Physician Assistant Program - Fort Myers

The NSU Fort Myers physician assistant program is a fully integrated program encompassing master's level work which leads to a Master of Medical Science (MMS) degree. The MMS curriculum is integrated at the didactic and clinical levels. All students must complete the required courses of the entire NSU curriculum, regardless of their previous academic education.

The PA-S(1): Didactic Education (15 months)

The first phase (4 semesters over 15 months) consists of intense, didactic classroom, and laboratory education. This educational process is designed to give the student the basic practical information required to begin the practice of medicine under the supervision of a physician. The didactic courses of study are required PRIOR to beginning the clinical educational experiences.

(Note: Many applicants may have completed similar courses in other institutions. No course exemptions for previous course work completed prior to admission will be considered except by expressed permission of the Program Director and the School of Health Sciences dean. The Fort Myers PA program curriculum is subject to change and /or modification at any time).

The course of study in the didactic phase includes Anatomy, Physiology, Physical Diagnosis, Clinical Pathophysiology, History Taking & Communication Skills, Genetics, Pharmacology, Introduction to the PA Profession, Population Considerations in Healthcare, PA & Health Care Dynamics, Microbiology, Fundamentals of Medical Imaging, Legal and Ethical Issues in Health Care, Clinical Pharmacology, Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Behavioral Medicine, Electrocardiography, Health Promotion & Disease Prevention, Complementary Medicine & Nutrition, Life Support Skills and Procedures, Clinical Procedures and Surgical Skills, Interpretation and Evaluation of the Medical Literature, and Clinical year preparation including OSHA Universal Precautions training, HIPAA training, and proper gowning and gloving for the Operating Room.

The PA-S(2): Clinical Education (12 months)

The second phase consists of clinical rotations in hospitals, private practices, and other patient care areas over the remaining 12 months of the program. The following areas of study are required in this clinical educational phase: Prenatal Care & Gynecology, Internal Medicine, General Surgery, Emergency Medicine, Pediatrics, Family Medicine, and a Selective chosen by the Clinical Director. Additionally, there are 2 required Elective courses, one 6-week and one 4-week, in the student's specialty of interest. During the second year, students are required to return to campus after each 6-week rotation. These "End of Rotation" events include testing, review seminars, job preparation and didactic instruction in contemporary clinical medicine and surgery topics.

During the second year, students are also required to complete a graduate project. This coursework develops a scholarly paper, suitable for publication, with an optional accompanying project. The graduate project will consist of either the findings of original research or a literature review and evaluation, which may be presented to the program and/or college during the clinical year.

The progress of each student through the curriculum requires continuous satisfactory academic and clinical performance. Since many of the curriculum’s courses are offered only once per year, a student may have an altered plan of study if not making satisfactorily progress each semester. This may extend the student’s program beyond the standard 7 consecutive semesters. There is a maximum four-year time limit for program completion, which includes any approved leave of absence / administrative break and subsequent return to the program.

Remediation Policy

The purpose of course remediation is to assure mastery of the material taught in a course, not only for earning good grades, but also to develop proficiency to guide decision-making in clinical and nonclinical situations.

Course Remediations

In alignment with the policies of the Dr. Pallavi Patel School of Health Sciences, students enrolled in the PA programs may remediate up to two courses during the didactic year. Remediation is not permitted for clinical year courses.

• A student who has remediated two didactic courses and subsequently fails a clinical year course is referred to the Committee on Student Progress (CSP) for disposition, which may include dismissal.
• A student who fails one clinical year course is referred to CSP fro review and disposition, which may include dismissal.
• A student who fails two clinical year courses meets the criteria for dismissal from the program.

Didactic Year Remediation

The PA program is an intense academic experience. Students will encounter both written and performance-based examinations. Failing to pass an exam has been shown to be due to gaps in knowledge or deficient test-taking skills. Therefore, the PA department has established guidelines for remediation to ensure students are remediating their deficiencies and achieving program competencies. 

Exam Failure Remediation Policy

If a student fails to pass an exam, the student will be notified, and the course director, in collaboration with the academic director, will create an individualized remediation assignment tailored to the student’s deficiencies as per specific program policy.  Failure to achieve the 75% passing score or failure to submit the remediation assignment will result in referral to the CSP for further disposition.  

