Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS)

Program Mission: To continue Emory & Henry University's legacy of excellence and service with an emphasis on changing lives, our Mission is: 

• To provide graduate-level education in an interdisciplinary environment that prepares our students for careers as PAs
• To foster professionalism among our students and graduates
• To foster critical thinking and lifelong learning. 

Program Goals:

• Provide resources to support students in adapting to and managing the rigors inherent to PA education
• Provide a curriculum and experience promoting competence of the clinical and technical skills of an entry-level Physician Assistant
• Foster a collaborative approach to work effectively in interdisciplinary patient-centered healthcare teams
• Encourage and support student professional and civic activities promoting the PA profession.

Requirements For Admission/Admission Policy:

• A bachelor's degree from an accredited institution will be required prior to matriculation. The degree can be from any field and does not need to be a specific science degree or pre-professional degree. Applicants who completed coursework from a college or university outside of the U.S. must submit a transcript evaluation from the World Education Services (WES) or Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) to Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) 

Prerequisite Coursework;

Listed below are the courses required to be considered as a candidate for admission into the program. All courses must be completed at a regionally accredited college or university prior to matriculation. One semester credit hours(SCH) is equivalent to .67 quarter credit hours. AP courses or pass/fail courses without a letter grade reported on official transcripts and CLEP scores will not be accepted in place of prerequisites.

• Two semesters of Human Anatomy and Physiology with Labs (Total of 8 SCH). If Human Anatomy and Human Physiology are taken as separate courses, both must be with labs and, combined, must provide the complete study of the anatomy and physiology of all major human body systems. Exercise physiology coursework may not meet this requirement.
• Two semesters of Biology, each with labs (4 SH, each for a minimum of 8 SCH combined in addition to the above A&P requirement)
• One semester of Microbiology with lab (3 SCH)
• One semester of Genetics-with or without lab (3 SCH)
• One semester of Chemistry with lab (4 SCH)
• One semester of Organic Chemistry with lab or Biochemistry with lab (4 SCH in addition to the above chemistry requirement)-biochemistry preferred. 
• One semester of Statistics or Biostatistics (3 SCH)
• One semester of Medical Terminology (must be at least 2 SCH)

Recommended Coursework:

• One semester of Psychology, with or without lab (3 SCH)
• One semester of Sociology or Cultural Anthropology or Medical Anthropology (3 SCH)
• One semester of English Composition (3 SCH)

Prerequisite Coursework Grade and GPA Requirements:

• All prerequisite courses must be completed with a grade of 'C' or higher and all applicants must have a cumulative Prerequisite Grade Point Average of 3.0 or higher
• All applicants must have a cumulative overall Grade Point Average of 3.0 or higher
• All applicants must have a cumulative overall Science Grade Point Average of 3.0 or higher (calculated by averaging CASPA-calculated overall science and Biology, Chemistry, and Physics (BCP) GPAs)

Other Admission Requirements:

CASPer Assessment Test Requirement:

All candidates must take the CASPer Assessment in order to be considered for an interview. CASPer is an online open-response situational judgement test (SJT) that helps determine behavioral tendencies of applicants pursing people-centered professions. To complete the test, visit https://acuityinsights.app/casper/  to create an account and complete the US Professional Health Sciences, CSP-10101 test for Emory & Henry University. There is no minimum CASPer Score required. 

Hands-On Direct Patient Care Experience Requirements: 

All applicants must complete a minimum of 500 hours of hands-on-direct patient care experience by the time of matriculation.* Applicants may submit an application after completing a minimum of 250 hours of direct patient contact experience but the remaining hours, up to the required 500, must be completed and verified by April 1, prior to student matriculation in May of that calendar year. Students who fail to complete the required 500 hours of direct patient contact hours by April1, prior to matriculation in May of that calendar year, will not be allowed to matriculate the same calendar year. 

• Volunteer and Service-Work experience are acceptable.
• Medical scribe activities and other direct patient care activities (e.g. medical assistant, nursing assistant, dental assistant, radiology technician, mental health counselor) meet this requirement.
• Activities caring for a family member or relative do not meet this requirement.
• Activities caring for a single individual (e.g. personal care attendant) do not meet this requirement.
• Direct patient care experience which is not hands-on does not fulfill this requirement (e.g. pharmacy tech, unit secretary, front-office worker, shadowing experiences).

*Unfortunately, we are not able to assist students and applicants in obtaining their healthcare-related experiences.

Physican Assistant Shadowing Hours Requirement:

• Applicants must complete a minimum of 16 hours of shadowing with a nationally certified and state licensed PA (PA-C) during direct patient care activities,  which must be completed by the time of application.

