FAQ: M.S. in Physician Assistant Studies

Where is Northeast’s PA program located?
The PA program is housed on Northeast College’s beautiful 286-acre Seneca Falls, New York campus, overlooking Cayuga Lake and surrounded by scenic byways. Click here to take the virtual tour of our campus.

How long is Northeast’s PA program?
The program is a 24-month program divided into a two 12-month phases: a didactic phase (3 trimesters) and a clinical phase (3 trimesters).

What degree will be conferred upon graduating from the PA program?
Students will graduate with a Master of Science (M.S.) degree and, upon successful application, be eligible to sit for their national certification examination through the NCCPA. After successfully receiving their national certification, graduates are eligible to apply for state licensure in the state(s) of their choosing.

When does each cohort start and finish the program? 
Each cohort begins in January and graduates in December the following year (e.g. after 2 years of study). 

How many students are in each cohort?
Northeast’s M.S. in PA cohorts have a maximum of 40 students per cohort. 

Does the PA program offer a part-time option?
The program does not offer a part-time option; all Northeast PA students are full time.

Is attendance mandatory for classroom and lab activities and supervised clinical practice experiences?
Attendance is mandatory for all didactic and clinical phase activities, including regularly scheduled and program related after-hours activities. We understand life happens and the program has policies in place for absence requests and emergencies. 

Do I have to find my own clinical site to complete the clinical portion of the program?
No. The program develops and establishes all clinical sites and preceptors for all students. Students are actually prohibited from soliciting sites. In the specific situation where a student, based on relationships developed prior to matriculation, knows of a facility with interest in becoming a clinical site, the student can forward the information to Northeast’s director of clinical education for consideration.

What will my time in Northeast’s M.S. in PA program be like?
Students’ days are full and filled with classroom, lab, and experiential learning. 

Year One (trimesters 1-3):

• Trimester 1 - Be on the Seneca Falls campus from 8 a.m.- 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, for in-person classroom and lab learning. There will also be regularly scheduled faculty office hours and a daily hour of built-in lunchtime, as well as some scheduled College breaks. Occasionally students will also be required to participate in evening and weekend activities.
• Trimester 2 & 3 - Attend synchronous courses and program activities online. 
• Trimester 1, 2 & 3 - In addition to the above, students should expect to spend two to four hours studying each day and have at least one or two major tests every week.

Year 2 (trimesters 4-6):

• Trimester 4 – Start with a two-week lab intensive for advanced clinical procedure skills and preparation for supervised clinical practice experiences.
• Trimesters 4, 5 & 6 - Participate in clinical rotations for 40-60 hours per week, minimum. Clinical rotation schedules will differ from one rotation to another and often require nighttime and weekend activities. Additionally, trimester breaks may be shorter in the second year. 
• Trimester 6 - Finish the year back on campus for end-of program testing and graduation.

Does the college offer housing for PA students?
Yes. Northeast College does offer residence hall housing for PA students. Please see our housing website for more information. Depending on housing availability, students may elect to stay in residence hall housing during only the periods they are required to be on campus or throughout their entire two years of the program, including during online and supervised clinical practice experience activities.

Are students permitted to work while attending the PA program?
The program does not prohibit students from working outside of the program-required coursework and activities. However, because of the intensity of PA education, we strongly recommend that students do not work at additional jobs. Any employment the student does have must never interfere with class or clinical schedules, and schedules will not be altered to accommodate a student’s work schedule. Experience suggests that students holding part-time jobs, even occasional fill-in work, tend to have less academic success in PA education.
 

How do I apply to the program?
All applications submitted must be submitted via the Central Application Service for PAs (CASPA). Please see our admissions page for details.

When will CASPA be opened for accepting applications in the program?
Our CASPA application process opens every spring (April/May) and closes in November. 

When does the PA program begin interviewing students?
Virtual interviews start each June and generally continue on a monthly basis until mid-to-late November or, if needed, early December. As admissions is completed via a rolling admissions process; the interview cycle can depend on acceptances throughout the process, based on the maximum of 40 students enrolled in each cohort.

What makes an applicant more competitive for an interview invite and acceptance into the PA program?
Admission to the program will be highly competitive and successful applicants will most likely exceed minimum requirements. Meeting the minimum program admission requirements does not guarantee an interview or admission into the program. Overall, the program wants to ensure applicants are not only a good fit for the program but that applicants will be most academically successful in their PA studies. Most competitive candidates will exceed our admission requirements in the following ways:

• Higher Cumulative GPA (e.g., GPA >3.4)
• Higher BCP GPA (e.g., GPA >3.4)
• Completion of prerequisite science courses from a 4-year college/university
• Completion of prerequisite science courses designed for science majors (e.g., biology, chemistry)
• Strong references
• Strong personal statement and response to writing prompt completed in CASPA
• Demonstrated knowledge of the PA profession
• Demonstrated knowledge of and preparedness for the pace and rigor of PA education
• Demonstrated knowledge of and commitment to patient-centered care
• Demonstrated professionalism and strong interpersonal skills

Does the College offer any scholarships to defray tuition costs for PA students?
As with many other graduate health science programs, the College is unable to offer scholarships for our PA students. However, if available and applicable, we encourage all students to explore the AAPA constituent organization and additional scholarships and traineeships, Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service JRCostep and SRCostep Programs, the PA Foundation Student Scholarships, the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program, the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program, the Indian Health Service Scholarship Program (for American Indian and Alaskan Native students), the Indian Health Service Loan Repayment Program, and the Veteran Affairs Health Professional Scholarship Program. Additionally, students may be eligible for U.S. Military Service and Loan Repayment programs through the Air force Health Professions Scholarship Program, Army Health Professions Scholarship Program, National Guard Student Loan Repayment Program, and the Navy Health Professions Loan Repayment Program.

