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2013-2014 Undergraduate Bulletin [ARCHIVED BULLETIN]
Physician Assistant Studies, Bachelor of Science (B.S.) and Master of Science (M.S.), Dual-degree Program
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Assistant Professor Loscalzo, Director
Carole T. Ferrand, Chairperson
Physician assistants are health professionals licensed to practice medicine with physician supervision. Physician assistants work in a variety of medical settings, ranging from basic primary care to sub-specialty medicine. Physician assistants are qualified to assist in surgery, attend medical emergencies, or care for patients in out-patient internal medicine, pediatrics or family medicine offices and clinics.
Hofstra’s program is designed to provide students the opportunity to earn both B.S. and M.S. degrees in Physician Assistant Studies. Undergraduate students first complete the pre-professional phase, consisting of three years of collegiate instruction including all prerequisite courses. The professional curriculum is divided into three semesters of didactic instruction, three semesters of clinical clerkships and one semester of research. Using a number of learning modalities including case-based learning, students integrate basic science with the study and application of clinical medicine.
During the clinical year of the program, students are assigned to clinical clerkships at affiliated hospitals, private physicians’ offices and community clinics. Located in a variety of medical settings, these clinical campuses offer training in all disciplines of medicine and provide the opportunity for exposure to a wide variety of patient populations. The research semester will culminate in a research project using community partnerships. Upon successful completion of the program, candidates are eligible to sit for the Physician Assistant National Certification Examination (PANCE). Undergraduate students having completed 126 semester hours of coursework and all Hofstra University undergraduate degree requirements will receive a bachelor of science degree in physician assistant studies(1). All students, including those earning the baccalaureate, will earn a Master of Science in physician assistant studies upon completion of the entire curriculum(2).
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Notes
- Students who complete 126 semester hours of course work and all Hofstra University undergraduate degree requirements are eligible for the B.S. degree; however, they will not be eligible to sit for the PANCE exam or to receive the M.S. degree until all requirements for the M.S. degree are fulfilled, including completion of the PA Professional Phase of the program. Students who do not continue into the professional phase can earn a B.A. in Natural Sciences degree which builds on what has already been taken as part of the pre-PA curriculum. Alternatively, students may choose any other major to transfer into, however depending on when the transition takes place, students may need to take more than 126 semester hours to complete the chosen major requirements.
- Students who earn the B.S. in Physician Assistant Studies at Hofstra need only complete 37 additional semester hours of course work to earn the M.S. in Physician Assistant Studies. Students who enter the program with a baccalaureate degree from another institution must complete the entire Professional Phase of the program, or 79 semester hours of course work.
Entry Requirements
For those Hofstra University students who are provisionally admitted to the program as first-year students, the following conditions must be met in order to qualify for progression into the professional phase of the program:
- Enter Hofstra University as a first-year student with a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 in high school academic work and a SAT score of 1230 (on the Critical Reading and Mathematics sections) or an ACT score of 27;
- Qualified applicants to the direct entry program will be asked to submit a supplement to their application, consisting of two essay questions;
- Complete a successful interview during the junior year;
- Attend Hofstra University for all undergraduate course work;
- Maintain a minimum semester grade point average of 3.0 for each of the six semesters prior to beginning the PA program curriculum;
- Maintain a cumulative overall and science grade point average of 3.3 prior to beginning the PA program curriculum;
- Follow the prescribed pre-professional curriculum; deviations may only be made under advisement from the Department of Physician Assistant Studies ;
- Complete three years in residence before entering the professional phase of the program;
- Meet with a PA program faculty adviser (and the pre-professional science adviser, if appropriate) at least once each semester;
- Document 50 to 100 hours of health care experience.
Students will receive a letter from the Department of Physician Assistant Studies at the end of the first year, and every semester thereafter during the first three years, advising them of their academic standing, and of remaining requirements to successfully transition to the professional phase. Students not meeting the required grade point average standards will be advised of the necessary steps needed to gain good academic standing.
