Pre PHysician Assistant Program

 

The pre physician assistant program at Parkside is designed to help you gain the necessary academic and professional requirements that will help you become a competitive candidate for professional physician assistant schools. We offer exceptional learning opportunities in a small class setting which helps with your success. 

 

If you are interested in the a career in the medical field working with a team of medical experts, the physician assistant path is for you. According to the AAPA (American Academy of Physician Assistants) as a physician assistant you would diagnose illness, develop and manage treatment plans, prescribe medications and you would have the ability to serves as patient's principal healthcare provider.

The PA profession is one of the fastest growing professions in the country. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job outlook is projected to grow 37% from 2016 to 2026. 


Follow link for more information about the Center of Health Sciences and other Pre Health programs.

71%

ACCEPTANCE RATE

UW-PARKSIDE PRE-PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT ACCEPTANCE RATE 2001-2023

 

Medical Schools Parkside Students Attended

Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies
Butler 
Grand Valley State
Rosalind Franklin
UW-LaCrosse
Carroll University
Methodist
Rush
 
Central Michigan
Midwestern
St. Francis
 
Cornell
New Hampshire
University of Iowa
 

Source: Dr. Bryan Lewis, Associate Dean, College of Natural and Health Sciences; Director, Center for Health Sciences and Pre-Health Programs 2001-2023 acceptance rates information, University of Wisconsin-Parkside.

 

Students hoping to gain acceptance into professional health programs can pursue a major in any department/discipline throughout the university.

When you pursue the pre-physician assistant program you will receive: 

  • Assistance in obtaining shadowing/internship experiences with local physician assistants and other healthcare providers 
  • Help to ensure that you are choosing the correct career pathway  
  • Experience* that is a requirement to gain acceptance into physician assistant school.  

Most PA programs require a minimum of 500 hours of healthcare experience or physician assistant experience. With this in mind, we would strongly urge you to gain some level of professional healthcare licensure before entering into any university or college.  The following degrees or licensures can provide students with the ability to have a paid job while gaining the large amounts of healthcare hours that are needed to be competitive candidates for PA programs:

  • Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
  • Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) 
  • Phlebotomy 

 

Common science and math pre-requisite classes that are required by most Physician Assistant programs
 

Anatomy and Physiology |  BIOS 105 and 106  | 10  credits or BIOS 300 and BIOS 341  |  7 credits| 1 year

General Biology | BIOS 101 and 102 | 8 credits | 1 year

General Chemistry | CHEM 101 and 102 | 10 credits | 1 year

Organic Chemistry | CHEM 321, 322, and 323 |11 credits | 1 year

Genetics  |  BIOS 260  |  4 credits  |  1 semester

Statistics  |  BIOS 210 |  4 credits  |  1 semester

Biochemistry  |  BIOS 307   |  3 credits |  1 semester

Microbiology   |  BIOS 303  |  4 credits |  1 semester

Up to three semesters of Psychology

Introduction to Psychological Sciences  |  PSYC 101  |  3 credits

Developmental Psychology  |  PSYC 210  |  3 credits 

Abnormal Psychology  |  PSYC 360  |  3 credits


Accredited physician assistant school programs can be found at the National Physician Assistant Association website.

A University of Wisconsin Parkside Signature Program

PROGRAM CONTACT INFO

Bryan Lewis | (262) 595-2327 | lewisb@uwp.edu

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