Community Service Hours Requirement:

• Minimum of 100 hours of community service-related volunteer experience must be completed at the time of matriculation. Applicants may submit an application after completing a minimum of 50 hours of volunteer experience but the remaining hours, up to the required 100, must be completed and verified by April 1 prior to matriculation in May of that calendar year, will have their invitation for a seat in the program revoked.
• Shadowing hours cannot be included as volunteer experience.
• Rotation/Immersion experiences required as part of a healthcare certificate/degree program cannot be included as volunteer experience.

American Heart Association Basic Life Support Requirement:

• Prior to matriculation, students must hold current certification in American Heart Association Basic Life Support (CPR and ECC) and must maintain continuous certification throughout the Program.

The use of an intermediary (an individual trained to perform essential skills on behalf of the student) is not permitted. 

The MPAS program cannot at any time compromise the health and safety of students, staff, faculty, or patients. PA program applicants must be prepared to meet the technical standards required with or without reasonable accommodation, and indicate possession of such ability prior to their matriculation in the program. 

All Applicants must posses independent ability, aptitude, and skills in the following areas:

• General Abilities: As a clinical health science student who will be interacting with patients throughout the didactic and clinical phases of the program, the student is expected to possess functional use of their senses of vision, touch, hearing, taste, and smell such that data received by the senses may be integrated, analyzed, and synthesized in a consistent and accurate manner. A student must also possess the ability to perceive pain, pressure, temperature, position, vibration, equilibrium, and movement. 
• Observational Skills: Given the extreme importance of observational data in patient evaluation, the student must have sufficient capacity to effectively and accurately observe and participate in the lecture and small group classroom sessions, laboratory sessions, and patient interactions at both far and near distances, including non-verbal and verbal signals. Inherent in the observational process is the use of the senses to elicit information through procedures regularly required in physical examination, such as inspection, palpation, percussion, and auscultation. 
• Communication Skills: Given the extreme importance of effectively interpersonal communication with patients and colleagues, the student must communicate effectively verbally and non-verbally to elicit and transmit information; describe changes in mood, activity, posture; and perceive non-verbal communications from patients and others. Each student must have the ability to effectively and accurately read, write, comprehend, and speak the English language to facilitate communication with patients, their family members, and other professionals in health care settings where written medical records, verbal presentations, and patient counseling and education are integral to effective medical practice and patient care. The student must communicate effectively verbally and in writing with instructors and other students in the classroom setting, as well.

Background Check and Immunization Requirements:

• Prior to matriculation, students must successfully pass a national background check, a comprehensive drug screen, and medical clearance for participation in the program.
• Applicants must meet all immunization requirements prior to matriculation. The MPAS Program immunization requirements are published on the Emory & Henry University web page. 

Academic Policies/Requirements For Promotion and Graduation

The MPAS program is designed as a full-time "lock-step" 27-month program consisting of seven consecutive semesters. The semesters are divided between 15-mmonth didactic phase and a 12-month clinical phase. All program courses must be completed; advanced placement (i.e., credit for previously completed coursework) is not an option.

Attaining the MPAS degree will require the successful completion of all didactic and clinical phase coursework. Satisfactory progress through the program requires a minimum passing grade of C (73%) in each course; a 3.00 GPA in each semester, and a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA. Failing to receive a final passing grade in didactic phase coursework will result in dismissal from the program and prevent students from progressing to the next semester. Students failing to attain a final didactic phase GPA of 3.0 are subject to dismissal. Failing to receive a passing grade in clinical phase coursework will result in deceleration or dismissal or require remediation (e.g. repeating a supervised clinical practice experience), resulting in a delay of graduation. Students are assigned an academic advisor within the program to monitor their progress and to recommend resources if experiencing academic difficulty. Students who fail to maintain the program's academic requirements are subject to probation, deceleration, or dismissal. 

Accreditation:

The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant Inc. (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Countinued status to the Emory & Henry University Physician Assistant Program sponsored by Emory & Henry University. Accreditation- Continued is an accreditation status granted when a currently accredited program is in compliance with the ARC-PA Standards. 

Accreditation remains in effect until the program closes or withdraws from the accreditation process or until accreditation is withdrawn for failure to comply with the Standards. The approximate date for the next validation review of the program by the ARC-PA will be September 2031. The review date is contingent upon continued compliance with the Accreditation Standards and ARC-PA policy. 

The program's accreditation history can be viewed on the ARC-PA website: https://www.arc-pa.org/accreditation-history-emory-and-henry-college/.