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 American Academy of Physician Assistants has posted a 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 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. 

Most successful candidates first 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:

2 semesters of general chemistry with labs, e.g., CHEM 184 Foundations of Chemistry I (5 credit hours) and CHEM 188 Foundations of Chemistry II (5, offered spring & summer).

1 semester of general biology with lab, e.g., BIOL 100 Principles of Biology (3) & 102 Lab (1) or BIOL 150 Molecular & Cellular Biology (4).

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

1 semester of statistics, e.g., PSYC 300 Statistics in Psychological Research (3), MATH 365 Elementary Statistics (3), or BIOL 570 Introduction to Biostatistics (3).

1 semester each of anatomy & physiology with labs, e.g., BIOL 240 Human Anatomy (3) & 241 Lab (2) AND BIOL 246 (3) Human Physiology & 247 Lab (2).

1 semester of upper-level physiology or pathophysiology, for example, BIOL 646 Mammalian Physiology, NURS 320 Alterations to Physiological Functioning (in School of Nursing or by special permission), or Johnson County Community College's BIOL 227 Human Pathophysiology.

1 semester of medical terminology, e.g., HEIM 330 Medical Terminology (3) or JCCC's AAC 130 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. Some suggestions to help you practice for interviews are posted at www.medadvising.ku.edu/interviews.shtml.