Prepare for Physician Assistant School – Pre-Health/Pre-Law Advising Center

What do you need to be a strong candidate for physician assistant school?

3 key factors that physician assistant (PA) schools are looking for:

1. Strong academic performance: high GPA in prerequisite and upper division science coursework can show PA schools that you are prepared for their curriculum.

2. Evidence of experience and personal development: experience in the healthcare field can help you determine whether becoming a PA is the right fit for you. Your experiences (both related and unrelated to health) can also show schools that you have the qualities they are looking for in a future PA.

3. Strong entrance exam scores: like your GPA, your entrance exam score can suggest that you are ready for the rigor of PA school.

More information on each factor can be found within their respective sections below.

Prerequisites Experience and Personal Development Researching Schools Entrance Exam Physician Assistant Program Information Tracker Templates

Prerequisites

Most importantly, remember that course and minimum grade requirements vary from school to school! You must research to create a list of all the prerequisites you will need to apply to the schools you are interested in attending.

Physician Assistant Program Information: We compiled some information on the PA programs in the US. Please note that we still recommend you do your own research alongside this guide.
Physician Assistant Education Association's PA Program Directory: A complete list of PA programs and their requirements (healthcare experience hours, standardized exams, prerequisite coursework, GPA, etc.).

More than 25% of the programs in this field require the following UHM courses for admission:

BIOL 171/171L and 172/172L	Introduction to Biology I and II	8 cr.
CHEM 161/161L and 162/162L	General Chemistry I and II*	8 cr.
BIOC 141 or CHEM 272*	Biochemistry or Organic Chemistry I	3 cr.
MICR 130/140L* (or MICR 351/351L**)	General Microbiology (or Biology of Microorganisms)	5 cr.
PHYL 141/141L and 142/142L*** (or PHYL 301/301L and 302/302L)	Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II	8 or 10 cr.
BIOL/BOT 220***** or PSY/SOCS 225 or ECON 321	Statistics	3 cr.
MATH 134 or higher	Precalculus or higher**	3 cr.
ENG 100 and higher	Composition I and higher (2 courses)	6 cr.
HLTH 110 or 125	Medical Terminology	1 or 2 cr.

It is recommended that non-science majors take additional upper-division or advanced science electives beyond the prerequisites listed above. CHEM 171/171L might not be accepted by PA programs in place of CHEM 161/161L and 162/162L. Students should double-check with the programs they are interested in to see if they would accept CHEM 171/171L in place of CHEM 161/161L and 162/162L.

For a list of other generally recommended pre-health courses, click here.

*Please check the requirements of the specific schools that you want to apply to concerning these courses. Some schools may require a higher level of biochemistry or the lab portion of the course.

**If you are planning on taking a chemistry or math course for the first time, please make sure to fulfill the placement exam requirement before registration.

***Please check the requirements of the specific schools that you want to apply to concerning these courses. Some schools may require a higher-level course.

****Please note that the prerequisites for MICR 351/L are BIOL 171 and CHEM 272/L. BIOL 275/L are recommended for MICR 351. Some PA schools may not accept Advanced Placement (AP), online, or community college credit. This means you may have to retake some courses and your financial aid and/or scholarship status may be affected.

*****Students pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Biology or Marine Biology beginning in Fall 2021 and on are required to take BIOL 220 as a major requirement.

UHM Applicant GPA Statistics

Category	UH Mānoa Applicants	UH Mānoa Accepted
2023
Cumulative Undergraduate	3.34	3.46
Cumulative Undergraduate BCPM*	3.28	3.41
2022
Cumulative Undergraduate	3.34	3.55
Cumulative Undergraduate BCPM*	3.21	3.47
2021
Cumulative Undergraduate	3.29	3.34
Cumulative Undergraduate BCPM*	3.21	3.38

*BCPM GPA is your GPA of only Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics courses taken.

Additional Applicant Information

To calculate the CASPA GPA, please see the CASPA GPA Calculation website and PAC's CASPA GPA Calculation spreadsheet for more help. This guide is for reference. Please do not enter any estimates calculated from this guide into your application. Enter course information as it appears on transcripts only.

Experience and Personal Development

Monthly Newsletter Email Subscription Form

Nation-wide Engagement Opportunities

PAC's CASPA Achievement / Experience / License Log Template

In addition to GPA, Physician Assistant program applicants must demonstrate their core competencies for PA professions through experiences and interviews. Thus, make sure that the chosen opportunities provide ways to establish and strengthen these competencies.

