Physician Assistant (BS + MS)

No. However, it is very important that applicants understand the role and function of a physician assistant. Therefore, if shadowing would strengthen the applicant's knowledge in this light, it is encouraged. The program does not arrange shadowing experiences for applicants. 

Direct patient care experience can be completed through paid employment or volunteer work. Although not a requirement for application, direct patient care experience can expose applicants to patients, preferably in a clinical setting.

Shadowing: Shadowing a Physician Assistant or other healthcare provider (NP, MD, DO) can count towards direct patient care hours.

Acceptable direct patient care: Transporting patients, helping with meals, and leading activity times.

Excellent direct patient care: Participation in medical procedures, patient assessments, leading/assisting patients in therapy or daily activities such as dressing or eating, taking vitals, obtaining medical histories or previous work history as a paramedic, EMT, nurse, medical scribe, or other healthcare provider.

Examples of activities that do NOT count as direct patient care include:  Any clerical work, making beds, restocking shelves, or any other type of work that does not involve talking with and actively engaging with patients, etc.

Yes and no. While students do not get any "bonus points" for already having a bachelor's degree, a student who has a bachelor's degree in a science discipline such as Chemistry or Biology, has already proven that she/he is capable of handling a difficult science curriculum. A bachelor's degree in a non-science program, however, is given no extra merit over any other candidate. Whether or not a candidate has a bachelor's degree, the committee will be looking for the number of college level science courses a candidate has taken and whether or not she/he did well in these courses.

In short, a bachelor's degree will not necessarily improve a candidate's standing in the application pool, but completing several college level science courses with solid grades, may help improve a candidate's application profile.

No there are no prerequisite courses, but most of our applicants have demonstrated academic achievement of a 3.0 or higher overall GPA as well as a strong foundation and in their science coursework. Applicants should review the admission criteria tab for further details.

Yes.

Transfer Students

D'Youville is now accepting applications from transfer students to the physician assistant program using the CASPA application. Transfer students to the PA program should not complete the D'Youville College online application.

High School Students (First time Freshman)

High school (first time in college) students should submit their PA application via the D'Youville online application.

No. As applicants are accepted on a competitive, space available basis, not all applicants satisfying minimum academic requirements will be admitted into the program.

Completed applications are reviewed from May to October 1. Invitations to the interview will be sent to the email address you used on your application, and a letter will also be sent to your mailing address. Interviews are conducted in the fall.

Interviews for qualified applicants are conducted virtually. Evidence of academic potential, knowledge of the PA role in the health care system, maturity, self-assurance, strong intrapersonal and interpersonal communication skills, and motivation will be assessed during the interview process. 

Each student interview will be conducted by a member of the PA Department Faculty. Applicants may be interviewed individually or in groups of up to four, at the discretion of the faculty member. Prior to the interview, a brief overview of the program as well as the interview day process will be given by the faculty member. Please note, applicants interviewing in a group are not competing against one another. The interview session is designed to be collegial and informative, rather than competitive.

Interview days are scheduled in October and November, depending on the availability of the PA Department. 

For more on the interview process please follow this link: Interview Process

Applicants are notified of the department’s decision within 72 hours after the final scheduled interview day. Candidates will be notified, in writing, of the decision. If admitted, candidates will be notified of their placement in a class year. Should students qualify, acceleration may be possible into an earlier graduation class.

Some candidates may be placed on our waitlist and will remain there until a spot becomes available, up until the start of classes. Once classes start, anyone left on the waitlist will be denied admission for that cycle and will have to reapply to the program during the next admissions cycle.

All notifications of admission (accepted, waitlist, or denied) will be communicated to applicants no later than December 1st.

The D’Youville PA program’s curriculum 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.

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.

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.

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 28 percent from 2021 to 2031, 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 2021 (the last year that figures were available) was $121,530 per year. 

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