Physician Assistant
Career Info
Physician Assistants (PAs) are health professionals licensed to practice medicine under physician supervision. Within the physician-PA relationship, PAs have autonomy in medical decision making and provide a broad range of services to patients. PAs take medical histories, perform physical exams, order and interpret lab tests, diagnose and treat illnesses, counsel patients, assist in surgery, and set fractures. PAs are educated as generalists in medicine and all education programs emphasize primary care; however, PA’s can enter various specialties, such as cardiology, surgery, orthopedics, and emergency medicine. In 2019, the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) found that 34.4% of PAs worked in primary care (including family medicine, pediatrics, internal medicine, and OB/GYN), 29.4% in various surgical specialties, 9.2% in emergency medicine, and 26.8% in other specialties. The majority (72%) of PAs work in physician offices, hospitals or outpatient facilities. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for PAs in 2022 was $126,010. The job outlook is outstanding, with a projected growth of 27% in the field by 2032.
More Information
Outlook: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/physician-assistants.htm
Program Requirements
All PAs must graduate from an accredited physician assistant educational program and be certified by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants by completing a licensing exam. Most PA programs last between 24-27 months and grant a certificate, bachelor’s degree or master’s degree upon completion. In order to remain certified, PAs must complete continuing medical education every 2 years and they must pass a recertification examination or complete an alternate program combining learning experiences and a take-home examination every 6 years.
Currently, there are more than 180 accredited programs in the United States, with 20 new programs in the past year. Most master’s degree programs require the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or an equivalent exam. Grades are important in the admissions process and many programs require at least a 3.0 GPA for consideration. However, the national average GPAs of accepted students in 2019 was 3.53 in the sciences and a 3.6 overall. Of the programs which require the GRE (53%), the average score (quantitative and verbal) of accepted students in 2019 was 310.
Also, most programs require at least 1,000 hours of direct clinical/patient care experience in a variety of situations and settings. Applicants average about 2.55 years of healthcare experience, including, but not limited to, direct patient care. PAs are helping to meet the need of the impending physician shortage, specifically in primary care and in rural areas with the highest need. In 2017, 16% of PAs practiced in rural, medically underserved areas. As such, it is strongly recommended that applicants gain experience in medically underserved and rural areas and have a demonstrated commitment or interest in serving in and working with medically and economically underserved populations.
Additionally, many PA programs are now requiring applicants to take the CASPer exam, which is a situational judgment test. Examinees will be asked to respond to different ethical scenarios in which the exam is assessing students' interpersonal core competencies and non-cognitive skills. Please review the following link to learn more about this exam.
Course Requirements
Note: Admission prerequisites vary by institution. Most programs require a cumulative and science GPA of 3.0 or higher. Some schools will not accept AP credit for prerequisites. Check the requirements carefully!
See below for an example of admission course prerequisites that may be required at CA programs. Please research professional programs for the specific admission requirements. If you need guidance on how to search for schools, please see the Peer Advisors during drop-in hours.
General Biology with lab: Bio 161, 162, & upper-level Bio course (see suggested courses below)
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Note:
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Bio, Mcro, Msci, and Bchm majors should enroll in Mcro 224.
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Microbiology requirements may vary between schools. Check individual school requirements closely.
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*For programs requiring 1-2 years of Biology and Microbiology, contact schools to determine additional Biology coursework to enroll in.
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Note:
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Engineering & Physical Science majors should enroll in Chem 124, 125, & 126 or 312
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Chemistry requirements vary widely by program. Most require 1 full year of chemistry. Some accept organic and biochemistry to count towards this full year, and some only accept general chemistry. Check individual school requirements carefully.
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Human Anatomy and Physiology: Bio 231, 232 (for all majors except Bio)
or Bio 361, 406-409, & 426
- Warning: Some PA programs may not accept Cal Poly's upper-division anatomy and physiology series (Bio 361, 406-409, & 426) as meeting their prerequisite requirements. Please review individual program requirements closely and reach out to programs directly with any concerns.
Psychology: Psy 201 or 202
Behavioral Sciences (Anthropology/Sociology): Ant 201 or Soc 110 (D3)
Statistics: Stat 217 or 218 or 312
English/Writing: 3 quarters reading/composition
Suggested and/or Required Coursework
Mathematics: Pre-Calculus (Math 118) and/or Calculus (Math 141 or 161)
Genetics: Bio 302, 303 or 351
Biology: Some programs may require more upper division biology courses. Check program requirements carefully. This can include Genetics, listed above, and/or additional 300 or 400 BIO level courses.
Beginning Spanish Language: Span 101, 102, 103
Humanities Courses (art, music, ethics, philosophy)
Medical Terminology: Kine 297
Recommended Coursework
Medical Ethics
Medical Spanish
Basic or Advanced Nutrition
Organic or Biochemistry
Last updated: 01/12/2022.
Examples of Direct Patient Care
Athletic Training (AT)
Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
Paramedic
Medical Back Office Assistant
Certified Nursing Assistant
Phlebotomist
Respiratory Therapist
Health Education Specialist
Patient Care Attendant
Medical Technologist
Military Medical Corpsman
Radiology Technician
Surgical Technician
Pharmacy Tech
Physical Therapist or PT Aide
Occupational Therapist
Optometric assistant
Medical Interpreter
Dietician
Chiropractor
Dental hygienist/assisting
Acupuncturist
Nursing (RN, LVN)
Psychiatric Tech
Medical Scribe (may be acceptable for some programs)
Schools/Programs in California
California Baptist University
University of Southern California (USC)
Loma Linda University
Stanford University
Touro University
UC Davis
Western University of Health Sciences
Samuel Merritt University
Marshall B. Ketchum University
Chapman University
Charles R. Drew University of Medicine & Science
University of the Pacific
Dominican University
Provisional Accreditation (Granted by ARC-PA)*
California State University Monterey Bay
University of La Verne
Probationary Accreditation*
Southern California University of Health Sciences
*Click here to learn more about the different categories of accreditation.
Professional Association Links
For more information, visit the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA) website at www.paeaonline.org and/or the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) website at www.aapa.org.
