College of Nursing and Allied Health
Department of Physician Assistant Studies
1. What are my application requirements?
2. What is health care experience or helping experience?
3. Who is an appropriate reference?
4. What if I have foreign transcripts?
5. Who must take the GRE?
6. What if I have a U. S. graduate degree already?
7. What is an acceptable score on the GRE?
8. What type of bachelor degree is preferred?
9. How will my courses transfer?
10. When do I have to have all my prerequisites completed?
11. How recent do my pre-requisite courses need to be?
12. Who can provide me with individual admissions counseling?
13. Where can I find information on financial aid?
14. Will I be able to work/ be employed while I'm in PA School?
15. May I work for the University or the PA Program while I am in PA school?
16. How do I find out more about PA's?
Question 1
This program awards a Master of Science degree. It requires a Bachelors degree and that the student complete a minimum of 250 hours of health or helping experience (paid or volunteer) and includes specific course work in preparation for this graduate PA program.
Applications for this program are accepted only through CASPA. You can find out more about applying through CASPA by visiting the American Academy of Physician Assistants home page at: www.aapa.org
Consult the USF Application information pamphlet and the USF web page for more specific details.
Question 2
A minimum of 250 hours of direct patient care experience demonstrating personal maturity and knowledge of healthcare systems. The applicant should show leadership or increasing levels of responsibility. The work may be paid or volunteer, full or part time. At minimum it should be service and health system related.Question 3
A supervisor, co-worker or academic advisor - anyone who can evaluate your professional skills. Not someone you have shadowed for a short time, a family member or friend. The program would prefer a reference from a PA or physician who is familiar with PA practice but only if they can provide a professional reference.Question 4
If you are a permanent resident/U.S. citizen, you may apply through the College of Health Professions Graduate Admission Office directly to the PA program. Your transcripts will be sent from this office to the International Student Office for evaluation.Question 5
All applicants must submit official GRE scores unless they have completed a graduate degree from an accredited U.S. university or college. To schedule the GRE exam visit the GRE web site at http://www.gre.org.Question 6
You will not need to submit GRE scores. Request your official graduate transcripts be sent. Your graduate GPA will be used in place of your GRE score to evaluate your ability in a graduate program. Only those applicants who have completed a degree may submit their graduate GPA in place of their GRE.Question 7
Competitive applicants score at least 500 in both the verbal and quantitative portions and 4.0 on the analytical writing portion.Question 8
There is no preference. We do recommend if you are just starting to take classes that you consider a medical/health or science related degree.Question 9
Prerequisites don't transfer, they are taken prior to matriculation into the program. Students with graduate level courses believed to be equivalent to course work within the PA curriculum are considered on a case by case basis after admission - these courses are not transferred but may waive courses within the curriculum if equivalent and recent. See the Waiver of Required Course Work policy in the PA program policy manual.Question 10
Official transcripts for prerequisite courses must be received from CASPA before you can be scheduled for an interview here in Albuquerque.Question 11
Prerequisite course work must have been completed within six years prior to the term of admission to the PA program.Question 12
You can email Anthony Romero, PA Program Admissions Specialist at: aromero@stfrancis.edu. He can be reached by phone at: (505) 266-5565 ext. 108.Question 13
For more information on financial aid, log on to the PA web site at www.stfrancis.edu/conah/pa/finaid/paoptions.htm or the university's Financial Aid homepage at http://www.stfrancis.edu/finaid
Question 14
Due to the rigors of the curriculum, the University of St. Francis Physician Assistant Program strongly discourages outside employment. A limited number of on-campus work study positions may be available during the didactic phase. However, students are not required to work for the program.
Question 15
Students may not serve or perform as staff members of the program unless they are part of a specific USF approved federal, state, or USF work-study program. Work-study students will not be permitted to have access to confidential student records or student information and/or testing materials. At no time is a student to be substituted for a faculty member or clinician. Students are not to be employed while on their clinical learning rotations by preceptors or health care facilities.Students are not required to work for the program.
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Question 16
More information can be found at the American Academy of Physician Assistants web site, http://www.aapa.org/