Revised: February 2003

 

                 REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION TO PHYSICIAN ASSOCIATE PROGRAMS

 

                                 Premedical Professions and Zoology Advising Office, 209 Richards Hall

                               Ms. Nancy Blass, (405) 325-2457 and Ms. Dawna Nelson, (405) 325-5661

                                         Dr. Regina Sullivan and Dr. James Thompson, Co-Directors

                                     University of Oklahoma, 730 Van Vleet Oval, Norman, OK 73019

 

PHYSICIAN ASSOCIATE PROGRAM

The Physician Associate (or Assistant) Program at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center began in 1970 and is one of approximately 138 programs throughout the country. The curriculum is 30 months in duration with a Master of Health Sciences degree awarded upon graduation.  Currently, Oklahoma has approximately 550 practicing PA’s.

 

BASIC ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Applicants must have at least 90 semester hours of credit from an accredited college or university with a minimum grade point average of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale. Applicants must have completed all prerequisite courses prior to the first day of classes (see list of prerequisites).  However, most competitive applicants will have completed a bachelors degree and have a considerably higher GPA than the minimum.

 

All applicants are required to take the General Test component of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) prior to the October 1 application deadline.  Completed applications must be received by October 1 for admission to the next class entering the following July.  It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that all materials have been received by the OU HSC Office of Admissions and Records prior to the deadline.

 

GENERAL COURSE REQUIREMENTS for University of Oklahoma HSC Physician Associate Program

                        Please note other schools may have slightly different requirements.

 

 1.  English Composition, ENGL 1113 and 1213                                                                           2 semesters

 2.  U.S. Government, PSC 1113                                                                                                1 semester

 3.  U.S. History, HIST 1483 or 1493                                                                                          1 semester

 4.  Psychology and one Psych. elective, PSY 1113 and one elective                                            2 semesters

 5.  College level algebra, MATH 1523a                                                                                                                   1 semester

 6.  General Chemistry, CHEM 1315a and 1415                                                                           2 semesters

 7.  Physics, Physics, 2414b (preferred) or 1114                                                                           1 semester

 8.  Zoology, ZOO 1114 (lecture) and 1121 (lab)                                                                          1 semester

 9.  Microbiology, MBIO 3813c (lecture) and 3812 (lab)                                                                1 semester 

10.  Pathogenic Microbiology, MBIO 4823d                                                                                 1 semester

     (Virology or Immunology (MBIO 4833) may be substituted but Pathogenic is preferred.)

11.  Anatomy, ZOO 2255e Human Anatomy (preferred) or Zoo 2234                                           1 semester

12.  Physiology, Zoo 2124f Human Physiology                                                                             1 semester

OTHER STRONGLY RECOMMENDED COURSES:
PSY 2403 Intro. to Personality, PSY 2603 Developmental Psych, ZOO 3204 Animal Development, PCOL 2102 Intro. to Pharmacology, CL C 2412 Medical Vocabulary, Zoo 4833 Immunology, ZOO 3333 Genetics, ZOO 4243 Histology, CHEM 3653 Biochemistry, a computer class, and other upper-level science courses.  It is highly recommended that all science courses have a laboratory component. Please Note:  Additional prerequisites may be required for these courses.
 

PREREQUISITES FOR REQUIRED COURSES

            a.  COMPAS test or MATH 1503 (Intro. to Elem. Functions)

            b.  MATH 1523 or 1643

            c.  1 semester of Zoology and concurrent enrollment in Org. Chem. 3053

            d.  MBIO 3813 and 3812

            e.  ZOO 1114 and 1121 with a grade of C or better.

            f.  Zoo 1114 and 1121 with a grade of C or better and 1 semester chem. or physics.

 

GRADUATE RECORD EXAMINATION (GRE)

The PA Program requires the General Test to be taken prior to the October 1 deadline. The General Test measures verbal, quantitative, and analytical reasoning skills that have been developed over a long period of time and are not necessarily related to any particular field of study.  The General Test is offered as a computer-based test. The cost is $115. Year round computer-based testing is available at test centers worldwide.  Appointments are scheduled on a first-come first-serve basis. Call 1-800-473-2255 to register for the computer-based test or register on-line at http://www.gre.org/.

 

CRITERIA FOR ADMISSION

The Admissions Committee bases its decision upon an applicant’s overall GPA, science GPA, number of overall and science credit hours, personal interview, types and quality of health care experience, personal references, GRE scores on the general test, and the applicant’s written statement on why he or she wants to be a physician associate.

 

The application process is highly competitive and completion of all prerequisites does not guarantee that an applicant will be offered an interview for final selection.  Preference for selection is given to residents of Oklahoma.

 

THE SUCCESSFUL APPLICANT

There were 220 applicants for the 50 positions available for the class admitted in 2002. The applicants ADMITTED had an average overall GPA of 3.58, science GPA of 3.49, and had 138 overall credit hours including 53 in the sciences. The majority had Bachelor degrees. The average years of healthcare experience was 2.0 years.  Average GRE scores ranged from Verbal - 455; Analytical - 552; and Quantitative - 542.  The average age was 24.  There were 38 females and 12 males accepted in 2002. 

 

The OU PA Program offers 150 interviews for the 50 available spaces.  The interview is 20-30 minutes in length and is a group interview with three Physician Associates.  Attention will be paid to your personal statement, your experiences in the health field and your knowledge of the profession. While experience in the health care field is not a requirement, the average successful applicant has about 3 years of experience and is able to articulate his/her knowledge of the profession.

 

HOW DO I APPLY TO PHYSICIAN ASSOCIATE SCHOOL?

Each institution has its own admission requirements and policies, so you should contact the individual school for application material. The PreMed Office will have applications for the OU program. Application deadlines vary from October 1 to May 1. Completed OU applications must be received by October 1 for admission to the next class entering the following July.  It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that all materials have been received by the OU HSC Office of Admissions and Records prior to the deadline.  Information for other schools are available in the Premedical Professions Advising Office, Room 209, Richards Hall.