Deceleration Policy

The purpose of deceleration is to provide students with a structured opportunity to leave their original cohort due to medical circumstances, while remaining enrolled in the physician assistant (PA) program. This process allows students to rejoin the program with a later cohort and continue their education without permanent withdrawal. 

ARC-PA Definition: “The loss of a student from the entering cohort, who remains matriculated in the physician assistant program.” 

Deceleration may be recommended or approved in the following situations: 

Process for Deceleration 

Students may request deceleration for medical conditions that preclude their participation in the program. The student will meet with the Program Director and submit the request in writing. The student must submit documentation from their health care provider that states a student’s medical condition currently prohibits their full participation in the program, and discontinuation is appropriate at this time. A student desiring a medical leave of absence must be in good academic and professional standing in the program. Leave will not be considered in lieu of dismissal. If the deceleration is approved, the student is immediately withdrawn and will be re-enrolled in the next cohort, pending medical clearance. The student will have to repeat the entire program; courses will not be audited. 

The Committee on Student Progress may also recommend deceleration for medical conditions that impact a student’s ability to be successful in the program. If the Committee on Student Progress recommends deceleration during the didactic year, the Committee will make an official recommendation to the Program Director. If the deceleration is approved by the Program Director, the student is immediately withdrawn and will be re-enrolled in the next cohort, pending medical clearance. The student will have to repeat the entire program; courses will not be audited. 

Students on medical leave must notify the Program Director of their intent to return to the program by a specified date. Additionally, the student will need to submit documentation from the certifying health care provider that they are medically cleared to return to the PA program, can meet all the technical standards for enrollment, and can fully participate in all activities. Additionally, the program may refer the student to the university’s Office of Dean of Students to have a fit for duty assessment. Failure to follow this procedure will result in forfeiture of a student’s place in the cohort.  

Note: Deceleration is not permitted during the clinical year. If a student requires a leave of absence during the clinical phase, the student must complete all clinical requirements upon return, resulting in a delayed graduation date. See the Clinical Year Handbook for more information. Any alteration in the normal curriculum progression may affect a student’s financial aid status or qualification for education-based financial aid. For specific counseling and advice, students should contact the College’s Office of Academic Affairs and the University’s Office of Financial Aid. The maximum length of time to complete the PA program is 4 years. 

Withdrawal and Dismissal

The PA Program defers to the policies outlined in the Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine Student Handbook regarding student withdrawal and dismissal. Students should refer to the handbook for detailed procedures, institutional, and program expectations.

The NSU PA Program in Fort Myers matriculates one class, in June of each year. Prospective students are selected by the Committee on Admissions (COA), which considers the overall qualities of the applicant. Areas of consideration include:

• personal motivation
• interpersonal skills
• knowledge of the PA profession
• quality and length of prior health care experience
• academic performance and level of achievement

Personal interviews are offered to the most qualified applicants to assess interpersonal and communication skills, maturity, altruistic attitude and commitment to a PA career.

The NSU PA Program-Ft. Myers utilizes a rolling admissions process. Applications are received through CASPA, as they are completed, until the deadline date, January 15. Interviews are conducted beginning in September and are continued until all seats are filled. The admissions process is very competitive, and due to the rolling admissions (possible acceptance beginning in September), it is advisable to apply early in the admissions cycle.

Course work, particularly required and recommended prerequisites, completed in the recent past is deemed to be more relevant to the related content in the professional curriculum and serves as better preparation than course work completed in prior years. Academic preparation is considered on a case by case basis in the context of health care experience, etc.

Recommended courses are regarded as important elements of comprehensive preparation for application and success in the curriculum.

Introductory and survey courses are not accepted to fulfill the required science prerequisites. Questions regarding admissions requirements or updates to your application can be directed to Christy Saunders in Graduate Admissions at csaunders@nova.edu. 

The Physician Assistant Program participates in the Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) for the receipt and processing of all applications. CASPA takes no part in the selection of students. CASPA applications are completed online at CASPA.

Questions regarding completion of the online application may be directed to CASPA's email address, by telephone at (617) 612-2080, or by visiting the CASPA Applicant Help Center.

The CASPA application deadline is January 15 to be considered for admission the following May.

Required Degree

Prior to matriculation, applicants must have earned a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university, with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 grading scale, and a minimum science GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 grading scale at the time of application.

