Prepare to become a compassionate, competent healthcare provider in one of today’s fastest-growing professions.
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 #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:
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.
increase in demand for physician assistants expected through 2029 (BLS.gov)
USF first-time pass rate on the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam -- higher than the national average for PA programs
median annual salary for physician assistants in Indiana (BLS, 2019)
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.
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:
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.
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:
You’ll have the flexibility to choose three additional rotations from one of the following four tracks based on your professional goals. Your track options – as well as subspecialities and provider types – include:
Trauma/Surgery
Hospital Inpatient Care
Family Practice
Internal Medicine
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.
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:
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.
USF physician assistant studies graduates demonstrate the diversity of this field, practicing medicine at places such as:
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.
The University of Saint Francis has identified technical standards that must be met by students in order to successfully progress in and graduate from its health science programs. These standards establish performance standards that will enable students to become competent practitioners who are able to provide safe care for their patients (persons, families and/or communities) with critical judgment, broadly based knowledge, and well-honed technical skills.
Technical standards (see below) outline skills, abilities and behavioral characteristics required to successfully complete health science programs at the university. Key areas include having abilities and skills in the areas of: (1) acquiring fundamental knowledge; (2) developing communication skills; (3) interpreting data; (4) integrating knowledge to establish clinical judgment; and (5) incorporating professional attitudes and behaviors into practice.
The university provides reasonable accommodations to all students on a nondiscriminatory basis and consistent with legal requirements as outlined in the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 and the ADA Amendments Act of 2008. A reasonable accommodation is a modification or adjustment to an instructional activity, equipment, facility, program or service that enables a qualified student with a disability to have an equal opportunity to fulfill the requirements necessary for graduation from the program. To be eligible for accommodations, a student must have a documented disability of (a) a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities of such individual; (b) a record of such impairment; or (c) be regarded as having such a condition.
Acquiring Fundamental Knowledge: Students must be able to learn in classroom and other educational settings via lectures, demonstrations, review of research and patient care situations. Students must have the ability to find sources of knowledge, acquire the knowledge, be a life-long learner and demonstrate adaptive thinking.
Developing Communication Skills: Students must have the ability to effectively communicate verbally, nonverbally, in writing, with groups and using information technology. Students must be able to interact appropriately with patients (persons, families and/or communities), peers, and with all members of the health care team. Students must be able to interpret and convey information gathered from communications. They must be able to speak, read and write in English.
Interpreting Data: Students must have the ability to measure, calculate, reason, analyze and synthesize data in a timely manner. They must successfully fulfill examination requirements of the program, including written and practical examinations. Students must have the ability to (1) observe patient conditions and responses to health and illness, (2) assess and monitor health needs, (3) translate data into abstract concepts, and (4) understand evidence-based reasoning.
Integrating Knowledge to Establish Clinical Judgment: Students must demonstrate critical thinking, problem-solving and decision-making ability needed to care for individuals, families and/or communities across the health continuum. They must demonstrate clinical competency and the ability to participate in clinical experiences. Students must possess sensory capacity and motor function to gather patient data, perform patient assessment and implement therapeutic interventions.
Incorporating Professional Attitudes and Behaviors into Practice: Students must demonstrate cross cultural competency, integrity, moral reasoning, ethical behaviors and concern for others. They must have the ability to acquire interpersonal skills for professional interactions with diverse individuals, families and/or communities. They must be able to work cooperatively with intra and inter professional teams, adapt to changing environments inherent in clinical practice, and function effectively under stress.
The University of Saint Francis is committed to providing equal access to all students, including those students with disabilities. Once students are admitted to a health sciences program, they should contact Academic and Career Development Center at 260-399-7700 x 6075 if they believe that they may require reasonable accommodation to fulfill the Health Sciences Technical Standards.
The following list defines the medical knowledge, interpersonal, clinical and technical skills, professional behaviors, and clinical reasoning and problem-solving abilities required for PA Practice:
Procurement of Clinical Rotations: The PA Program faculty are responsible for obtaining, assigning and monitoring clinical rotations. Preceptors and clinical rotation sites are chosen and assigned by the PA Program, not the students. Students are not required to provide or solicit clinical sites or preceptors.
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% |
The Department of Physician Assistant Studies provides education in medical knowledge and competencies needed by individuals to serve effectively as physician assistants who are mindful of the needs of underserved populations. The Department prepares students to be clinicians who achieve professional standards and have enhanced critical thinking, clinical reasoning, and competency in evidence-based medicine. We foster an educational environment of mutual respect, personal growth, and professional advancement.
The Department of Physician Assistant Studies will prepare students to become compassionate and accomplished practitioners who are engaged in life-long learning and dedicated to service, education, and leadership.
Graduation Year | Maximum entering class size (as approved by ARC-PA) | Entering class size | Graduates | Attrition Rate | Gradation Rate |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Class of 2021 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 4% | 96% |
Class of 2020 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 4% | 96% |
Class of 2019 | 25 | 25 | 21 | 16% | 84% |
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.
Cost of Tuition
Tuition and fees will be made available as soon as established by the University of Saint Francis and the PA Program. Within three weeks of notification of acceptance to the PA Program, prospective students are required to pay a non-refundable program deposit of $1,000.00. For those students who matriculate, the program deposit is applied to the cost of tuition.
Physician assistant students are billed at a block tuition rate that includes semester and technology fees. Updated tuition information is available on the Tuition page. Each student is financially responsible for any tuition and/or fees associated with taking additional courses due to failure, remediation, or deceleration in the PA Program for any reason. Cost of additional tuition and fees will be established by the University of Saint Francis.
