Academics » Majors » Physician Assistant Studies (MS)

Physician Assistant Studies (MS)

Prepare to become a compassionate, competent healthcare provider in one of today’s fastest-growing professions.

Why Major in Physician Assistant Studies?

A national doctor shortage has created an unprecedented demand for physician assistants and nurse practitioners. As part of a team of doctors, surgeons or other healthcare providers, physician assistants (PAs) can examine, diagnose and treat patients.

In rural and medically underserved communities, PAs often serve as a primary care provider in close collaboration with a physician — this capability is one reason PAs have become one of the nation’s fastest-growing professions.

Physician Assistant is Ranked One of the Nation’s Top Careers

Physician assistant is ranked #9 on the U.S. Department of Labor’s 20 Fastest Growing Occupations list for 2019-2029. In its Best Jobs publication, U.S. News and World Report also ranks PA among the best careers to pursue; among the honors:

#2 – Best Healthcare Jobs
#3 – Best 100 Jobs
#3 Best STEM Jobs

How to Become a PA

To become a PA, you first need to earn a master’s degree from an accredited program (for physician assistant schools, this is typically by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant.) Once you have your degree and required clinical hours, you’ll be eligible to sit for your state’s licensure exam.

Take the first step:

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Why USF for Physician Assistant Studies?

The University of Saint Francis is renowned for its healthcare education, and that includes our nationally recognized physician assistant master’s program, located exclusively on the Fort Wayne campus. Our graduates are continually sought out by employers, not just for their sound clinical reasoning skills and competency in evidence-based medicine, but also for the high level of compassion and integrity they bring to their roles.

USF’s strong academics are rooted in the Catholic tradition of treating everyone with respect and kindness, a practice that aligns perfectly with both the medical credo and the PA program’s focus on underserved populations.

Expert Faculty & Innovative Facilities

If you’re looking for a physician assistant studies student on our campus, you’ll likely find them in the Doermer Health Sciences Center. This innovative learning center contains:

The USF Simulation Laboratory (SIM Lab for short)
A cadaver laboratory for human anatomy
A resource lab with patient units and exam rooms
High-fidelity and mid-fidelity patient simulators
State-of-the-art instruments and equipment

You will learn from an outstanding faculty, which includes many active healthcare clinicians. The real-world experience they bring from their professional lives to the classroom is invaluable to your USF experience.

Extensive Clinical Experience & Specialty Elective Options

The best PA programs offer robust and outstanding clinical experiences that will develop you into a well-rounded healthcare professional. With more than 1,000 clinical education partners throughout our region, USF will help you find rotation sites that align with your goals.

All students must complete rotations in the following required disciplines:

Family medicine
Internal medicine
Surgery
Emergency medicine
Pediatrics
Women’s Health, including Prenatal and Gynecologic Care
Behavioral and mental health

Additional Specialty Rotations

You’ll have the flexibility to choose three additional rotations from one of the following four electives based on your professional goals. Your elective options – as well as subspecialities and provider types – include:

Campus & Community Involvement

USF is home to campus ministries, student groups, and service organizations. Among these clubs is the PA Student Society, which offers social, educational and networking opportunities to members and the greater campus community.

What You Can Do With a Degree in Physician Assistant Studies?

Most students pursue a PA degree to provide patient care as part of a medical team, and more than 40% work in a hospital. With the variety of specialities and subspecialties available to PAs, you’ll find these professionals in almost every medical setting from a private practice to a large healthcare system.

The three most common areas of practice, according to the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants are:

Surgical subspecialities (18.7%)
Family medicine/general practice (18.6%)
Emergency medicine (12.8%)

Some of the more unique places you can practice as a physician assistant: schools, colleges, correctional facilities, retail clinics and telehealth providers.

Others might wonder how to become a physician assistant that works in a non-clinical setting, such as in research or public health. The American Academy of PAs states that physician assistants can use their background to work for biotechnology, pharmaceutical and medical device companies; to work in medical writing, healthcare communications and public policy; or to teach the next generation of PAs.

Where You’ll Find Our Graduates

USF physician assistant studies graduates demonstrate the diversity of this field, practicing medicine at places such as:

Ascension
Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center
Beacon Health System
Beaumont Urgent Care
Beloit Hospital
BMG Orthopedics
Carle Foundation Hospital
Cleveland Clinic
Colon & Rectal Surgery Associates
Credo Family Medicine
Decatur Health Services
Ear, Nose & Throat Associates
First Choice Medical
Genesis Convenient Care
Gunderson Health System
Hamilton Community Health Network
Hospitalist Physicians Medical Group of Michigan
Johns Hopkins Hospital
Mayo Clinic Health Systems
McLaren Medical Group
Mercy Health Ohio
MercyOne Waukee Family Medicine
MidMichigan Urgent Care
San Juan Neurosurgery Spine Center
Southern Indiana Nephrology & Hypertension
Spectrum Health
St. Vincent Health
University of Utah Health
West Michigan Cancer Center & Institute for Blood Disorders

Accreditation

The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status to the University of Saint Francis Fort Wayne Physician Assistant Program sponsored by the University of Saint Francis. 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 2024 March. 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 ARC-PA website at www.arc-pa.org/accreditation-history-university-of-st-francis-in/.

Admissions & Enrollment

Please view the following pages for information related to admissions policies, procedures and enrollment technical standards.

Mission and Vision Statement

Mission Statement

The Physician Assistant Program impassions a diverse community of lifelong learners to become academically and professionally competent, service-oriented, and patient-centered clinicians capable of caring for individuals in a variety of medical settings.

Vision Statement

The Physician Assistant Program aspires to cultivate an interactive, collaborative, and service-centered community capable of fostering enhanced clinical reasoning and critical thinking skills through innovative and evidence-based practices.

Program Goals and Outcomes

Program Competencies

Program Required Competencies for Entry Level Practice (A3.12g)

PA Program Policies and Procedures

Please view the following pages for information related to specific program policies and procedures.

Board Exam Pass Rate

Since the M.S. in Physician Assistant Studies curriculum was implemented with the class of 2004, 433 USF graduates have taken the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE). Of those 433 students, 423 passed on the first attempt (98%). The National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) provides a NCCPA PANCE Pass Rate Summary Report that displays first-time Graduate Performance on Certification Exam results by exam administration year. The program report below demonstrates USF first time pass rate by graduation cohort since 2008.

Graduation Year	USF First-Time Pass Rate	USF Aggregate Pass Rate	National First-Time Pass Rate
2022	100%	100%	92%
2021	92%	100%	93%
2020	92%	100%	95%
2019	95%	100%	93%
2018	96%	100%	98%
2017	100%	100%	97%
2016	100%	100%	96%
2015	100%	100%	96%
2014	100%	100%	95%
2013	100%	100%	94%
2012	100%	100%	93%
2011	100%	100%	91%
2010	100%	100%	94%
2009	95%	100%	92%
2008	100%	100%	94%

Attrition Rates

Graduation Year	Maximum entering class size (as approved by ARC-PA)	Entering class size	Graduates	Attrition Rate	Gradation Rate
Class of 2022	25	25	23	8%	92%
Class of 2021	25	25	24	4%	96%
Class of 2020	25	25	24	4%	96%

Attrition rate calculation: Number of students who attritted from cohort divided by the entering class size.

Graduation rate: Number of cohort graduates divided by the entering class size.

The table above can also be viewed as a PDF.

Tuition and Fees

Cost of Tuition

Estimate of Program Costs