Mar 29, 2024  
2006-2007 Springfield College Graduate Catalog 
    
2006-2007 Springfield College Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]


Click to view FlashPoint.

Physician Assistant



Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Programs

The mission of the Springfield College program is to educate students in spirit, mind, and body for leadership in clinical, community, and academic service to humanity, building upon the College’s foundations of humanics and academic excellence. The Springfield College physician assistant program 1 trains primary care physician assistants eligible for employment in a wide variety of medical settings and specialties.

This is a five-year entry-level program with students earning a bachelor of science degree in health science and a master of science in physician assistant studies upon successful completion of the program. A graduate program for students with a bachelor’s degree is also available. This would allow the student to complete the professional phase of the program in 27 months and be awarded a Master of Science degree in Physician Assistant Studies.

The program is divided into two distinct phases: a pre-professional phase in which students complete All-College Requirements and basic science program requirements; and the professional phase which includes 16 months of didactic education and 11 months of clinical rotations. The didactic year includes courses in clinical medicine, pharmacology, applied clinical skills, history taking and physical assessment, human anatomy, mental health issues, clinical decision making, foundations of research, advanced statistics, computer concepts in research, and seminar courses. Clinical education includes inpatient medicine, family medicine, psychiatry, pediatrics, obstetrics, and gynecology, surgery and emergency medicine.

Graduates of the program are eligible to sit for the National Commission of Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) Certification Examination and apply for state licensure.

For more information about this program, contact Jennifer Hixon, M.S., P.A.-C., the Program Director of the Physician Assistant Program at (413) 748-3554 or the Admissions Office at (800) 343-1257.

1 Accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission of Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA)

Professional phase core/master of science PA curriculum


  • EMSM 251 - Advanced Cardiac Life Support Credits: 1

Program Minimal Technical Standards


Technical standards define the attributes considered necessary for students to possess in order to complete their education and training, and subsequently enter clinical practice. These standards are prerequisites for entrance, continuation, and graduation from the Springfield College/Baystate Health System Physician Assistant Program. Students must possess aptitude, ability, and skills in five areas: 1) observation, 2) communication, 3) sensory and motor coordination and function, 4) conceptualization, integration, and quantitation, and 5) behavioral and social attributes. These functions are critically important and must be autonomously performed by the student. It should be understood that these are standards for minimum competence in the program. More information on technical standards is available from the Office of Admissions and can be found in the Physician Assistant Program Student Handbook.

Students are required to follow the procedures and adhere to the policies of the physician assistant program as outlined in the Physician Assistant Program Student Handbook.

Professional Courses


Sample Program by Year

Year One Spring Semester (16 credits)


  • EMSM 251 Advanced Cardiac Life Support (UG) Credits: 1  (prerequisite course)

Year Two Summer Semester (13 credits)


Year Two Fall Semester (19 credits)


Year Two Spring Semester (19 credits)


Credit Totals


Total credits for Master’s degree - 114

Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Programs