Overview
The Master of Science in Physician Associate Education Studies at West Chester University will educate physician assistants who can think critically and collaborate with others to address the needs of individual patients and the healthcare community with the highest levels of academic, clinical, and cultural competence. This graduate program is a full-time, 26-month program. It is a day program in a face-to-face format, however, the clinical phase will require nights and weekend hours as well.
Physician Assistants practice in all fields of medicine . They work in offices, urgent care centers, emergency departments, and hospitals to obtain histories, perform physical examinations order and interpret diagnostic tests, prescribe medications, educate and counsel patients, and perform surgical procedures. PAs provide excellent care to their patients. They practice in all 50 states of the USA and have an increasing presence in the healthcare systems of other countries.
The Physician Associate Education Program follows a medical model and is divided into a didactic phase and a clinical phase. The didactic phase of the program is 5 semesters of foundational sciences, clinically-oriented courses, small-group active learning sessions, hands-on labs, and healthcare observations. The clinical phase includes 40 weeks of clinical rotations in various clinical settings including family medicine, emergency medicine, surgery, hospital medicine, behavioral health, reproductive health, pediatrics, and an elective. Clinical rotations are offered in the Philadelphia region as well as across the US. Courses are taught by full-time faculty, adjunct faculty, clinical preceptors, and guest lectures who are experts in their field.
The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status to the West Chester University Physician Assistant Program sponsored by West Chester University of Pennsylvania. 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remains in effect until the program closes or withdraws from the accreditation process or until accreditation is withdrawn for failure to comply with the Standards.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 October 2035. 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 ARCPA website.
Program highlights:
- Access to new facilities and simulation labs
- Clinically practicing faculty
- Early clinical exposure
- Access to Philadelphia-area clinical sites
- Partnerships with local community organizations
PA Profession highlights:
- Ranked in the top 5 best professions for several consecutive years by organizations such as US News and World Reports and CNN Money
- Average PA Salary $107,500 per year per AAPA
- Average growth of the profession is expected to be 37% per AAPA