Health Science - Pre-Physician Assistant, B.S.

Program Description

The mission of the Physician Assistant 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 trains primary care physician assistants eligible for employment in a wide variety of medical settings and specialties.

This is a six-year program with students earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Science - Pre-Physician Assistant and a master of science degree in physician assistant studies upon successful completion of the program. The program is divided into two distinct phases: a pre-professional phase in which students complete the General Education Program and basic science program requirements, and the professional phase, which includes 15 months of didactic education and 12 months of clinical rotations. The didactic portion includes courses in clinical medicine, pharmacology, applied clinical skills, genetics, human anatomy and physiology, history taking and physical assessment, mental health issues, foundations of research, advanced statistics, research project, 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 to apply for state licensure.

A graduate program for students with a bachelor’s degree is also available. The graduate program allows 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.

Program Highlights

Degree: Bachelor of Science

Required Credits: 120

School: School of Health Sciences

Department: Physician Assistant Studies

Modality: On-Ground

Locations: Main Campus (Springfield)

Additional Information: https://springfield.edu/programs/physician-assistant-studies

Program Minimum 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 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.

Additional Program Standards

Students must receive a grade of at least C+ (2.3) in all program requirements and prerequisite courses. Students who receive a grade of less than C+ in a program requirement/prerequisite course, must repeat the course to improve the grade and will be put on probation. A student may repeat a course only once. Failure to achieve a grade of C+ or better on the second attempt will result in dismissal from the program. Because of course scheduling, the need to repeat a course may result in deceleration in the program. No more than 8 credits may be transferred in or repeated for the program prerequisite courses (exceptions to this rule noted in the petition policy below).
Students in the pre-professional phase must maintain a GPA of 3.0 or better in the program prerequisite courses and cumulative. At the end of each semester the Promotions Committee will review all student grades. Failure to achieve a 3.0 minimum GPA (cumulative/prerequisite) or a minimum of a C+ in any program requirement will result in a program probation. A registered letter will be sent to any student who has been placed on probation. The student will remain on probation until the aforementioned requirements are achieved; this must be done before the start of the professional phase (January of the senior year) or the student will be dismissed from the PA program.
Students must receive a grade of at least B (3.0) in all Professional Program Requirements.

Undergraduate Curriculum Overview

The Academic Advising Center provides the following repositories of sequencing and curriculum guides for all undergraduate majors and minors to assist with course planning:

Additional Notes:

There may be circumstances where credit totals do not reflect coursework that is eligible to count towards Core Curriculum and Major Requirement sections of a major simultaneously.
Degree requirements are subject to change.

I. Core Curriculum (40 credits)

This Core Curriculum is faithful to the Springfield College mission and further strengthens the Humanics philosophy of educating students in spirit, mind, and body. It is a cornerstone of a Springfield College education. Regardless of one’s major, it provides a strong, developmental, and holistic foundation for leaders in service to humanity. Upon completion, all graduates will be prepared to learn, lead, and serve in diverse, multicultural, and global contexts as well as in any career path they may choose. They will have the knowledge, habits of the mind, skills, and abilities to face unexpected situations and challenges, the values and attitudes for self-motivation and a vision of service that stems from hope, optimism and making a difference, as well as the self-determination to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle.

View the Core Curriculum Requirements (40 credits) section for a complete list of the domains and courses therein.