Physician Assistant
To become a physician’s assistant, you will need to earn a Master’s degree at a physician assistant program after graduating from SLU. While the degrees offered vary, all programs consist of intensive classroom and laboratory study, as well as clinical practice. The pre-requisite courses and required clinical hours for these programs vary, so it is important to look closely at the programs to which you plan to apply. For admission, clinical hour minimum requirements are typically 1000-1200 hours; this generally does not include shadowing/observation. Therefore, it is essential to start early, and carefully document your experiences. Also, plan ahead to study for and complete the GRE exam required for your application. CASPA, the common application for PA school opens in June, so you should be ready to submit your application then.
Physician Assistant Course Plan
SLU and Clarkson PA Articulation Agreement
Courses required by MOST physician assistant programs:
- General Biology with Lab- 2 semesters
- General Chemistry with Lab- 2 semesters
- Organic Chemistry with Lab- at least one semester
- Anatomy & Physiology with Lab- 2 semesters
- Microbiology with Lab
- Genetics
- Introduction to Psychology (no lab)
- Statistics (100 level)
- Medical terminology course (many online courses available)