Physician Assistant Studies, M.S.

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Anne Bozzarelli, Graduate Program Director, (516) 463-4804, Anne.M.Bozzarelli@hofstra.edu

This distance-learning program is designed to give the physician assistant advanced training in patient care and health care delivery. The Master of Science Physician Assistant Studies program seeks to develop within each student a strong foundation in the basic and clinical sciences of medicine. The program uses a holistic approach and an intradisciplinary education to prepare graduates for meeting patients’ health care needs in an ever-changing health care system. This 15 to 24 month program focuses on critical inquiry, medical and legal ethics, and evidence based medicine. The program culminates in a research experience during which the candidate explores a specific medical issue, implements a clinical research project approved by faculty, collects and analyzes data, and draws conclusions based on the results of the project. Upon completion of the project, the student must write a paper of publishable quality and present the results to a clinical audience and faculty.

Admission Requirements

The program has two entry points. Students can enter either directly from the Bachelor of Science in Physician Assistant Stuides program, or as a working PA. Eligiblity for the program includes:

Graduation from a ARC-PA-accredited PA program.
Current NCCPA certification or eligibility.
A valid license or certificate to function as a PA in the state.
Attained at least a bachelor’s degree (not necessarily from a PA program).
At least one course in statistical analysis.
Satisfactory academic records with good references.
Demonstrated appropriate character and motivation to pursue their education in the setting of a rigorous post-graduate program.

Program Requirements - Semester Hours: 36

The Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies is a 30-semester hour distance-learning program. A minimum of 24 s.h. of distance-learning courses must be taken in residence at Hofstra. Six s.h. of previous clinical experience may be applied to the master’s program. All graduate students are expected to receive a grade B or better in all of their graduate-level courses. All students should meet with the program director and academic coordinator or designated faculty member at least once per semester. Graduate students are expected to complete a research project as part of their requirement for graduation.

Required Courses - Semester Hours: 15

HADM 200 - U.S. Health Services System Semester Hours: 3
A student with health administration experience may, with permission of instructor, substitute another course in healthcare administration for HADM 200.
PHA 201 - Current Treatments in Clinical Medicine Semester Hours: 4
PHA 202 - Approach to Evidence-Based Healthcare Semester Hours: 4
PHA 203 - Delivering Healthcare Today Semester Hours: 4

Clinical Experience - Semester Hours: 15

Clinical Rotation (may be transferred from previous experience), 6 s.h.

PHA 301 - Research Design and Analysis Semester Hours: 3
PHA 302 - Master’s Research Project Semester Hours: 3
PHA 303 - Master’s Research Project Semester Hours: 3

Electives - Semester Hours: 6

Choose 6 s.h. (two courses) from the following:

COUN 210 - Counseling and Helping Relationships Semester Hours: 3
COUN 225 - Counseling for Death, Dying and Bereavement Semester Hours: 3
COUN 237 - Counseling Families of the Elderly Semester Hours: 3
HADM 241 - Performance Improvement and Risk Management Strategies Semester Hours: 3

Graduation Requirements

Completion of all program requirements.
A minimum grade point average of 3.0 in overall course work.

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