Most programs require substantial healthcare experience: 6-12 months of full-time, paid, clinical, “hands-on,” direct patient care* (1000-2000 hours). Consequently, most applicants to PA programs come from those already in healthcare. Experience can be divided into two categories:

Direct patient contact (as a nurse aide, certified nursing assistant, medical assistant, emergency medical technician, medic, military corpsman, etc.)

Certification and Training Options in Hawaiʻi

Certified Nurse Aide

Emergency Medical Technician

Healthcare Training & Career Consultants

KCC Medical Assisting Program

Other Nursing Programs

Phlebotomy

Healthcare-related experience (as a lifeguard, ski patrol personnel, first aid personnel, laboratory or research staff, etc.)
- Volunteer opportunities: Available at hospitals, nursing homes, senior centers, shelters, rehabilitation facilities, etc.
  - KRS Volunteer Sites: volunteer opportunities for pre-PA students

2020-2021 National First-Year Experience Hours

	National Accepted Mean Hours	National Accepted Range of Experience Hours
Patient Contact Experience	3,240	30-25,000
Healthcare Shadowing	215	10-2,807
Community Service	719	25-18,000
Other Healthcare Service	1,791	10-9,000
Other Work Experience	2,315	70-12,651

Three most common experience types of physician assistant school matriculants:

Jobs: To be well-rounded and grow personally and professionally. This can also be a way to gain direct patient contact hours, especially if applying to schools that require the hours to come from a paid experience. Some common jobs involving direct patient contact include CNA or EMT.
Volunteer work: To demonstrate your genuine interest in helping others and the larger communities.
- Clinical Volunteer: This is a great way to gain experience in the health professional field you are interested in and to help you decide if that is the field you want to work in.
- Community Service: This does not necessarily need to be related to health but demonstrates your genuine interest in helping the community.
Shadowing: To better understand the field and determine if it is the right fit for you.
- Schools may also request that one of your letters of recommendation come from a physician assistant or physician. Shadowing or working under a physician assistant or physician can be a great way to build a relationship and get a strong recommendation letter.
- PA Program Letter of Recommendation Requirements
- Email the Pre-Health Career Corps for shadowing opportunities at phcc@hawaii.edu

Other Experiences:

Internships/Fellowships: To gain experience in the health professional field you are interested in.
Enrichment: To be more well-rounded and gain experience communicating with others from different backgrounds.
Research: Ensure you will be prepared for the research in the health professional school/program curriculum.

As all schools have different requirements, we have compiled some information on the various Physician Assistant Programs in the United States. Please click here to view it. Please note that we still recommend that you do your own research alongside using this guide.

Personal Development:

It is not enough for admissions committees to see you have completed experiences. You also need to share with them what you gave and got out of the experiences.

Gave = What and how did you contribute to the organization and/or the people through the organization? How did you make an impact?

Got = What did you get out of the experience? What skills did you gain or establish? What knowledge did you gain?

Admission committees seek students who demonstrate qualities that will make them strong practitioners, such as empathy, compassion, a commitment to public service, high ethical and moral standards, a conscientious work ethic, and maturity. These qualities should be demonstrated through the previous experiences mentioned. If this is not the case, find other experiences from which you can grow.

Keep in mind that: it’s not about what you’re doing, it’s why you're doing it. Why are these things essential for you to dedicate your time to?

Networking:

Networking with peers and professionals enables you to meet people with similar interests. You can find a mentor to help lead you in the right direction or find a study buddy for your prerequisites and entrance exam!

UH Connect: If you are a UH student or alumni, you can find a professional mentor through the UH Connect website. You can use different search and matching tools to find UH alumni working in a field you are interested in within the site.
Clubs and Organizations
- Pre-Physician Associate Association
  - Learn about the history and purpose of the profession and the application process for PA programs.
  - Gain experience in the medical field through community service and medical events
  - Develop a holistic understanding of the PA profession and connect with students with similar aspirations and career goals.
Pre-Health Undergraduate Mentoring Program
Hawaii Academy of PAs (HAPA): Hawaii state chapter of The American Academy of Physician Assistance. Professional membership benefits include monthly newsletters, access to educational presentations, and more.

