Physician Assistant Studies, MSPAS

The University of Kentucky, Division of Physician Assistant Studies (PAS) offers a Plan B, non-thesis, physician assistant master’s degree program that is accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). The Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies (M.S.P.A.S.) program is designed for students who wish to become PAs and hold a baccalaureate or will have earned a baccalaureate degree by the time they enter the program. The M.S.P.A.S. program is offered at two distinct locations in either Lexington or Morehead, KY.

The mission of the University of Kentucky Physician Assistant Studies program is to improve the health and well-being of the people in the Commonwealth of Kentucky by graduating competent and compassionate physician assistants who will become transformative leaders in their practices and communities. Accordingly, we seek applicants who have a strong interest in practicing medicine in Kentucky, especially its most underserved areas. We employ a holistic approach to choosing those students who will best fulfill our mission. Graduates of the program are eligible to take the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination. After successful completion of the NCCPA Exam, graduates are eligible for state certification/licensure to practice as certified physician assistants.

 

Admission Requirements

The admissions cycle to the M.S.P.A.S. program is a competitive application and interview process occurring annually (April - July), with each cohort matriculating in January. Applicants select one campus (Lexington or Morehead) and apply to the Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA). Following acceptance in the program, applicants will be directed to complete the UK Graduate School application. Students must satisfy admissions requirements for both the Graduate School and the Physician Assistant Studies Program. For more detailed information on the program admissions requirements, please visit the program website. 

Bachelor’s Degree

All applicants must meet the minimum academic standards for the Graduate School. Completion of a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university is required before entry into the program. Additionally, applicants may have only two outstanding prerequisite requirements at the time of application submission to be completed by August. (Applicants will not be reviewed if at the time of application submission the applicant has >2 outstanding prerequisite requirements)

Prerequisite Courses*

A “C” grade or better must be earned in the following prerequisite courses:

• General Chemistry 1 with laboratory 1 semester
• General Chemistry 2 with laboratory 1 semester
• Organic Chemistry with laboratory 1 semester
• General Biology with laboratory 1 semester
• Microbiology with laboratory 1 semester
• Human Anatomy 1 semester
• Human Physiology 1 semester
• Statistics 1 semester
• Psychology 1 semester
• Developmental Psychology 1 semester
• Sociology or Anthropology 1 semester
• Medical Terminology 1 semester

TOEFL Requirements (if applicable)

International applicants or domestic students who attended a high school in which English was not the primary language are required to submit TOEFL iBT scores in addition to the GRE. A minimum score of 26 in each category must be obtained: Reading, Listening, Speaking, & Writing.

Patient Care Experience

The UKPAS Program requires patient contact, however a minimum amount of hours is not set. Contact hours may be completed utilizing the following (but not limited to) medical disciplines: CNA, EMT, CMA, Medical Tech., phlebotomist, etc.

Additional Recommendations

Shadowing, leadership, and volunteer experience are strongly recommended to be a competitive applicant.

Letters of Recommendation

Three (3) letters of recommendation are required from people acquainted with the applicant for at least one year and familiar with his/her professional goals. They must be submitted with the CASPA application. Letters should come from the following sources:

• Letter 1 - PA or Physician
• Letter 2 - Academic Professor, Advisor, or Committee
• Letter 3 - Medical (i.e. PA, physician, nurse manage, etc.) or Academic

Admissions Essay

The admission essays are completed through the CASPA application.  Essays must be of graduate quality and reflect the applicant’s commitment and understanding to the profession, program mission, campus selection, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Basic Life Support Certification

Applicants must be certified in Basic Life Support for Health Providers through the American Heart Association by matriculation in January. Red Cross certifications will not be accepted.

Technical & Behavioral Standards, Background Checks, & Drug Screening

All students matriculating into the UKPA Program are required to meet certain technical and behavioral standards of the program and College of Health Sciences. Additionally, applicants must pass a background check and drug screenings.

Due to the competitive nature and large number of students applying to the program, not all applicants who meet minimum requirements will be invited for an interview.

For more information and dates of General Information Sessions please visit our website.

If you have questions after visiting our website and attending an information session you may contact:

Julia Berry

Program Manager

julia.berry@uky.edu

 

Degree Requirements

MSPAS Program Curriculum Requirements

All students enrolled in the program will take the following courses in a lock-step format.Courses are on a 4.0 grading scale. D grades are not awarded to graduate students.

Spring
ANA 611	Regional Human Anatomy	5
PAS 620	Health Care Delivery in the 21st Century	3
PAS 651	Introduction to the PA Profession	2
PGY 412G	Principles of Human Physiology	4
Summer 4-Week Intersession
PAS 610	Research Methods & Epidemiology in PA Studies	3
Summer 8-Week Intersession
PAS 653	Introduction to Health & Disease	3
PAS 678	Health Promotion & Disease Prevention	2
Fall
PAS 645	Master’s Project	1
PAS 650	Clinical Methods	4
PAS 654	Clinical Lecture Series I	4
PAS 655	Psychosocial Factors in Primary Health Care	3
PAS 672	Pharmacology I	3
Spring
PAS 646	Master’s Project 2	2
PAS 656	Patient Evaluation & Management	4
PAS 657	Clinical Laboratory Procedures	3
PAS 658	Clinical Lecture Series II	4
PAS 673	Pharmacology II	3
Summer 4-Week Intersession
CNU 503	Nutrition for Health Professions	1
PAS 640	Survey of Geriatric Medicine	3
Summer 8-Week Intersession
Students begin Clinical Year Program Clerkship Requirements; rotations are not set in any particular order
Clerkships are 4-week long rotations
PAS 660	Family Medicine Clerkship (Two 4-week rotations)	6
PAS 661	Pediatric Clerkship	3
PAS 662	Obstetrics & Gynecology Clerkship	3
PAS 663	Surgery Clerkship	3
PAS 665	Clinical Practicum in Physician Assistant Studies (i.e. Electives; Three 4-week rotations)	9
PAS 669	Internal Medicine Clerkship (Two 4-week rotations)	6
PAS 670	Emergency Medicine Clerkship	3
PAS 671	Psychiatry Clerkship	3
PAS 680	Seminar in PA Studies	2
Total Program Credit Hours		95

 

Please note that any course offered in the PA program curriculum must be taken while in the program. The program does not offer advanced placement or course audits. Courses will not be allowed to transfer into the program (e.g. PGY 412G, ANA 611, etc.)

After completing the course work and clerkship requirements with a minimum 3.0 GPA, students who receive passing scores on the final graduate (Summative) examination will be awarded a Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies (M.S.P.A.S.) degree. Graduates of the program are eligible to take the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination. After successful completion of the exam, they are also eligible for state certification/licensure to practice as certified physician assistants.