South University — Savannah Physician Assistant Programs

Yes. South University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) to award doctoral, master’s, bachelor’s, and associate’s degrees. SACS, 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097; 404.679.4501.

Master of Science Physician Assistant Studies Degree Program Technical Standards

In order to ensure that patients receive the best medical care possible, the faculty of the South University Physician Assistant program has identified certain skills and professional behaviors that are essential for successful progression of physician assistant students in the program. A student must possess skills and behaviors at a level of capability to perform a variety of duties required of a physician assistant as a health care professional.

Students with disabilities who can perform these skills and successfully execute professional behavior either unassisted, with dependable use of assistive devices, or by employing other reasonable accommodations are eligible to apply for enrollment in the program. Minimum performance standards include critical thinking, communication skills, observation skills, motor skills, and interpersonal abilities. Interested parties may contact the Physician Assistant Studies Program office for additional information about South University performance standards. These skills and behaviors include, but are not limited to; those outlined in the document

Essentials and Guidelines for an Accredited Education Program for the Physician Assistant (2001) as established by the Accreditation Review Commission of Physician Assistant Programs (ARCPA).

• Critical Thinking: All students must possess the intellectual, ethical, physical and emotional capabilities required to undertake the full curriculum and to achieve the levels of competence required by the faculty. The ability to solve problems, a skill that is critical to the practice of medicine, requires the intellectual abilities of measurement, calculation, reasoning, analysis and synthesis. Candidates for the program must be able to perform demonstrations and experiments in the basic sciences.
• Communication Skills: A candidate should also be able to speak, to hear, and to observe patients in order to elicit information, describe changes in mood, activity and posture, and to perceive nonverbal communications. The candidate must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently in oral and written forms.
• Observation Skills: Candidates must be able to observe a patient accurately, both at a distance and close at hand. This ability requires the functional use of vision and somatic sensation.
• Motor Skills: Candidates should have sufficient motor function to elicit information from patients by palpation, auscultation, percussion and other diagnostic techniques. A candidate should be able to execute movements reasonably required to move from area to area, maneuver in small places, calibrate and use large and small equipment, position and move patients, and provide patients with general care and emergency treatment.
• Interpersonal Abilities: A candidate for the Physician Assistant Program must possess the emotional health required for full utilization of his or her intellectual abilities, the exercise of good judgment, the prompt completion of all responsibilities required for the diagnosis and care of patients and the development of mature, sensitive and effective relationships with patients, families and colleagues.

An applicant to the South University Physician Assistant Studies Program who may require special accommodation(s) on the basis of a disability will be requested to provide pertinent information for review by the Physician Assistant Studies Admissions Committee and the Dean of Student Affairs. A candidate for admissions must request such information when applying for the program. The admission decision with respect to accommodation will be made by the committee on an individual candidate basis after thorough consideration is given to all relevant factors.

The Physician Assistant Studies program offered at South University – Savannah is accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. 12000 Findley Road, Suite 240, Johns Creek, GA, 30097; Telephone: 770.476.1224.

The Physician Assistant Studies program offered at South University – Tampa is provisionally accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. 12000 Findley Road, Suite 240, Johns Creek, GA, 30097; Telephone: 770.476.1224.

The South University Physician Assistant Studies program awards graduates the Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies (MSPAS) degree. Graduates are eligible to take the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE) offered by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA).^* Graduates of a Physician Assistant program who are certified by the NCCPA, are eligible to practice in all 50 states.

^*South University does not guarantee third-party certification/licensure. Outside agencies control the requirements for taking and passing certification/licensing exams and are subject to change without notice to South University.

The program accepts approximately 65 students in each class.

Yes. To apply to the South University Physician Assistant Studies program, visit CASPA.

A completed application must be submitted through the Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA).

The application portal will open on April 18th, 2012 and the deadline for all materials is August 1st, 2012.

The program begins each year in early January. A one-week orientation precedes the formal start of classes.

No. The program matriculates one class per year in January.

View current tuition and fees estimates for the Physician Assistant Studies program here.

Yes. Students must have earned their bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution prior to matriculation at the program.

