Assistant Professor Loscalzo, Graduate Program Director, 516-463-4074
Physician assistants (PAs) are health professionals licensed to practice medicine in collaboration with physicians and other healthcare professionals providing a team-based approach to quality, patient-centered care. PAs work in a variety of medical settings, ranging from basic primary care to sub-specialty medicine. PAs are qualified to care for patients in a variety of settings, inclusive of assisting in surgery, attend medical emergencies, and care for patients in out-patient internal medicine, pediatrics or family medicine offices and clinics.
Hofstra’s program is designed for both graduate and first-year dual-degree undergraduate students and provides undergraduates the opportunity to earn both the BS and the MS in Physician Assistant Studies, as well as provide graduate instruction and an MS degree to post-baccalaureate students who complete all requirements. For more information on the first-year direct-entry undergraduate program, please see the undergraduate Bulletin.
The graduate-level curriculum is divided into three semesters of didactic instruction, three semesters of clinical clerkships and one semester of research. The curriculum focuses on integrating basic science with the application of clinical medicine. The program instructs students utilizing a multi-modal approach to best reach different student learning styles. 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 traditional lecture series.
During the clinical phase 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 many 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 and based on the principles of community-oriented primary care. Upon successful completion of the program, candidates are eligible to sit for the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE). Students will earn a master of science in physician assistant studies upon completion of the entire curriculum.