Experience Log:

When applying for professional school, you will be asked to list and describe the experiences you have gained in preparation for the profession of your interest. Rather than having to recall from memory all your experiences, having an experience log will allow you to fill out your application more efficiently. Students can use their C.V. as a record of these experiences. However, an experience log can include additional beneficial information, such as your employer’s contact information and a reflection portion of what you learned.

PAC's CASPA Achievement / Experience / License Log Template

Researching Schools

There are currently about 306 accredited PA programs in the US, each unique in its mission, philosophy, criteria, and strengths.

Physician Assistant Education Association's PA Program Directory
CASP Participating Programs and Eligibility
Virtual PA Fairs
Physician Assistant Program Information: We compiled some information on the PA programs in the US. Please note that we still recommend you do your own research alongside this guide.

Although there are resources that “rank” schools, the rankings are rarely pertinent for individual applicants. More important is whether there is a good match between the applicant and the school.

To find schools that are a good fit for you (PAC peer advisors can help with this process):

1. Assess your strengths and weaknesses, your professional interests, learning style, and personality;

2. Start by considering all schools, which usually includes all 195+ schools;

3. Create your “Long List” by omitting the schools that do not match your professional interests, learning style, and personality;

4. Create your “Short List” by including schools to which you will most likely apply. You will need your entrance exam scores and/or current cumulative GPA to narrow and sort your school choices. We strongly recommend that you apply to schools for which your entrance exam score and/or current cumulative GPA are within the ranges of those who were accepted into that program. Ideally, you will apply to schools where your entrance exam score and cumulative GPA fall within the range of accepted applicants.

5. Consider other factors when categorizing your schools, like prerequisites, the pass rate on boards/licensing exams, areas of specialization, and cost/aid. When deciding how many schools to apply to, consider how many schools to which you can afford to apply. Finally, consider if you really want to attend the school if/when accepted, even if it is the only school to which you have been accepted.

If possible, visit the schools to see their facilities, talk to admissions directors, and chat with students.

Notes for international applicants:

Due to institutional, state, and federal requirements, health professional schools in the U.S. may process applications of international students differently than those of U.S. citizens and permanent residents.
Some schools do not admit any international students, so you will be limited in the number of schools they can apply to and need to research schools.
There may be additional requirements, such as showing proof that they can afford the costs of health professional school, as financial aid opportunities are very limited for international students.

Average Number of Schools UHM Applicants Applied To

	Applicants	Applications	Average # of Applications/Applicant
2023
UH Mānoa Applicants	32	197	6
UH Mānoa Matriculants	15	116	8
2022
UH Mānoa Applicants	34	209	6
UH Mānoa Matriculants	14	117	8
2021
UH Mānoa Applicants	35	237	7
UH Mānoa Matriculants	11	68	6

Based on data acquired by the National Association of Academic Advisors for Health Professions (NAAHP).

View our Physician Assistant School Stats to see where UH Mānoa applicants applied to/matriculated into.

The Duke Physician Assistant Program’s admissions staff always recommends creating a spreadsheet to keep everything organized. To help, they have created templates to get you started:

Entrance Exam

While most PA programs do not require an entrance exam, for schools that do require an entrance exam, most require the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Some schools also accept the Physician Assistant College Admission Test (PA-CAT) or Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) instead of the GRE.

PA Programs that accept the PA-CAT
Physician Assistant Program Information: We compiled some information on the PA programs in the US. Please note that we still recommend you do your own research alongside this guide.

GRE:

GRE Overview

GRE Statistics for Matriculants from UH Mānoa

GRE Section	Applied	Accepted	Range
2023
Quantitative	149.83	147.46	147-165
Verbal	151.8	150.83	147-159
Analytical	3.79	3.69	3.5-4.5
2022
Quantitative	151.25	151.46	149.6 - 156
Verbal	149.95	149.82	150 - 156.8
Analytical	4.07	4.2	3.8 - 4.3
2021
Quantitative	149.66	147.18	146 - 157
Verbal	150.05	150.32	148 - 162
Analytical	3.8	3.52	3 - 5

Additional Applicant Information

Percentile statistics will be updated when received.

PA-CAT:

PA-CAT Overview

MCAT:

MCAT Overview

Funding Opportunities for Entrance Exam

Physician Assistant Program Information

Tracker Templates

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