Physician Assistant Program - Jacksonville

The NSU Jacksonville Physician Assistant (PA) Program is a fully integrated program encompassing graduate level work which leads to a Master of Medical Science (MMS) degree. The rigorous 27-month curriculum (144 semester credit hours) is integrated at the didactic and clinical levels and prepares graduates to be compassionate and competent healthcare providers to practice high quality patient-centered care. All students must complete the entire NSU PA 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. The didactic phase is designed to give the student the basic practical information required to begin the practice of medicine under the supervision of a physician.

The course of study in the didactic phase includes:  Patient Centered Healthcare, Anatomy, Pharmacodynamics, Introduction to the PA Profession, Fundamentals of Medical Imaging, Medical Terminology, Physiology, Physical Diagnosis, Electrocardiography, Clinical Pathophysiology, Microbiology, Pharmacology, Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Interpretation of Medical Literature, Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Legal and Ethical Issues in Health Care, Clinical Pharmacology, Complementary Medicine & Nutrition, Clinical Behavioral Medicine, Life Support Skills and Procedures, Health Promotion & Disease Prevention, PA Health Care Dynamics, Clinical Procedures and Surgical Skills, and Clinical Genetics. Select courses include lab components.In these labs, students learn how to obtain a patient history, perform a physical examination, perform technical skills (e.g., injections, IV catheter, suturing, etc.) and have Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) training. Standardized patients are utilized in some lab experiences. Additionally, students receive training in HIPAA compliance and OSHA Bloodborne Pathogen protocols.

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. These rotations are between 4 and 6 weeks in length. The course of study for the clinical phase includes six-week rotations in the following areas: Behavioral Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, General Surgery, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Prenatal Care & Gynecology. Students are also required to complete one six-week elective rotation and one four-week preceptorship.

During the clinical phase, students are required to return to campus after each rotation. These "End of Rotation" (EOR) activities. These activities include end of rotation testing, summative testing, and seminars on various topics (e.g., medical errors, HIV, domestic violence, sex trafficking, PANCE, job and licensing preparation, Point-of-Care Ultrasound [POCUS],clinical medicine and surgery topics, etc.).

Also, during the clinical phase, students are required to complete a graduate project. This project is a scholarly paper suitable for publication and will consist of a literature review on a topic approved by the student’s faculty adviser.

The progress of each student through the curriculum requires continuous satisfactory academic and clinical performance. All courses are offered once a year, so 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.

Required Degree

Prior to matriculation, applicants must have received a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university. Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 and a minimum cumulative science GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 grading scale at the time of application and must maintain that GPA through matriculation. Successful applicants in the past have typically had cumulative grade point averages in the range of 3.3 to 3.5 and higher.

All required science prerequisites must be completed by fall semester prior to matriculation and a minimum grade of "C", 2.0 is required in all prerequisites.

The NSU Jacksonville Physician Assistant Program does not grant advanced standing to matriculants who hold an advanced degree.  All matriculants much complete the entire curriculum.

Required Courses

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 serve as better preparation than course work completed in prior years. Academic preparation is considered on a case-by-case basis in the context of healthcare 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.

The College requires applicants to earn a grade of “C” (2.0) or better in each of the following required courses (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 or equivalent quarter hours; 3 semester hours must be in English Composition, 3 semester hours must be in English Literature, and 3 semester hours must be in 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.

Letters of Recommendation

Two letters of recommendation are required.

• One letter from a physician assistant
• One letter from a healthcare professional such as physician, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, registered nurse, physical therapist, or occupational therapist.

Recommendations submitted by relatives, personal healthcare providers, family, or personal friends are not acceptable.

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 number for the Jacksonville program is 0952. The exam must have been taken within the last five years, and early enough for official scores to be received in the admissions office 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) in the 40th percentile or higher in each of three categories. 

For further information contact:

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

Prospective students are selected by the Committee on Admissions (COA) which considers the overall qualities of the applicant. Areas of consideration include:

• written communication skills
• academic performance and level of achievement
• personal motivation and judgment
• self-awareness and insight
• interpersonal skills and professionalism
• stress management
• knowledge of the PA profession
• quality and length of prior healthcare experience
• extracurricular activities and community service
• employment while in school
• collegiate athletics

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 most current information pamphlet, university catalog, and application information should be consulted for the most up-to-date information.

