Overview
The Master of Science in Physician Associate Education Studies at West Chester University will educate physician assistants who can think critically and collaborate with others to address the needs of individual patients and the healthcare community with the highest levels of academic, clinical, and cultural competence. This graduate program is a full-time, 26-month program. It is a day program in a face-to-face format, however, the clinical phase will require nights and weekend hours as well.
Physician Assistants practice in all fields of medicine . They work in offices, urgent care centers, emergency departments, and hospitals to obtain histories, perform physical examinations order and interpret diagnostic tests, prescribe medications, educate and counsel patients, and perform surgical procedures. PAs provide excellent care to their patients. They practice in all 50 states of the USA and have an increasing presence in the healthcare systems of other countries.
The Physician Associate Education Program follows a medical model and is divided into a didactic phase and a clinical phase. The didactic phase of the program is 5 semesters of foundational sciences, clinically-oriented courses, small-group active learning sessions, hands-on labs, and healthcare observations. The clinical phase includes 40 weeks of clinical rotations in various clinical settings including family medicine, emergency medicine, surgery, hospital medicine, behavioral health, reproductive health, pediatrics, and an elective. Clinical rotations are offered in the Philadelphia region as well as across the US. Courses are taught by full-time faculty, adjunct faculty, clinical preceptors, and guest lectures who are experts in their field.
The ARC-PA has granted Accreditation-Provisional status to the West Chester University Physician Associate Education Program sponsored by the West Chester University.
Accreditation-Provisional is an accreditation status granted when the plans and resource allocation, if fully implemented as planned, of a proposed program that has not yet enrolled students appear to demonstrate the program's ability to meet the ARC-PA Standards or when a program holding Accreditation-Provisional status appears to demonstrate continued progress in complying with the Standards as it prepares for the graduation of the first class (cohort) of students.
Accreditation-Provisional does not ensure any subsequent accreditation status. It is limited to no more than five years from matriculation of the first class. The program's accreditation history can be viewed on the ARC-PA website.
The Physician Associate Education Program will be moving their application deadline to January 15. This change will help with turnaround for decision-making time and interview rounds. This year they had 1,004 verified applications for 27 seats.
Program highlights:
- Access to new facilities and simulation labs
- Clinically practicing faculty
- Early clinical exposure
- Access to Philadelphia-area clinical sites
- Partnerships with local community organizations
PA Profession highlights:
- Ranked in the top 5 best professions for several consecutive years by organizations such as US News and World Reports and CNN Money
- Average PA Salary $107,500 per year per AAPA
- Average growth of the profession is expected to be 37% per AAPA