Pre-Physician Assistant

The University of Kansas does not have a PA program, but some KU students take classes and get health care experience to meet entry requirements to graduate-level PA programs at other colleges and universities.

For a career description, including nature of the work, education, job outlook & earnings, see the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook at www.bls.gov/oco/ocos081.htm.

Interview physician assistants to find out what they do, what they like and dislike about their jobs, and what advice they have for people preparing to enter the profession.

Different PA programs have different requirements, and requirements change. So, it's important to identify the programs you'll apply to, and get complete and current admissions information directly from them. 

The Physician Assistant Education Association has an online directory of PA programs by state at www.paeaonline.org/index.php?ht=d/ContentDir/pid/255. The only PA program in Kansas is at Wichita State University.

Some PA programs require extensive direct patient care experience. Although WSU's program doesn't absolutely require experience, it's very helpful. WSU's admissions committee weighs professional direct-patient care experiences, such as working as a registered nurse, more heavily than informal health care activities. So, if you plan to enter a PA program immediately after completing a bachelor's degree, I recommend training for an entry-level profession, like Certified Nurse Aid, early in your undergraduate education, and immediately start working with that credential to build experience.

Most PA programs require that a bachelor's degree be completed before admission, and most candidates complete a nursing or allied health degree program, and work to get experience, before entering a PA program. In particular, nursing has similar requirements, and opens the door to both PA and nurse practitioner programs.

The following courses meet minimum entry requirements at WSU's PA program:

General Chemistry I & II with labs, first two courses for chemistry majors, e.g., CHEM 184 Foundations of Chemistry I (5 credit hours) and CHEM 188 Foundations of Chemistry II (5)

Biology I with lab, first course for biology majors, e.g., BIOL 150 Principles of Molecular & Cellular Biology (4), NOT BIOL 100 or 102

Microbiology with lab, e.g., BIOL 200 Basic Microbiology (3) & 203 Lab (2), or BIOL 400 Fundamentals of Microbiology (3) & BIOL 402 Lab (2)

Statistics, e.g., PSYC 210 Statistics in Psychological Research (3), MATH 365 Elementary Statistics (3), or BIOL 570 Introduction to Biostatistics (3)

Anatomy and Physiology with labs, e.g., BIOL 240 Human Anatomy (3) & 241 Lab (2) AND BIOL 246 (3) Human Physiology & 247 Lab (2)

Upper-level Physiology or Pathophysiology, for example, BIOL 646 Mammalian Physiology or NURS 320 Alterations to Physiological Functioning (in School of Nursing or by special permission)

Medical Terminology, e.g., HEIM 230 Medical Terminology (3)

Additional introduction to health care, pharmacology, immunology, and gerontology courses are recommended.

All questions concerning requirements and admission to WSU's PA program should be directed to Dee McDaniel, dee.mcdaniel@wichita.edu, (316) 978-3011.

If you plan to enter a PA program immediately after your senior year, you should begin the application process in the summer between your junior and senior years! 

Although WSU's program doesn't require an admission test at this time, many PA programs require the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). You can register online at www.gre.org. It's a computer-based test, so you can arrange to take it shortly after you finish preparing and practicing for the test.

1. The first stage of applying to most PA programs, including WSU's, is to complete the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) online application at https://portal.caspaonline.org. This application is usually available in early May. Different programs have different deadlines. WSU's CASPA deadline is October 1st.

2. The second stage is to complete supplemental applications from PA programs that participate in CASPA, and/or direct applications to non-CASPA programs.

3. The final stage is interviewing for admission. For preparation suggestions, see www.medadvising.ku.edu/interviews.shtml.