Identifying and Securing Rotations

It is the Program’s responsibility to ensure students are not burdened with the task of identifying or securing their own clinical sites or preceptors. By doing so, the Program ensures that students can focus on their education and training without the added stress of finding clinical placements. The ARC PA Standard A3.03 emphasizes the Program's responsibility for this process to ensure all students have access to diverse and high-quality clinical experiences. Therefore, the Clinical Director oversees the assigning of student rotations. Students are to reach out to the Clinical Director for any questions or concerns about their rotation assignment. 

Outside Employment

The Program expects that students’ attendance is their primary focus. Any outside activity must not interfere with the educational process, attendance or performance in the Program. The Program strongly discourages outside employment during the student’s 27-month tenure.

Student Employment Within the Program

Students are not allowed to work in any capacity for Nova Southeastern University Physician Assistant Program during the didactic and clinical phase, including but not limited to, substituting or functioning as instructional faculty and clinical or administrative staff.

The program participates in the Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) for the receipt and processing of all applications. However, CASPA takes no part in the selection of our students. Complete your CASPA application prior to the January 15 application deadline for the class matriculating in May.

The university is an academic community and expects its students to manifest a commitment to academic integrity through rigid observance of standards for academic honesty. The university can function properly only when its members adhere to clearly established goals and values. Accordingly, the academic standards are designed to ensure that the principles of academic honesty are upheld.

The following acts violate the academic honesty standards:

• cheating—intentionally using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information, or study aids in any academic exercise
• fabrication—intentional and unauthorized falsification or invention of any information or citation in an academic exercise
• facilitating academic dishonesty—intentionally or knowingly helping or attempting to help another to violate any provision of this code
• plagiarism—the adoption or reproduction of ideas, words, or statements of another person as one’s own without proper acknowledgment

Students are expected to submit tests and assignments that they have completed without aid or assistance from other sources. Using sources to provide information without giving credit to the original source is dishonest. Students should avoid any impropriety or the appearance thereof in taking examinations or completing work in pursuance of their educational goals.

Students are expected to comply with the following academic standards:

• Original work—Assignments, such as course preparations, exams, texts, projects, term papers, practicum, or any other work submitted for academic credit must be the original work of the student. Original work may include the thoughts and words of another author. Entire thoughts or words of another author should be identified using quotation marks. At all times, students are expected to comply with the university and/or program center’s recognized form and style manual and accepted citation practice and policy. Work is not original when it has been submitted previously by the author or by anyone else for academic credit. Work is not original when it has been copied or partially copied from any other source, including another student, unless such copying is acknowledged by the person submitting the work for the credit at the time the work is being submitted, or unless copying, sharing, or joint authorship is an express part of the assignment. Exams and tests are original work when no unauthorized aid is given, received, or used before or during the course of the examination, reexamination, and/or remediation. Students’ use of generative artificial intelligence (e.g., ChatGPT, Google Bard, DALL-E, Midjourney, etc.) or similar resources on any coursework or academic assessments without the prior permission of their faculty member, or the use of these resources in any way that violates the academic standards of NSU and/or a student’s academic program, is expressly prohibited.
• Referencing the works of another author—All academic work submitted for credit or as partial fulfillment of course requirements must adhere to each academic program’s specific accepted reference manuals and rules of documentation. Standards of scholarship require that the writer give proper acknowledgment when the thoughts and words of another author are used. Students must acquire a style manual approved by their program and become familiar with accepted scholarly and editorial practice in their program. Students’ work must comport with the adopted citation manual for their particular center. At NSU, it is plagiarism to represent another person’s work, words, or ideas as one’s own without use of a center-recognized method of citation. Deviating from center standards is considered plagiarism at NSU.
• Tendering of information—All academic work must be the original work of the student. Knowingly giving or allowing one’s work to be copied, giving out exam questions or answers, or releasing or selling term papers is prohibited. This includes the posting of course content, exam questions and/or answers, or other work submitted for academic credit to online sources or otherwise making such materials publicly available without the prior consent of appropriate faculty members and/or their academic program.

• Acts prohibited—Students should avoid any impropriety, or the appearance thereof, in taking examinations or completing work in pursuance of their educational goals. Violations of academic responsibility include, but are not limited to, the following:

  − plagiarism

  − any form of cheating

  − conspiracy to commit academic dishonesty

  − misrepresentation

  − bribery in an attempt to gain an academic advantage

  − forging or altering documents or credentials

  − knowingly furnishing false information to the institution

Additional matters of ethical concern—Where circumstances are such as to place students in positions of power over university personnel, inside or outside the institution, students should avoid any reasonable suspicion that they have used that power for personal benefit or in a capricious or arbitrary manner.

