Pre-Physician Assistant
Essential Courses
| Course # | Title | Credit Hours | Prerequisites |
|---|---|---|---|
| BI 105 | Biological Diversity and Ecology | 3 | None |
| BI 121 | Biology Lab I | 1 | BI 105 (corequisite) |
| BI 106 | Structure and Function of Cells and Organisms | 3 | BI 105 and CH 105 |
| BI 122 | Biology Lab II | 1 | BI 105 and BI 121; CH 122 (corequisite) |
| CH 121 | Organic Chemistry Lab I | 1 | CH 105 (corequisite) |
| CH 106 | Organic Chemical Concepts II | 3 | CH 105 (with C or better) |
| CH 122 | Organic Chemistry Lab II | 1 | CH 121; CH 106 (corequisite) |
| BI 207 | Dynamics Of Biological Processes | 4 | BI 106, CH 106, and CH230 |
| CH 230 | Intro to Bioinorganic Chemistry | 3 | CH 105 |
| CH 250 | Analytical Chemistry* | 5 | CH 115 or CH 230 |
| MA 220 | Intro. to Probability & Statistics | 4 | MA 130 |
| or | |||
| BI 305 | Biostatistics | 4 | BI 106 or ES 100 |
| or | |||
| ND SS 214 | Statistics for Social Sciences | 4 | None |
| BI 331 | Microbiology | 3 | BI 207; BI 332 (corequisite) |
| BI 332 | Microbiology Lab | 1 | BI 331 (corequisite) |
| BI 310 | Physiology | 4 | BI 207 |
| BI 367 | Comparative Anatomy | 3 | BI 106 and BI 122; BI 368 (corequisite) |
| BI 368 | Comparative Anatomy Laboratory | 1 | BI 367 (corequisite) |
| PY 101 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 | None |
| EN____ | English course | 3 | Varies |
*Not Required for St. Francis but are for many schools.
Statistics is preferred, but Calculus I, Precalculus, or Linear Algebra will also be accepted
Important Notes:
- Strongly recommend Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I, Genetics, foreign language (especially Spanish), medical terminology, and Ethics of Health Care. Also recommend Immunology, environmental science, Human Sexuality, history, religion, business courses, economics, art, and Communication courses.
- These courses reflect broad-based program requirements for schools in Pennsylvania. Although this course list will be sufficient for most other programs, make sure to check requirements of schools in which you are interested no later than your sophomore year.
- This course list does NOT represent a POE, nor does it cover College requirements. Design a POE, preferably in an academic area, in consultation with your advisor.
- Make sure to have an advisor on the Health Professions Committee, preferably Dr. Debra Kirchhof-Glazier.
- In addition to your course work you are urged to gain some experience in medical technology either during the school year or over the summer.
- There are both bachelors and master's programs. The profession is moving toward the master's degree, but currently have no vocational advantages.
2008-09 REQUIREMENTS
St. Francis University
Regular Progression (4 years at Juniata) OR 4 + 2 B.S./M.P.A.S. Program
| Courses | Credits |
|---|---|
| Chemistry with Lab | 8 |
| Anatomy and Physiology with Labs | 8 |
| Microbiology with Lab | 4 |
| Psychology | 3 |
| Statistics (or upper level math) | 3 |
| On-line medical temininology course (available through St. Francis) no later than fall of the year before matriculation at St. Francis |
NOTE: 4+2 applicants CANNOT apply to any other programs
Competitive Credentials:
For programs in general: Science GPA and overall GPA of 3.4-3.5. 500-1000 hours of "hands-on" health care experience for many programs (exs. nurse's aide, hospital volunteer, EMT; some schools do not count "shadowing") ; for master's programs GRE combined score of 1000 or better in the verbal and quantitative sections or an MCAT of 24-25
For our agreement with St. Francis: GPA of 3.0 overall and 3.0 and prerequisite courses with no less than a C in any given course; Health care experience encouraged but not required. GRE not required. IF YOU APPLY TO THE 4 + 2 PROGRAM YOU CANNOT APPLY TO ANY OTHER PROGRAMS. Therefore, this affiliation is only for students for whom St. Francis is their first choice. The 4 + 2 students apply directly to St. Francis; all others must apply through CASPA
Helpful websites:
- Physician Assistant Education Association - www.paeaonline.org
- American Academy of Physician Assistants - http://www.aapa.org
- St. Francis University - http://www.francis.edu/MPAShome.htm
SUGGESTED CORE PROGRESSIONS FOR
Pre-PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT
Regular Start; No Acceleration and No Study Abroad Junior Year
Bolded courses are offered only in the indicated semester and/or require a specific sequence due to Juniata prerequisites. Non-bolded courses are either offered in both semesters or represent open-ended choices, making them more flexible in when they can be taken.
| FALL | SPRING | |
|---|---|---|
| Freshman Year | Bi 105 | Biology Lab II |
| Biology Lab I | Organic Chemistry Concepts II (if C or better in OCC I) and Lab | |
| Organic Chemistry Concepts I and Lab | ||
| Psychology |
| FALL | SPRING | |
|---|---|---|
| Sophomore Year | BI 106 | BI 207 |
| Bioinorganic Chemistry | English course |
| FALL | SPRING | |
|---|---|---|
| Junior Year | Anatomy and Lab | Statistics |
| Physiology | Analytical Chemistry (not required for St. Francis) |
| FALL | SPRING | |
|---|---|---|
| Senior Year | Microbiology and Lab |
St. Francis Online Medical Terminology course - No later than summer of the year before matriculation at St. Francis
Finish the Junior Year courses for either the regular start or delayed chemistry progression no later than the summer before the year you intend to apply OR during senior year (this latter plan may delay your application until after you graduate from Juniata).
If you delay the start of Organic Chemistry I to the spring of freshman year be aware that Organic Chem Lab I is offered ONLY in the fall and Organic Chem II lab is offered ONLY in the spring. Also consider whether or not it is wise in your particular situation to take Organic Chem II with Bioinorganic Chemistry your sophomore year.
If you study abroad the SAFEST strategy is to take ALL prerequisite courses for professional school in the U.S., which may require you to take courses in the U.S. over the summer, preferably at a 4 year institution. However, if this is extremely difficult for your situation, check with the professional schools you wish to attend to see if they will accept courses taken abroad and if so, get their response in writing. Also if you have a Biology POE and will not have BI 207 by the time you go abroad, check with the Biology Department to see if there is a Cell and Molecular course you can take abroad that will enable you to take upper level biology offerings at Juniata your senior year that require BI 207 (ex. Physiology, Immunology, and Microbiology)
Be mindful of your POE courses, which are NOT indicated here. For example, if you have a Biology POE, you will need to take Freshman seminar the fall of your freshman year, Frontiers of Biology either semester your sophomore year, and Biology 207 at your earliest opportunity after completing Bioinorganic Chemistry.