PA school admissions

All application material and supporting documentation will be submitted to CASPA. CASPA application fees depend upon the number of institutions to which you apply. Fees start at $175. Applicants should follow detailed instructions provided in the CASPA system. CASPA is comprised of the four main sections: Personal Information, Academic History, Supporting Information, and Program Materials. Guidance specific to the Sullivan University PA program is provided below:

CASPA Personal Information
This section is used to gather your biographic and contact information.

CASPA Academic History
This section is where you input the schools you attended, as well as coursework you completed.

• Transcripts: Applicants must submit official transcripts of all colleges and universities attended.

• Optional Standardized Test Scores: The PA program does not require a standardized test score. However, test scores may be submitted for the Admissions Committee to consider while evaluating your application. We encourage you to speak with a member of our enrollment team about whether a test score might strengthen your application. Scores must not be more than 2 years old at the start of each application cycle.

• International Coursework: Please note that if an applicant completed international coursework, they must submit a Worldwide Education Services (WES) evaluation of transcripts. Sullivan University does not accept evaluations from any other service. The evaluation must be a course-by-course evaluation. CASPA does not factor in grades received from WES-evaluated transcripts when calculating GPA.

• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL): If English is a second language, the Admissions Committee reserves the right to request a TOEFL score.

CASPA Supporting Information
This section is used to collect supporting application information, such as evaluations (i.e., letters of reference), achievements, and certifications.

• The Sullivan University PA program requires three letters of reference. One of these letters must be from a PA, MD, DO, or ARPN. Letter writers must have first-hand knowledge of the applicant in a patient care setting (i.e., no letters from family friends).

• The Sullivan University PA program requires a minimum of 500 direct-patient-contact hours, where they gain experience in hands-on clinical skills.

CASPA Program Materials
This section includes copies of professional licenses, military documentation, and Verification of Intent to Graduate (if graduating during the current academic year). Please note that all outstanding prerequisites and bachelor’s degree must be completed by June 15, prior to matriculation.

The Admissions Committee will review all verified CASPA applications.

The PA program conducts interviews during the fall of each application year. The Admissions Committee takes a holistic view of your application. We interview approximately 200 applicants each cycle. Applicants are considered for interviews based on the competitiveness of each cycle’s applicant pool. Please note that meeting the minimum requirements for admission does not guarantee an interview.

Prior to attending the interview, candidates will need to complete a supplemental application which requires a nonrefundable application fee of $100.

Admissions decisions are made on a rolling basis. All candidates who complete the interview process will be notified of their status (acceptance, waitlist, or denial) by mid-December. Note that waitlisted candidates may be notified of status changes up until the start of the program in July. All admissions are conditional on meeting final requirements (completion of final prerequisites, final transcript submission, criminal background check, immunization requirements, etc.). All outstanding prerequisites and bachelor’s degree must be complete by June 15 prior to matriculation.

Applicants must meet the following requirements for consideration for admission to the PA program:

• Candidates must possess a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university. The PA program does not require a specific degree, and the program does not favor one degree over another. Your degree and all outstanding prerequisites must be complete by June 15, prior to matriculation.

• 30 semester hours (or 44.5 quarter hours) of nonremedial coursework must be completed from a regionally accredited college or university.

• Grades of C or higher must be obtained in all prerequisite courses.

• Prior to consideration of an application, all but two of the prerequisites must be completed with a grade posted on the official transcript(s). All outstanding prerequisites must be completed by June 15, prior to matriculation.

• Science credits older than 6 years at the time of application will be reviewed by the Admissions Committee on a case-by-case basis.

• Value-added courses: Additional courses beyond the minimum requirements will strengthen an application. If an applicant has completed the minimal prerequisite courses listed below and is searching for electives, successful performance in the following courses would strengthen an application: Communications/Public Speaking, Organic Chemistry II With Lab, Genetics, Cellular Biology.

• Applicants must be aware that admission to the PA program is a highly competitive process. Applicants should demonstrate strong GPAs in their cumulative undergraduate studies, prerequisite coursework, and cumulative graduate studies (if applicable). To be considered competitive, it is recommended that applicants have GPAs of 3.2 or greater in all areas. Applicants with GPAs below a 3.0 in any area will be considered by the Admissions Committee on a case-by-case basis.

• Applicants must have completed a minimum of at least 500 direct-patient-contact hours, where they gain experience in hands-on clinical skills. (Note: the average number of patient contact hours for matriculating students is >2,000).

• PA shadowing hours are not required but highly recommended.

• The PA program does not require a standardized entrance exam (i.e., GRE) to apply. Applicants have the option to submit a standardized entrance exam score, which the Admissions Committee will consider with other academic components of the candidate’s application. We encourage you to speak with a member of the enrollment team about whether a test score might strengthen your application. Scores must not be more than two years old at the start of each application cycle.

• If English is a second language, the Admissions Committee reserves the right to request a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score.

Candidates must complete their application in CASPA.

Observation

Students must be able to observe demonstrations and conduct experiments in the basic sciences including, but not limited to, chemical, biological, anatomic, and physiologic sciences. Students must be able to observe details through a microscope, and observe demonstrations in the classroom, including films, projected overheads, slides, or other forms of visual presentation.