NSU Student Handbook p. 13-15

• Operating System: Windows 11 or higher or macOS 13 Ventura or higher
• Portability: laptops (as opposed to desktop computers) strongly recommended
• Memory: minimum of 8GB RAM (16GB strongly recommended)
• Processor Speed: minimum of Intel Core i5 or equivalent
• Hard Drive/SSD: 256 GB or larger (512+ recommended)
• Wireless: any card that supports 802.11 n/ac protocols and WPA2 Enterprise or latest
• Webcam/Microphone: laptops with built-in webcams/microphones recommended (may use a USB headset or external webcam if supported)

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.

Healthcare Experience

While there is no minimum requirement, prior healthcare experience is highly recommended. Higher consideration may be given to applicants with prior direct patient contact.

PA Shadow Experience

PA shadow experience is not required, but is preferred. Higher consideration may be given to applicants with greater PA shadow hours.

Outside Commitments and Extracurricular Activities

Participation in commitments and extracurricular activities outside of academic responsibilities is not required. However, applicants who demonstrate meaningful engagement in such activities, particularly those that reflect leadership, service, or teamwork, may receive higher consideration during the admissions process.

Nova Southeastern University Jacksonville Physician Assistant Program does not grant advanced standing to any matriculant.

A personal interview is an integral part of the admissions process; however, being granted an interview is not a guarantee of admission. It also should be clearly understood that not all applicants will be granted an interview by the Office of Admissions. The Office of Graduate and Professional Admissions processes applications on a "rolling" or periodic basis. Prospective applicants are encouraged to submit their applications early due to the limited number of seats available in the class.

Students are required to authorize the NSU Health Professions Division to obtain background check(s), as per the adopted policy of April 22, 2005. Students may also be required by the Health Professions Division to obtain a background check - or authorize clinical training facilities, where appropriate, to conduct the check - and to permit the results of the consumer reporting agency to be provided to the NSU Health Professions Division and/or the clinical training facilities. If the background check(s) reveal information of concern that the NSU Health Professions Division may deem unfavorable, the NSU Health Professions Division will provide the accepted applicant or enrolled student with the Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act and a copy of the report and request that the student provide a detailed written explanation of the information contained in the report, along with appropriate documentation (e.g., police reports). This information must be returned to the NSU Health Professions Division within 10 business days of the date the communication is sent unless another date is specified by the NSU Health Professions Division in its communication with the student. Offers of admission will not be considered final until the completion of the background check(s) by the NSU Health Professions Division, and where appropriate, by the clinical training facilities, with results deemed favorable. If information received indicates that the student has provided false or misleading statements, has omitted required information, or in any way is unable to meet the requirements for completion of the program, and then the admission may be denied or rescinded, the student may be disciplined or dismissed, or the student's enrollment may be terminated. Following the initial background check(s), students will be asked annually to provide certification relating to any convictions, guilty pleas, or no contest pleas to any criminal offense, other than traffic violations.

Official transcripts from regionally accredited institutions or universities must be mailed directly to CASPA by the institutions.

Foreign Transcripts

Applicants who have attended foreign universities or colleges are required to have their academic credentials evaluated for U.S. institution equivalence by an approved National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) organization, such as one of the services listed below.

An official course-by-course evaluation with a cumulative grade point average must be sent directly from the evaluation service to CASPA.

Students who wish to withdraw from the program or course, if course withdrawal is permitted in the student's college (refer to college policies), must submit a written request for voluntary withdrawal to the dean or program director, who will evaluate the student’s request. 

After completing the required documentation and obtaining the dean’s and/or program director’s approval, an eligible student may receive partial refund of the tuition, according to the following formula:
Drops during the first week of the semester in which classes begin - 75 percent 
Drops after the first week of the semester in which classes begin - No refund 

The withdrawal period starts with the second week of the semester and ends three weeks prior to the end of the semester. 

Students enrolled in programs that have a drop/add period will have until 11:59 p.m., the first Sunday of the semester—which is the end of the drop/add period—to make any changes in their schedule without incurring any financial expenses. 

Students who drop during the first week of classes will receive a reversal of 75 percent of their charged tuition. Students who drop after the first week of the semester will not be entitled to receive a refund.