in a wide variety of clinical environments. In fact, because physician assistants are in such high demand, many discover they can take their pick of clinical placements, allowing for substantial career flexibility and mobility.

Post-Professional Degrees

While many of our graduates go into clinical practice, others enter advanced academic programs in order to pursue careers in research and teaching in both private and public organizations. These students typically pursue post-professional degrees such as doctor of science (D.Sc.), doctor of education (EdD), or doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees. If you choose to pursue this path you can rest assured that the rigorous academic, research, and clinical work you’ll complete in our PA program will provide you with a solid foundation for advanced study and practice.

Graduates who want to take their education one step further can also enter specialized residency programs that provide intensive training in specialties such as surgery, emergency medicine, pediatrics, and rural health. With the demand for physician assistants growing at such a rapid pace and showing no signs of slowing down — the opportunities for well trained, motivated, forward-thinking physician assistants like our graduates are limitless.

Career Outlook

Changing demographics and the expansion of the healthcare system in the United States have created a strong demand for healthcare professionals, and physician assistants are one of the groups in greatest demand.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that employment of physician assistants is projected to grow 27 percent from 2022 to 2032, much faster than the average for all occupations.

In fact, because physician assistants are in such high demand, many discover they can take their pick of clinical field of practice, allowing for substantial career flexibility and mobility.  In addition, physician assistants earn generous salaries and benefits, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting that the median salary for physician assistants in 2023 was $130,020 per year. 

For more information about the job outlook for physician assistants, visit the Bureau of Labor Statistics website.