Program Overview

Physician Assistant Program

The Physician Assistant Program is designed to provide students with the necessary education and training to become competent and compassionate physician assistants.

Admissions Requirements

To be considered for admission to the Physician Assistant Program, applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Baccalaureate Degree: A baccalaureate degree must be from a U.S. regionally accredited College or University.
• Degree Completion: Baccalaureate degrees must be completed by the end of fall semester prior to matriculation.
• International Degrees: Baccalaureate Degree and prerequisite coursework taken outside of the U.S. is not accepted.
• Prerequisite Coursework: Prerequisite coursework must be taken at a U.S. regionally accredited College or University.

GPA Requirements

• Minimum Overall GPA: A minimum overall GPA of 3.0 and Science GPA of 3.0 is required to be considered.
• GPA Calculation: The USF PA Program utilizes the GPA’s as calculated by CASPA.
• Meeting Minimum GPA: Meeting the minimum GPA requirements does not guarantee an interview or admission.

GRE Requirements

• Graduate Record Examination (GRE): The GRE is required for application consideration.
• Official Scores: Official scores are required and must be from tests taken within the past five (5) years.
• GRE Code: The name of the program on ETS is University South Florida PA Program CASPA GRE code 8854.

Prerequisite Coursework

• Required Courses: The following courses are required for consideration and admission:
  • Microbiology with laboratory - 1 Semester (or semester hour equivalent)
  • Organic Chemistry with laboratory - 1 Semester (or semester hour equivalent)
  • Organic Chemistry II OR Biochemistry – 1 Semester (or semester hour equivalent)
  • Human Anatomy and Physiology with laboratory - 2 Semesters (or semester hour equivalent)
  • Statistics - 1 Semester (or semester hour equivalent)
  • Medical Terminology - 1 Semester (or an online certificate course)
• Course Credits: Dual enrollment course credits from an accredited college or university are acceptable for prerequisites.
• Non-Acceptable Courses: Courses designed for non-science majors will not be accepted.

Experience in Healthcare Setting

• Direct Patient Care Experience: A minimum of 500 hours of direct patient care experience in a healthcare setting must be completed prior to application.
• Examples of Direct Patient Care: Examples of direct patient care experiences may include but are not limited to: EMT, paramedic, medical assistant, scribe, patient care tech, nurse, surgical tech, athletic trainer, physical therapy aide, etc.
• Shadowing Experiences: Shadowing experiences are not accepted as direct patient care but are valuable for the applicant to gain a better understanding of the PA profession.

Letters of Recommendation/Evaluation

• Required Letters: Three letters of recommendation/evaluation are required.
• Letter Sources: Letters should be from Physicians, Physician Assistants, Nurse Practitioners, Research Mentors, Professors, Volunteer Coordinators/Supervisors who had direct interaction with the applicant.
• Clinical Setting Letter: At least one letter of recommendation must be from an individual who supervised or worked with the applicant in a clinical setting.

Residency

• US Citizen: An individual who was born in the US or attained US citizenship another way, such as through naturalization.
• Permanent US Resident: An individual who was granted lawful permanent resident status.
• In-State or Out-of-State: Determined for tuition purposes.

The program complies with the Florida Board of Governors Regulation 6.001, which mandates no preference be given in the admissions process for applicants on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, or sex.