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Physician Assistant (A Developing Program)

Sullivan University College of Health Sciences is currently developing a Physician Assistant Program whose mission is to train medical professionals to provide ethical, high quality, and compassionate healthcare as part of an inter-professional team. Students will prepare for a professional role as clinicians with an emphasis on care in the primary care setting and underserved areas. The students will focus on preventive health care services as well as acute and chronic disease management in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

Consistent with the goals of Sullivan University, the PA program is dedicated to providing cutting-edge educational enrichment opportunities for the intellectual, social and professional development of its students. The program offers career-focused curricula to promote the development of critical thinking, effective verbal and written communication, computer literacy and teamwork, as well as an appreciation for lifelong learning, cultural diversity and professionalism. The PA Program will pursue its mission and goals while embracing the core values of Teamwork, Compassion, Excellence, Professionalism, Integrity and Accountability. (View the mission statement)

The Sullivan PA Program will be a graduate program of 24 months with the first class graduating in September 2015, receiving a Master of Science in Physician Assistant. The Goals of the Sullivan University PA Program are to:

• Establish a sound Physician Assistant Program based on rigorous assessment and compliance with accreditation standards established for achieving excellence.
• Provide a technologically-proficient teaching and learning environment
• Recruit, retain, and develop dedicated faculty and clinical faculty.
• Provide a rich and diversified culture for students' optimal learning experiences
• Provide a competency-driven, practice-based training experience for students
• Serve the Community as part of the Mission of the Physician Assistant Program and training of the students
• Contribute to the provision of high quality, compassionate healthcare to meet the growing demand for primary care services, particularly to underserved populations.
• Support the advancement of Physician Assistant education and practice in the Commonwealth and the nation.

The Sullivan University Physician Assistant Program has submitted all required documents to the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) and will host an in-person accreditation site visit in April 2013. The PA Program has begun accepting applications and anticipates matriculating its first class in September 2013, pending ARC-PA granting of accreditation-provisional at their September meeting. Provisional accreditation is an accreditation status for a new PA program that has not yet enrolled students, but at the time of its comprehensive accreditation review, has demonstrated its preparedness to initiate a program.

For admission consideration, an applicant should possess the following Admissions Requirements:

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university
• Minimum GPA of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale
• Minimum prerequisite GPA of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale
  • Human Anatomy
  • Human physiology (two semesters of a combined Anatomy and Physiology course is acceptable)
  • Microbiology
  • 2 semesters of Chemistry (with lab)
  • Introduction to Psychology or Developmental Psychology
  • Statistics
  • English Composition or a Communications course
  • 2 semesters of Organic Chemistry is recommended, but not required
  *Science courses need to have been taken within the past 6 years. However, this may be waived on a case-by-case basis.
  
  
• 3 letters of recommendation, one of which must be from a PA, MD, or DO
  
• Personal statement with application
• Successful personal interview
• 250 hours of patient care experience is strongly desired

Qualified applicants will be invited to campus for an interview.

A career as a physician assistant is exciting and rewarding. Physician Assistants are necessary members of the healthcare team delivering quality care around the world and in every area of medicine. We believe that we have developed an innovative and comprehensive curriculum that will optimize the learning experience of PA students: to develop a high level of critical thinking in service to humanity, compassionate care, and professionalism.

We wish you the best in all your educational endeavors and hope that Sullivan University can play an integral role in your future career as a physician assistant.