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Curriculum:

The graduate program in Physician Assistant Studies is a full-time weekday program that takes two years and three months to complete. The program is divided into three trimesters of didactic instruction, three trimesters of clinical rotations and a final trimester for the master's capstone project. The didactic phase of the program is taught during the day, Monday through Friday. It is possible that some evening and weekend sessions are held during the first three semesters. For the clinical or second year, students will be required to be available as required by the clerkship objectives and by the hosting institution, including nights and weekends.

Students move through the curriculum as a cohort. There is no opportunity for part-time study or for advanced credit if coursework has been completed previously. Each trimester contains a maximum course load. Working full-time and even part-time will not be possible for the overwhelming majority of the students.

The clinical year includes rotations in some of the most prestigious and diverse hospitals and medical care settings in the New York City area. These clinical rotation sites include:

Barnes Ave Pediatrics Beacon Community Health Center Be-Well Medical Services Bone & Joint Associates Cabrini Medical Center COMR's Medical Group Danbury Family Medical Center Danbury Hospital Downtown Family Medical Center East Granby Family Practice Elmhurst Hospital Center Ezras Choilim Health Center Gabriel Pediatrics Greenburgh Health Center HealthCare Medical Associates Lenox Hill Hospital Middlesex Hospital Middletown Medical P.C Montefiore Medical Center

Mount Vernon Hospital Nass-Pediatrics North Central Bronx Medical Center Obosa Medical Services Ovington Avenue Medical Group Park Care Pavilion-St. Johns Riverside Pelham Pediatrics Planned Parenthood of Hudson Valley Riverside Pediatrics Saint Francis Medical Center Saint Josephs Medical Center Sound Shore Medical Center Vassar Brothers Medical Center VIP Medical Services Westchester Dermatology Associates Westchester Medical Center Westchester Medical Examiner White Plains Hospital Yonkers Family Practice

The final semester of the curriculum is spent participating in an on-going original research project which began with our first graduating class and grows with each subsequent class. We have been investigating the causes for the disproportionately poor birth outcomes among African American women in Westchester County. This phenomenon is not singular to Westchester County, and defies explanation on the basis of income, education, tobacco, drug and alcohol use and even genetics. Our hope is to identify a few risk factors shared by high-risk women, then plan and implement an intervention.

Students learn the fundamentals of survey research design as well as qualitative approaches to research such as participant observation and conducting a research interview. After several weeks of classroom preparation, students have first-hand experience collecting and analyzing data.

This three-month process is an exciting learning experience which moves students from the abstract problems of clinical research into real-life scenarios. During one summer semester, students conducted interviews of mothers who were either having high-risk pregnancies or whose babies were in the neonatal intensive care units at Westchester Medical Center. They learned the difference between being a clinician and a researcher and found original ways of interpreting the written data as well as their personal observations. These findings will be explored by the faculty, another project will emerge from that evaluation.

For the complete course curriculum click here.

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Campuses where program is offered:

Bronx

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Accreditations:

The Mercy College Physician Assistant Studies program is fully accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc (ARC-PA).

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Technical Standards:

A physician assistant student must possess a number of abilities and skills. The use of a trained intermediary is not acceptable in many clinical situations in that it implies that a candidate's judgment must be mediated by someone else's power of selection and observation.

Therefore each student must be able to:

• Observe a patient accurately, at a distance and close at hand, with or without standard medical instrumentation.
  
• Acquire information from written documents and to visualize information as presented in images from paper, film, slides or video.
  
• Comprehend X-ray, EKG and other graphic images with or without assistive devices.
  
• Speak, hear and observe a patient by sight in order to elicit information, describe changes in mood, activity and posture, and perceive nonverbal communication.
  
• Communicate effectively with patients and their families in both written and oral modalities.
  
• Possess motor skills necessary to perform palpation, percussion, auscultation and other diagnostic and therapeutic maneuvers, basic laboratory tests and emergency therapeutic procedures, including airway management, placement of intravenous catheters, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, application of pressure to control bleeding and suturing of wounds.
  
• Measure, calculate, reason, analyze, integrate, synthesize and comprehend three-dimensional relationships including spatial relationships of structures according to standard medical care.
  
• Exercise good judgment, completes all responsibilities attendant to the diagnosis and care of patients promptly. Develops mature, sensitive and effective relationships with patients.
  
• Tolerate physically taxing workloads, function effectively under stress, adapt to changing environments, display flexibility and learn to function in the face of uncertainties inherent in the practice of clinical medicine.

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Frequently Asked Questions:

What are the selection factors?
All applicants will be screened according to both their overall grade point average and for the grade point average of the nine prerequisite courses. Students who do not have a baccalaureate degree must have completed 90 credits, including all general education requirements. Please note that no more than 75 credits can be from a two-year college. Applicants who pass the first phase of review will be contacted to schedule an interview. The second phase of the review will be based on a combination of the interview, letters of recommendation, medical/community experience, personal statement, and an essay to be completed at the time of the interview.

Is prior health care experience a requirement?
No, but health care experience is very strongly recommended. Candidates will be given preferential consideration if they have previously worked as a health care provider.

When does the Mercy Physician Assistant program begin each year?
The Mercy College PA Program begins each June 1st. All prerequisite requirements must be completed by that time.

What are the prerequisites for the PA Program?
Students need 90 credits of a general education curriculum, a grade point average of 3.0 overall, and a 3.0 grade point average in these core pre-requisite courses.

• Biology (19 credits)- General Biology I & II, Clinical Microbiology, Human Physiology, Advanced Biologic Science
  
• Chemistry (11 credits)- General Chemistry I & II , Elements of Biochemistry
  
• Math (3 credits)- Statistics

Can prerequisite courses be taken at a community college?
We will accept a few prerequisites from community college but an application is strongest when prerequisite courses are completed at a four year institution. At least two of the four core courses, physiology, microbiology, biochemistry and the 300 level biology must be completed at a four year college or university. The 300 level biology must be completed at a four year institution.

Is the GRE required?
No standardized tests are needed.

How do I apply to the program?
Applications are submitted on-line through the Central Admission Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) or by mail:

CASPA
Post Office Box 70958
Chevy Chase, MD 20813-0958
Telephone: (204) 497-1985
E-mail: apply@caspaonline.org

When will interviews be conducted?
Interviews are generally conducted 3 to 4 times per year.

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