Required Courses

The College requires applicants to earn a grade of “C” (2.0) or better in each of the following required courses listed below. Science prerequisites must be completed by the end of the fall semester prior to matriculation. There is no expiration date for prerequisite courses. However, applicants are still responsible for retaining the knowledge gained from prerequisite coursework. Therefore, applicants with science prerequisites over 10 years may be considered less competitive.

• College Math - 3 semester hours   (Statistics does not satisfy this requirement)
• English (including 3 semester hours of English Composition) - 6 semester hours
• Humanities/Arts - 3 semester hours (examples include; philosophy, religion, foreign language, law, ethics, literature, performing/visual arts, e.g. music, dance, film, theater, band, opera, painting, drawing.)
• Social Sciences - 9 semester hours (examples include; anthropology, psychology, sociology, political science, economics, history, geography, criminology, archeology, communication, cultural studies, law, ethics)
• General Inorganic Chemistry (I & II) including lab - 8 semester hours
• Microbiology including lab - 4 semester hours
• General Biology (or Zoology) including lab - 4 semester hours
• Human Anatomy & Physiology – 6 semester hours*
• Biochemistry - 3 semester hours
• Human Genetics (Genetics, not Animal Genetics) - 3 semester hours
• Medical Terminology – 1 semester hour

*If you take the combination class of Human Anatomy & Physiology I (A&P I), then you must complete the sequence by taking Human Anatomy & Physiology II (A&P II).

Note: Graduates of foreign institutions where English is not the primary language of instruction must present transcripts showing at least 18 semester hours of study from a regionally accredited college or university in the United States. Of these 18 semester hours: three must be in English Composition, English Literature, and Public Speaking (courses do not include ESOL). The remaining nine semester hours can be any course of the applicant's choosing (excluding physical education).

Recommended Courses

• Biochemistry lab - 1 semester hour
• Anatomy lab – 1 semester hour
• Physiology lab – 1 semester hour
• Introduction to Statistics – 3 semester hours

Applicants are encouraged to complete their elective course work in the areas of behavioral, physical and social sciences or humanities. Upon review of a student's record, the Committee on Admissions may require additional course work and testing as a condition of acceptance. In addition, previous clinical experience is highly recommended.

GRE Standardized Test

All applicants are required to submit official scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general test through the CASPA admissions portal. The CASPA GRE code for the Fort Myers program is 0951.The GRE must have been taken within the past 5 years and must be taken early enough for official scores to be received in CASPA by January 15th. Applications will not be considered complete without GRE scores. Successful applicants in the past have typically had GRE scores (verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing) in the 40th percentile or higher in each of the three categories.

For further information contact:

Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
http://www.gre.org 
1-609-921-9000

Basic Cardiac Life Support

We no longer require proof of current certification in Basic Cardiac Life Support. All students are required to take BLS/BCLS, ACLS and PALS (pediatrics) during the program regardless of previous certification status or training. 

All students are required to have a laptop computer or tablet-device with wireless internet capability and a webcam. Students must have access to Microsoft Office or its equivalent. Please see the Hardware Guidelines for Computing at NSU available at https://www.nova.edu/help/Shark%20IT/Links/Sites/oiit/suggesteddevicesforstudents.html for more detail regarding minimum specifications. 

Clinical Year Clinical Experience Tracking

All students will be required to track clinical experiences during the clinical year. The Program utilizes a web-based software program to track these experiences. Students may print out hard copies of the tracking pages and document their clinical experiences by hand-writing them into the pages for entry into the software program at a later date. However, to facilitate the tracking electronically, students may also prefer to purchase an IBM compatible laptop, a windows compatible PDA, or a cell phone with internet connectivity.

Computer Skills

All applicants must show evidence of computer skills through course work or self study prior to the end of the first term. Students may obtain instruction through the NSU Microcomputer Laboratory or other training facilities.

Prior healthcare experience is highly recommended and is considered for admission. Applicants must submit verifiable information about prior healthcare experience to be competitive for admission to the program.

Official transcripts from all institutions where course work was completed or attempted must be sent directly to CASPA by the institutions. Once accepted, if the applicant did not submit final official transcripts with degree conferral to CASPA prior to acceptance, the applicant must submit all updated transcripts to NSU prior to matriculation. The updated official transcripts are to be sent directly from the institution to:

Enrollment Processing Services
Nova Southeastern University
3301 College Avenue, P.O. Box 299000
Fort Lauderdale, Fl 33314-9905