Pre-Physician Assistant Post-Baccalaureate Program
Pre-Physician Assistant Post-Baccalaureate Program
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Program Description
A physician assistant (PA) is a medical provider licensed to diagnose and treat illness and disease, as well as to prescribe medication for patients.
The UMKC School of Medicine offers a PA Scholars program that would offer early and guaranteed admission to college students interested in applying to the Master of Science in Anesthesia program or the Master of Medical Science Physician Assistant program. Admission is guaranteed to those students offered admission through the PA Health Scholars Program, who earn their bachelor's degree from a partner institution and successfully complete all final matriculation requirements.
Prospective Students
Learning Outcomes
According to the American Academy of Physician Assistants, among the nine reasons to become a PA include a promising job market, competitive salary, work/life balance, and fostering relationships with patients. Completion of a PA program produces a master’s level degree and PAs are nationally certified and licensed before beginning practice.
Rockhurst Pre-PA students will work closely with Pre-Health advisors to customize the students' pre-requisite coursework to the PA programs of their choice. In addition to course requirements, Pre-PA students must gain relevant healthcare experience prior to their application.
Course Map
Pre-PA students work with their Pre-Health advisors to develop a course plan that prepares the students for their chosen physician assistant schools.
Typical course requirements for the post-bacc program include:
- General Chemistry I and II (8 hours)
- General Biology I and II (8 hours)
- Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II (8 hours)
- Microbiology (4 hours)
- Statistics (3 hours)
- Organic Chemistry I (4 hours)
- Biochemistry (3 hours)
- Medical Terminology (1 hour)
Current Students
Experiences
- PA Scholars partnership with UMKC Master of Medical Science Physician Assistant
- Alumni medical networks in Kansas City and St. Louis, Missouri, and Omaha, Nebraska, to facilitate shadowing
- Active Pre-Health Blackboard page to consistently communicate research, volunteer and shadowing opportunities
- Annual meetings with local and regional admissions representatives from health professional programs
- Class sizes all under 48 and taught by full-time faculty
- Open-door access to professors
- Personalized advising
- Free tutoring and supplemental instruction
- Kaplan Institutional Partnership with half-price MCAT, DAT, PCAT and GRE courses
- 77% placement rate for students into health care professional programs in the past five years
Outcomes
Pre-PA Student Feedback
“Studying to become a physician assistant has been the most rewarding and challenging experience in my life. Being in the medical field has been a dream of mine that Rockhurst made possible by providing ample opportunity for job experiences, volunteer work and, most importantly, the educational foundation that has more than prepared me for this next step in achieving my goal!”
– Paige Grasso
B.S. Biology, 2017
University of Missouri-Kansas City, Physician Assistant Class of 2020