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 PA Profession | Program Information | Technical Standards Admission Criteria | Prerequisite Courses |
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New PA Website
http://www.cmich.edu/chp/x485.xml We are happy to announce the launch of the all new PA website on Friday, August 22nd. If you are seeing this message you are on the old site. Please click the link above and update your bookmarks. Admission Criteria At the time of application, it is likely that some applicants are in their final year of their undergraduate studies. It is also possible that students in possession of a bachelor's degree still need to complete a portion of the program's academic prerequisites. Individuals in either of these groups are encouraged to apply to the program. However, both of these requirements must be met before the start of the summer semester in the year that a student applies for admission. In addition, if students have more than two prerequisite courses remaining to complete, it is strongly recommended that they apply the following year. The program faculty also want to be sure that applicants understand and are comfortable with the patient/provider role. Applicants are expected to demonstrate a minimum of 100 hours of direct patient contact. Although indirect patient care experiences can be valuable, the program does not consider clerical work performed in a medical setting, or "shadowing" of a physician assistant or physician acceptable for meeting the direct health care experience requirement. As part of the admissions process, the faculty will examine the academic record of applicants. A minimum grade point average of 2.8 is required for both prerequisite and overall undergraduate academic coursework. Survey courses in anatomy, chemistry, and psychology are accepted presently as fulfilling prerequisite courses but may be more rigorous in the future. When possible, courses at a higher level may give students a firmer foundation for the physician assistant curriculum. Applicants must submit scores of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) with application materials. Other factors considered in the admissions process are community service, demonstration of leadership qualities, letters of recommendation, health care experience and writing abilities. Admission into the Physician Assistant Program is highly competitive. Thus, meeting minimum requirements does not assure an invitation for an interview or acceptance into the program. As an example, students entering the first two classes had an approximate average undergraduate GPA of 3.45, an average prerequisite GPA of 3.43, and an average of 3.2 years of health care experience. However, individual applications are evaluated on their own merit and a wide range of cumulative and prerequisite grades and health care experience are reflected in these averages. Survey courses meet minimum requirements, but faculty strongly recommends upper level courses whenever possible as they provide better preparation to the rigors of the PA program. |
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Central Michigan University,
Mount Pleasant, Michigan 48859 | ||||