Required Physician Assistant Departmental Fees
In addition to the published tuition, a PA Program Fee of $750.00 and a Clinical Health and Exercise Science Technology Fee of $250.00 will be billed to the student each semester. The PA Program Fee supports instruction in programmatic lab experiences (e.g., cadaver lab, simulation lab, physical exam/ procedural labs) and use of training software (i.e., SonoSim and ExamSoft). The Clinical Health and Exercise Science Technology Fee is required of all COHS students. Cumulatively, these fees result in a total cost of $5,250.00 across the duration of the program.
Additionally, a one-time Typhon Group Fee of $90.00 and a EHR Go Fee of $240.00 will be billed to the student during the first summer term. The Typhon Group Fee is used to purchase student access to Typhon. This database is used throughout didactic and clinical years to complete programmatic evaluations and to log patient experiences during the clinical year. The EHR Go fee provides the student with access to realistic medical documentation software that allow exceptional training for the clinical year and professional practice.
Throughout the curriculum, students will be required to pay for additional materials, certifications, and tests. The following table provides an overview of these costs and their frequency. Please note that these remain estimates and may change throughout the student’s tenure in the program.
Item/Fee | Frequency | Total Cost |
---|---|---|
Name Badge | First Summer Semester Only | $12 |
Annual Drug Testing | First and Second Summer Semesters | $60 |
Annual Background Check | Once before enrollment and once before clinical year | $105 |
Annual TB Testing | First and Second Summer Semesters | $50* |
Annual Flu Shot | Each fall semester (x2) | $80* |
Annual Physical Exams | Once before enrollment and once before clinical year | $300 |
BLS Certification | First Summer Semester Only | $55 |
Fit Testing/N95 Masks | Clinical Year | $20 |
ACLS Certification | Second Summer Semester Only | $200 |
Graduation Pictures | Clinical Year | $50 |
Total Estimated Fees | $952 |
*Offered for free at the USF Wellness Clinic
Potential Physician Assistant Departmental Fees
In addition to the required fees noted above, several other fees may apply. These are estimates only and prices are subject to change.
Item/Fee | Total Cost |
---|---|
Re-entry testing following an approved leave of absence (if applicable) | $650 |
Procurement of Medical Equipment
All physician assistant students are required to purchase medical equipment of suitable quality to perform physical examinations. This includes a stethoscope, an otoscope and ear specula, an ophthalmoscope, ruler and/or flexible tape measure, two tuning forks (128 Hz and 512 Hz), a reflex hammer, hand-held eye chart, sensory testing tools, a sphygmomanometer, and a suture pad. The cost of these items will be approximately $1,000 – $1,200. Items to be purchased are stated in the enrollment packet materials and will be discussed in the summer I semester. Please do not purchase these materials before speaking with programmatic faculty.
Cost of Books & Other Materials
The following includes an estimated cost of books and materials for the duration of the program. Prices are subject to change.
Item/Fee | Total Cost | Required | Recommended/Optional |
---|---|---|---|
Summer I | Medical Equipment | $1200 | |
Books | $450 | $400 (most are available for free on Clinical Key) | |
Typhon | $90 | ||
EHR Go | $240 | ||
Fall | Books | $550 | |
Estimated Total | $2530 | $400 |
Housing & Living Expenses
Students are expected to procure their own housing throughout the duration of the PA Program. Graduate housing is not offered by the University of Saint Francis. All transportation and living expenses are to be covered by the student while enrolled. All students (didactic and clinical) are expected to maintain housing within a 1-hour commute of the Fort Wayne area throughout the entirety of the PA Program. Former students have enjoyed living at Canal Flats Apartments, The Willows of Coventry, Canterbury Green Apartments, CityScape Flats, and Centlivre. Neither the University of Saint Francis nor the PA Program have any affiliation with the housing options listed. These are provided solely as examples of possible housing opportunities based on positive feedback shared by former PA students.
Most clinical rotations assigned to students will be within a 1 ½ hour commute from the Fort Wayne campus. More distant sites are occasionally assigned, and the student will be made aware of this in advance. Housing is occasionally provided by the University, but students may need to secure their own housing, as well. If a student requests and is assigned to a distant rotation site at which a clinical affiliate/the University does not provide housing, the student is responsible to procure and pay for housing within a 1 ½ hour commute of the rotation site.
Student Transportation
Students are responsible for their own transportation and related costs to off-campus classes, activities, and clinical sites. The university is not responsible for personal injury to students when traveling to off-campus activities.
Insurance
As required by agreements set forth between the University of Saint Francis and various clinical sites, students are required to have a current health insurance plan. This plan must be maintained throughout the entirety of the clinical experiences associated with enrollment in the PA Program at the University of Saint Francis. If a student’s current health insurance plan is cancelled or changed, the student is required to promptly notify the Director of Clinical Education. It must also be understood that students may be required by either the University of Saint Francis or the clinical site to which he/she is assigned to provide proof of current health insurance by providing a copy of a valid insurance card or other documentation as requested. Failure to comply with this requirement may result in the student being dropped from clinical rotations until such time as he/she obtains appropriate health insurance and may also result in a delay of graduation. Information about how students can purchase health insurance is available through the Office of Student Affairs, located in room 137 of Trinity Hall. The office may be contacted by email, at [email protected], or by phone, at (260)-399-8100.
As part of the University of Saint Francis’s affiliation agreement, the university provides general and professional liability insurance for students performing clinical assignments as part of the educational experience against any claim for injury or damage to property (COHS Policy 1.4.1).
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