Physician Assistants (PAs) work in collaboration with physicians and are licensed to treat and prevent human illness, disease, and injury. For more information about physician assistant programs, visit the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA).
Exploration of the field is highly encouraged. You can do so by shadowing practitioners and working or volunteering in healthcare settings. Many physician assistant programs require their applicants to have healthcare experience with direct patient contact, frequently for pay. The details of this requirement – such as how many hours are required and what exactly counts as direct patient contact – differ widely among programs. Consult the individual programs’ websites for details.
The timeline for application looks different for each student. Current Mizzou students can talk with their MedOpp advisor about their personal timeline and building their candidacy for PA school.
Courses
The following courses* are common requirements for PA school and must be completed before matriculation**:
- One year (8 credit hours) of general chemistry with lab
- One year (8 credit hours) of organic chemistry with lab
- One year (8 credit hours) of physics with lab
- One year (8 credit hours) of biological sciences with lab
- One semester of microbiology
- One semester of human anatomy with lab
- One semester of medical terminology
- One year (6 credit hours) of English— many schools will accept Mizzou’s English 1000 and a Writing Intensive course
*See Plan of Study for Mizzou course numbers.
** Disclaimer: this list is not necessarily comprehensive. Please consult schools’ websites for exact requirements.
Some PA programs will require or accept the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) for admittance; others will accept the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) and (less commonly) the PA College Admissions Test (PA-CAT).