Physician Assistant Pathway Year Three Requirements

By the end of year three, students pursuing the PA Pathway must complete the following requirements:

HPS Retention Requirements:
  • Earn a cumulative GPA of at least a 3.5; GPA may not fall below a 3.25 in any semester
  • Accumulate at least 275 hours of clinical observation, health-related volunteer experience, internship, or direct (hands-on) patient healthcare experience
  • Receive positive supervisor evaluation at clinical observation site
  • Continue active membership in at least one student health care organization (e.g. Pre-PA Society)
  • Schedule and complete a mock interview with the MSU Career Center
  • Attend at least one group advisement session conducted by the HPS Committee
  • Declare HPS Pathway (PA, PT, OT, AUD) by BEGINNING of year three
  • Declare undergraduate major by the BEGINNING of year three
  • Provide evidence of endorsement of MSU Public Affairs Mission through completion of a minimum of 30 hours of community service (please note - hours completed through service learning or for the purposes of scholarship renewal will count)
PA Pathway-Specific Requirements:
  • Complete the following PA prerequisites with a "C" or better:
    • BIO 210: Elements of Microbiology or BIO 310: Microbiology
    • BMS 230: Human Genetics or BIO 235: Principles of Genetics
    • Statistics (MTH 340, PSY 200, SOC 302, QBA 237, ECO 308, BIO 550)
    • Complete the following courses with a "B-" or better:
      • BMS 307: Human Anatomy
      • BMS 308: Human Physiology
  • Evidence of progress toward completion of paid, hands-on patient care requirement. Note: Only 50 of your 500 total clinical experience hours may come from clinical observation/shadowing. Students pursuing the PA Pathway must complete a minimum of 450 hours of direct (hands-on) patient care experience. This is typically achieved through a paid position or clinical internship. Examples of positions that result in hands-on patient care experience include: Athletic Trainer, Behavioral Health Technician, Case Manager, Certified Nurse's Aid (CNA), Dialysis Technician, Registered Dietitian, EKG Technician, EMT-Basic, ER Technician, Surgical Technician, Endoscopy Technician, Home Health Aid, Medical Assistant, Patient Care Assistant, Registered Nurse, Respiratory Therapist, Radiologic Technologist.
  • Consider additional courses to strengthen the PA application. These include BIO 320: Introduction to Cellular Biology, BIO 511: Immunology, BIO 520: Pathogenic Microbiology, BMS 321: Biomolecular Interactions, BMS 521: Molecular Cell Biology, BMS 524: Virology, etc.