Pre-Physician Assistant Studies (BS)

Why USF for a Pre-Physician Assistant Program?

Rooted in the liberal arts, built on Franciscan values and focused on patient-centered care, a USF education develops you into a reflective, ethical and compassionate healthcare provider.

Our pre-physician assistant program gives you:

• A strong foundation in biological sciences
• 1,000 PAID hours of patient care experience
• Job-shadowing opportunities

USF’s PA program is internationally known, and our strong reputation in the regional healthcare community gives our pre-PA students access to quality clinical experiences, connections that lead to positions with top employers, and opportunities for meaningful service-learning opportunities.

You will graduate from USF ready to pursue a physician assistant graduate program and, ultimately, a rewarding career as a healthcare practitioner — for less than half the cost of training and education of a physician.

Hands-On Learning from the Start

Developing into a caring, competent physician assistant requires practical experience and, at USF, you will get plenty of it:

• Project- and team-based learning
• Paid healthcare experience in roles such as a CNA or EMT
• Job shadowing with PAs, including USF alumni, in varying subspeciality areas
• Service-learning and travel opportunities, such as international mission trips to Haiti

By the time you complete the pre-physician assistant program, you will have more than 1,000 hours of direct patient care experience. Additionally, you can build valuable career skills with on-campus employment with health services, athletics and related offices and departments.

Faculty & Facilities

You will learn in small classes from expert faculty members, including practicing PAs — and you will do so in our state-of-the-art science center, which features:

• a cadaver lab, where you’ll learn human anatomy
• a simulation lab, where you’ll work through real-world scenarios with life-like patient simulators
• a resource lab, which features professional exam rooms and patient units

Campus and Community Involvement

As you prepare to enter a helping profession, you’ll be glad to know USF offers many opportunities for you to serve others through campus ministries, service-learning projects and student groups. Of particular interest to someone in our pre-physician assistant program are:

• PA Student Society
• Pre-Professional Healthcare Honor Society

The faculty have helped me in so many ways: at different times, they’ve kept me focused, built my confidence, and offered advice. The professors are one of the reasons we have such a strong community where we all support each other.

Brittany Kuhlenbeck ’18

Physician Assistant Career Opportunities

Once you’ve earned your master’s degree, met licensing requirements and officially become a physician’s assistant, you can find positions in a broad range of settings, including:

• Primary care and family medicine
• Pediatrics
• Internal medicine
• Emergency medicine
• General surgery
• Psychiatry

With additional training, you may also develop expertise in one or more medical subspecialties — such as cardiology, neurology or geriatrics — which will broaden your career possibilities.

Graduate & Professional School Opportunities

Graduates of our pre-physician assistant program often earn their master’s of science in PA studies, and others have pursued their graduate studies at schools such as:

• University of Saint Francis
• Butler University
• Kettering University
• University of Findlay
• University of Toledo
• Trine University