Physician Assistant Program - Orlando

The NSU Orlando physician assistant program is a fully integrated program encompassing master's level work which leads to a Master's 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 year (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 College of Health Care Sciences Dean . The Orlando PA program curriculum is subject to change and /or modification at any time).

The course of study in the didactic phase includes Gross Anatomy, Physiology, Physical Diagnosis, Clinical Pathophysiology, History Taking & Communication Skills, Genetics, Pharmacodynamics, Introduction to the PA Profession, Cultural Issues in Healthcare, PA & Health Care Dynamics, Microbiology, Fundamentals of Medical Imaging, Legal and Ethical Issues in Health Care, Epidemiology & Biostatistics in Health Care, Pharmacology, Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Social and Behavioral Sciences & Psychiatry, Electrocardiography, Health Promotion & Disease Prevention, Complementary Medicine & Nutrition, Life Support Skills and Procedures, Clinical Procedures and Surgical Skills, Publication Skills & Medical Research, Domestic Violence training, OSHA "Blood borne Pathogen" training, Clinical Year Preparation, Research Methods, and training in the use of PDAs.

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

The second year 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, Behavioral Medicine, Pediatrics, and Family Medicine. Dermatology, orthopedics, otorhinolaryngology, geriatrics, cardiology, neurology, endocrinology, pulmonology, urology, ophthalmology, and gastroenterology are available as Selectives, one of which is required. One four week elective is scheduled during the clinical year.  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.

Also during the second year, students are required to complete a graduate project. This project is a scholarly paper suitable for publication and a poster board or powerpoint presentation summarizing the paper. 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.

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

Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 and a minimum science GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 grading scale at the time of application in order for your application to be considered. Successful applicants in the past have typically had both cumulative and science GPAs of 3.4 or higher, GRE score (verbal, quantitative, and analytical) in the 40th percentile or higher in each of the three categories.

Personal interviews are offered to the most qualified applicants to assess interpersonal and communication skills, maturity, altruistic attitude, and commitment to a PA career. Due to the popularity of the PA profession, there has been a tremendous increase in applicants, which makes this a very competitive process. The NSU PA Program in Orlando utilizes a rolling admissions process. Applications are received through CASPA, as they are completed, until the deadline date, January 15. Interviews are conducted from September and are continued until all seats are filled. Completing all the minimum requirements does not guarantee the applicant an interview.

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 or by telephone at (617) 612-2080.

The CASPA application may be submitted as early as April 27, the year prior to the admission cycle. 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 as calculated by CASPA 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

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 Orlando program is 0964. 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.

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 and printer. The computer must have the following minimum specifications:

• Combo DVD and RW drive
• Sound capability and speakers
• Internet connection with private Internet service provider (ISP) for universal access to the Internet
• Wireless capability
• Printer
• Webcam (internal or attached)

The following are recommended features:

• Intel Core i5 or i7 processor
• Windows 7 or higher or Mac OS X 10.7
• Microsoft Office 2007 with PowerPoint, Word, and Excel minimum
• Surge suppressor electrical outlet
• Flash drive

Note: Mac computers may have difficulties integrating with the required PDA software.

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.

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

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

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.