Should a student meet all conditions, a seat will be reserved in the class beginning in his/her senior year. Students who do not meet every condition for the first-year direct entry option may apply to the program via the CASPA process. Dual-degree Requirements
Candidates for the dual degree (B.S./M.S.) must fulfill the following requirements:
- The successful completion of at least 163 semester hours. All students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.3 throughout the pre-physician-assistant phase of the program and a cumulative GPA of 3.0 throughout the physician-assistant curriculum.
- The following general requirements: WSC 001 and 002 or placement examination. Distribution course requirement: (For listing of distribution courses, see Distribution Courses .); 6 s.h. of humanities distribution courses [3 s.h. in literature (LT) and 3 s.h. in appreciation and analysis (AA)]; 6 s.h. of social science distribution courses [3 s.h. in behavioral social sciences (BH) and 3 s.h. in history, philosophy, or religion (HP)]; MATH 050 or 071 ; 3 s.h. in cross-cultural studies (CC); completion of level 4 of a foreign language, or placement above level 4 on the appropriate placement test administered by the language laboratory; BIO 011 , 012 , 025 , 135 , 137 , 140 ; CHEM 003A , 003B , 004A , 004B , 135 ; BCHM 162 ; BIO 100 or PSY 040 or SOC 180 ; all PHA-prefix courses listed in the sequencing chart below.
Program Requirements - Total Semester Hours: 163
The following major and additional requirements can be fulfilled as follows:
B.S./M.S. in Physician Assistant Studies
Suggested Five and One-half Year Sequence
Full-time Students: 163 s.h. Pre-PA Phase - Total Semester Hours: 84
First Year
FALL |
Course |
Semester Hours |
WSC 001 |
3 |
Language Level 1* or
3 s.h. of liberal arts elective if language requirement fulfilled |
3 |
BIO 012 |
4 |
CHEM 003A , 003B |
4 |
Total |
14 |
SPRING |
Course |
Semester Hours |
WSC 002 |
3 |
BIO 011 |
4 |
CHEM 004A , 004B |
4 |
Language Level 2* or
3 s.h. of liberal arts elective if language requirement fulfilled |
3 |
PHA 101 |
2 |
Total |
16 |
* See number 2 above on language requirement under dual-degree requirements. Second Year
FALL |
Course |
Semester Hours |
CHEM 135
|
4 |
BIO 135 |
3 |
Any LT distribution course |
3 |
Language Level 3* (or 3 s.h. of liberal arts electives if language requirement fulfilled) |
3 |
Total |
13 |
* See number 2 above on language requirement under dual-degree requirements Professional Phase - Total Semester Hours: 79
Fourth Year
FALL |
Course |
Semester Hours |
PHA 223 |
4 |
PHA 217 |
2 |
PHA 215 |
3 |
PHA 212 |
4 |
PHA 224 |
3 |
Total |
16 |
SPRING |
Course |
Semester Hours |
PHA 200 |
2 |
PHA 216 |
2 |
PHA 202 |
2 |
PHA 220 |
2 |
PHA 225 |
4 |
PHA 221 |
2 |
Total |
14 |
SUMMER |
Course |
Semester Hours |
PHA 219 |
2 |
PHA 233
|
2 |
PHA 227 |
6 |
PHA 234 |
2 |
PHA 235 |
2 |
Total |
14 |
Awarding of B.S. Degree: 126 s.h.Fifth Year
FALL, SPRING AND SUMMER
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Course |
Semester Hours |
PHA 250 |
4 |
PHA 255
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4 |
PHA 260 |
3 |
PHA 265 |
3 |
PHA 270 |
4 |
PHA 280 |
3 |
PHA 285 |
3 |
PHA 290 |
3 |
Total |
27
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NOTE: Each of these courses must be completed before the end of the program; however, the sequencing varies. Sixth Year
FALL |
Course |
Semester Hours |
PHA 218 |
2 |
PHA 301 |
3 |
PHA 302 |
3 |
Total |
8 |
Tuition
Students enrolled in the Pre-PA phase of the program (first three years) will be charged the standard undergraduate tuition . Students in the PA Professional Phase of the program (fourth, fifth and sixth years) will be charged the standard graduate tuition . Students enrolled in the PA Professional Phase who have earned fewer than 126 semester hours in course work are eligible to apply for undergraduate financial aid packages. See also: Complete B.S. Requirements
Complete B.S. Requirements in Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. |
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