For the CASPA application, can I substitute different courses for the prerequisites noted in the admission requirements?
No, all prerequisites must be completed by all applicants as noted in our admission requirements.

For the CASPA application, are specific letters of reference required?
Yes. Three letters of reference are required. One reference must be from a clinician (PA, M.D., D.O., N.P.) with whom you completed shadowing hours or health-care related experience; two references must be from someone with whom you have a professional relationship (e.g. a work supervisor, volunteer supervisor, etc). References from friends or family members will not be accepted. 

For the CASPA application, what type of healthcare-related experience is required?
Students are required to have completed a minimum of 500 hours of healthcare-related experience at the time of application. A wide variety of activities can meet this experience, ranging from volunteer patient care activities to paid positions, as long as the activity involves direct patient care. Examples of acceptable experience/activities include (but are not limited to) nursing aid, home health care aid, mental health care worker, patient intake worker, phlebotomist, EMT, scribe, medical assistant, nursing assistant, nurse, optometry technician, dental assistant, doula, etc. Shadowing activities do not meet this requirement, nor does providing healthcare or aid for a family member. Many candidates complete their required healthcare-related experience over the course of 2-3 years while in undergraduate studies.

For the CASPA application, is a specific type of baccalaureate degree required to apply to the PA program?
All candidates are required to have completed their bachelor’s degree prior to matriculation but a specific field of study is not required as long as all prerequisite coursework has been met.

For the CASPA application, does the program require the GRE, MCATs, or other specialized examination?
No. Applicants are not required to submit GRE, MCAT, or other specialty examination scores.

Does the program waive any prerequisite requirements, award advanced standing, or waive any program courses?
The program does not waive any of the prerequisites listed in our admissions requirements page regardless of an applicant’s academic or clinical background. Additionally, the program does not offer advanced standing and does not waive any course requirements, even if students have completed similar coursework at other institutions or hold an advanced medical degree.

Can I apply to the program even though I have not yet completed my baccalaureate degree or completed all the prerequisite coursework?
Yes. Applicants can still be in the process of completing a maximum of two prerequisite courses and/or their bachelor’s degree but must have all outstanding prerequisite courses completed with a grade of ‘B’ or better and have their baccalaureate degree prior to beginning the program. 

Is there a certain timeline in which the prerequisite courses must be completed?
The program strongly recommends (but does not require) that all prerequisite courses be completed within ten years of application. 

My cumulative and/or BCP GPA is below 3.2. Can I still be accepted into the program?
In applying to CASPA, all grades, including retaken courses, are included within GPA calculations. If an applicant’s GPA is decreased because they had to repeat a course for a higher grade, but the originally taken course grade is still included in the GPA calculation, they can reach out to the program and request their GPAs be recalculated. Upon eliminating the original lower course grade in a repeated course, the cumulative and BCP GPAs must still meet the minimum requirement for consideration of interview and acceptance into the program.

Does Northeast’s M.S. in PA program have any admission or enrollment practices that favor specified individuals or groups?
The M.S. in PA program does not have any admission or enrollment practices that favor specified individuals or groups at this time.

I wasn’t offered an interview, interviewed but was denied admission, or interviewed but was wait-listed. How can I improve my application and interview?

• Admission to PA programs is extremely competitive. PA programs routinely receive hundreds of applications per admissions cycle for one of 40 seats in each cohort.
• Admissions decisions are based on multiple characteristics and qualities, including academic history and outcomes, letters of recommendation, patient care experience, and interview results.
• Sometimes applicants do not meet minimum admission requirements or are relatively weak in regards to their CASPA application (e.g., due to low GPAs, low GRE scores, etc.).
• Applicants may perform equally well as others in their interview but some were more competitive on their CASPA applications in areas such as higher GPAs and prerequisite course grades.
• Applicants may perform equally well on their CASPA applications but some were more competitive in their interviews. 
  • For interviews, applicants may be seen as more competitive based on interpersonal skills, knowledge of healthcare professions, and, in particular, the PA profession, and clear ability to meet the challenges of PA education.

Where can I learn more about PAs and the PA profession?
There are a number of organizations that can provide more information about the PA profession and PA education.

• The PA History Society preserves and presents the PA profession’s history and achievements by identifying and collecting research, publications, oral histories, and visual artifacts. The website publishes an extensive tour of research collections including an illustrated timeline, museum and online collections, photograph collections, video collections, and oral history collections.
• The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) is the national professional society for PAs, representing all PAs in the nation, including all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, and the uniformed services. Their website includes detailed information on the PA profession, becoming a PA, legislative issues and advancements for the PA profession. 
  • Click here to learn about Becoming a PA
  • Click here for 9 Reasons to Become a PA
• The PA Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the AAPA, is a national nonprofit organization that promotes better health and wellness by providing PAs and PA students with philanthropic opportunities and resources.
• The National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) is the certifying organization for PAs in the nation. Their website includes detailed information on becoming certified and maintaining certification as a PA and annual statistical profiles of certified PAs by state and specialty.
• The Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA) is the national organization representing PA educational programs in the nation.  Their website includes resources for PA faculty, students, and prospective students (including information about CASPA and a PA program directory), and research, (including program, curriculum, and student surveys and reports).
• The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA) is the accrediting agency for all PA programs in the nation. Their website includes information on standards of accreditation and accreditation status for U.S. programs.