Associate Professor Gould, Graduate Program Director, 516-463-4411
Physician assistants (PAs) are nationally certified and state-licensed health professionals able to practice medicine in collaboration with physicians providing a team-based approach to quality, patient-centered care. PAs conduct physical examinations, diagnose and treat illnesses, order and interpret diagnostic tests, assist in surgery, coordinate care, counsel on preventive healthcare, prescribe medication, and more. PAs are qualified to care for patients in every medical and surgical specialty and setting such as surgery, emergency medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry, and family medicine.
There are two pathways to becoming a PA at Hofstra. One is the freshman dual-degree pathway and the other is as a post-baccalaureate student. The freshman dual-degree program is designed to provide students with the opportunity to earn both the BS and MS degrees in five and a half years. Freshman dual-degree students first complete the pre-professional phase, consisting of three years of collegiate instruction including all prerequisite courses, followed by a two and a half year graduate or professional phase of the curriculum. For more information on the freshman dual-degree program, please see the Undergraduate Bulletin.
Post-Baccalaureate students complete the professional phase of the program only. The professional curriculum is divided into three semesters of didactic instruction, three semesters of clinical clerkships, and one semester of research for a total of two and a half years of study. The didactic phase of the program uses a vertically and horizontally integrated approach and centers around components of medicine. For example, students learning about cardiology in the medicine course will be learning about cardiac-related drugs in the pharmacology course, and the cardiac physical examination in the physical diagnosis course. To best match multiple learning styles, instruction is provided using a multi-modal approach. Examples include case-based learning, use of simulation, use of standardized patients (actors), hands-on practice sessions for procedural and physical examination skills, use of cadavers for anatomy instruction and procedure skills, and the traditional lecture format.
During the clinical year of the program, students complete approximately 2,000 hours of clinical training. Clinical clerkships are completed at affiliated hospitals, private physicians’ offices, and community clinics which offer training in various medical disciplines and provide the opportunity for exposure to a wide variety of patient populations.
During the last semester of the program, students will take a condensed series of graduate research methodology coursework. They will then conduct an original research project with classmates related to improving clinical practice and the health of patients; projects are developed using partnerships within Hofstra University, the surrounding community, and the Northwell Health system. The research semester culminates in a master’s thesis and professional poster presentation.
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