Students must be able to accurately observe a patient near and at a distance, noting nonverbal as well as verbal signs. Specific vision-related criteria include, but are not limited to, detecting and identifying changes in the color of fluids, skin and culture media; visualizing and discriminating findings on x-rays and other imaging tests; and reading written and illustrated materials. Students must be able to observe and differentiate changes in body movement; observe anatomic structures; discriminate among numbers and patterns associated with diagnostic tests such as electrocardiograms; and competently use diagnostic instruments such as an otoscope, ophthalmoscope, and microscope.

Communication

Students must be able to relate effectively to patients while conveying compassion and empathy. They must be able to clearly communicate with patients to elicit information; accurately describe changes in mood, activity, and posture of patients; and understand verbal as well as nonverbal communication.

Communication includes not only speech but also reading and writing. Physician Assistant education presents exceptional challenges in the volume and breadth of reading required to master subject areas and impart the information to others. Students must be able to communicate quickly, effectively, and efficiently in oral and written English in the classroom and later with all members of the healthcare team. Specific requirements include, but are not limited to the following:

• Students must be able to rapidly and clearly communicate with the medical staff on rounds or elsewhere.

• Students must be able to elicit an accurate history from patients, and communicate complex findings in appropriate terms to patients and the various members of the healthcare team.

• Students must learn to recognize and promptly respond to emotional cues, such as sadness and agitation.

• Students must be able to accurately and legibly record observations and plans in legal documents, such as the patient record.

• Students must be able to prepare and communicate concise, complete summaries of both limited patient encounters and complex, prolonged encounters, including hospitalizations.

• Students must be able to complete forms according to directions in a timely fashion.

Sensory and Motor Coordination and Function

Students must possess sufficient sensory and motor function to perform physical examinations using inspection, palpation, auscultation, percussion, and other diagnostic maneuvers. This requires intact sensory abilities; coordination to manipulate patients; and skills, function, and control required to perform physical maneuvers and to utilize and operate diagnostic instruments.

Students must be able to evaluate various components of the voice, such as pitch, intensity, and timbre. They must also be able to accurately differentiate percussive notes and auscultatory findings, including but not limited to, heart, lung, and abdominal sounds. Students must be able to accurately discern normal and abnormal findings, using instruments including, but not limited to, tuning forks, stethoscopes, and sphygmomanometers.

Students should be able to execute the physical movements needed to provide general care and emergency treatments to patients. The student, therefore, must be able to respond promptly to emergencies within the hospital or practice setting, and must not hinder the ability of his/her co-workers to provide prompt care. Examples of emergency treatment reasonably required of a physician assistant include arriving quickly when called and assisting in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), administering intravenous medications, applying pressure to arrest bleeding, maintaining an airway, suturing wounds, and assisting with obstetrical maneuvers. As further illustration, CPR may require moving an adult patient, applying considerable chest pressure over a prolonged period of time, delivering artificial respiration, and calling for help.

Students should be able to learn to perform basic laboratory tests such as wet mount, urinalysis, gram stain, etc., and diagnostic/therapeutic procedures such as venipuncture or placement of catheters and tubes. The administration of intravenous medications requires a certain level of dexterity, sensation, and visual acuity. Students must be able to measure angles and diameters of various body structures using a tape measure or other devices to measure blood pressure, respiration, and pulse, and interpret graphs describing biologic relationships. Clinical rotations require the ability to transport oneself to a variety of settings in a timely manner.

Intellectual, Conceptual, Integrative, & Quantitative Abilities

Problem-solving is a critical skill demanded of physician assistants and requires rapid intellectual function, especially in emergency situations. These intellectual functions include numerical recognition, measurement, calculations, reasoning analysis, judgment, and synthesis. Students must be able to identify significant findings in the patient’s history, physical examination, and laboratory data; provide a reasoned explanation for likely diagnoses; and choose appropriate medications and therapy.

It is essential the student is able to incorporate new information, from many sources, toward the formulation of a diagnosis and plan. Good judgment in patient assessment and diagnostic/therapeutic planning is also essential. When appropriate, students must be able to identify and communicate the extent of their knowledge to others.

Behavioral & Social Attributes

Students must possess the emotional health required for full use of their intellectual abilities; the exercise of good judgment; the prompt completion of all responsibilities associated with the diagnosis and care of patients; and the development of mature, sensitive, and effective relationships in diagnosis and care of patients. Empathy, integrity, honesty, concern for others, good interpersonal skills, interest in people, and motivation are all required personal qualities. Students must be able to monitor and react appropriately to their own emotional needs. For example, students need to maintain a balanced demeanor and good organization in the face of long hours, fatigued colleagues, and dissatisfied patients.

Students must be able to develop appropriate professional relationships with their colleagues and patients, provide comfort and reassurance to patients and protect patient confidentiality. Students must possess the endurance to tolerate physically taxing workloads and to function effectively under stress. At times, students may be required to participate in clinical rotations for extended periods of time or with rotating schedules. Students must be able to adapt to changing environments, to display flexibility and to learn to function in the face of uncertainties inherent in the practice of medicine. Students are expected to accept suggestions and criticisms and, if necessary, to respond by modifying their behavior.