While most incoming students have earned their bachelor’s degrees in a science or health care field, it is not required. Strong preparation in natural sciences is highly valued. The number of courses, the level of those courses, and performance are important considerations. Applicants should demonstrate their ability to handle social science and humanities as well. If an applicant does not possess a science or health care related degree, it is strongly encouraged that they attempt to get as much clinical experience as possible.

Coursework

Prerequisite science courses (with labs) must be completed at a US-accredited US-based college or university. Prerequisite courses must include the following:

• Human Anatomy*
  1 semester or quarter
• Human Physiology*
  1 semester or quarter
• General Biology+
  2 semesters or quarters
• General Chemistry+
  2 semesters or quarters
• Organic Chemistry+
  1 semester or quarter
• Microbiology+
  1 semester or quarter

^*Human Anatomy and Physiology may be taken as standalone courses or as part of a sequence. In the event that the courses are taken as part of a sequence, only a completed sequence of A&P I and II will be accepted.

⁺Basic science courses should be those for science majors. Only courses with an associated lab will be given credit for fulfilling prerequisite requirements.

Yes. However, students submitting an application with greater than two outstanding prerequisite courses will not be considered for admission.

In general, prerequisites cannot be substituted. Exceptions to the prerequisite requirements will be considered only in very rare instances and must be approved by the admissions committee.

The South University Physician Assistant Studies program accepts credit for Advanced Placement (AP) courses. AP courses taken and successfully completed will be counted as one course credit toward completion of the respective prerequisite subject. Grades earned in AP courses are not used in calculation of the applicants overall or prerequisite GPA. The South University Physician Assistant Studies program does not accept College Level Examination Program (CLEP) credit for any prerequisite requirements.

No. The South University Physician Assistant Studies program is a CASPA participating program. Official transcripts should be sent to Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) at the time of application. However, if there are outstanding prerequisite courses at the time of application, official transcripts of that coursework should be sent to the program upon completion.

South University strongly encourages applicants to participate in patient centered clinical experience prior to application and matriculation. The experience of working with patients is valuable to anyone considering a career as a Physician Assistant Studies. While it is advantageous that entering students have some direct patient contact, it is the policy of the South University Physician Assistant Studies program not to prescribe a minimum number of patient contact hours or fields in which the experience must be gained. Experience is considered in the application review process of each individual applicant. Significant health care experience is valued in considering the admission qualifications of any given applicant.

Many applicants begin working in the health care field in the summer between high school and college. By working in health care each summer through their undergraduate education they accrue the necessary hours. Potential entry-level positions (paid and unpaid) include Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), paramedic, phlebotomist, nursing aide, home health care aide, and volunteers for community mental health or family planning agencies.

Patient centered clinical experience and shadowing are strongly recommended. However, there is no requirement for a predetermined number of hours (or months) of health care experience to be earned by an applicant. Clinical experiences should provide the applicant with a knowledge of and orientation to the presentation, signs, and symptoms of a variety of ill or injured patients. Such experiences are evaluated on an individual basis with regard observing and/or caring for ill and injured patients.

Yes. Applicants are required to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general test.

Yes. Applications will be reviewed if GRE scores are not yet received by CASPA and/or the South University Physician Assistant Studies program. However, admissions decisions cannot be made until all application materials are received including GRE scores.

The GRE scores are assessed in conjunction with the applicant’s complete profile. The South University Physician Assistant Studies program does not set a minimum acceptable score for the GRE but looks at scores at or above the 50th percentile as more competitive. Additional explanation on the meaning of the GRE scores can be found here.

Yes. The program office must receive an official GRE score report for each student prior to admissions decisions or matriculation.

The South University GRE code is 5157. There is no specific program code for the GRE.

Yes. After review of applications, those applicants deemed competitive are invited for an on-campus interview. The Physician Assistant Studies program conducts “behavioral” interviews on each candidate. (For information on this style of interview you can do a web search for “Behavioral Interviews.”) Each applicant will have two general interviews and one interview with the program director. The general interviews generally include one applicant and one to two program representatives.

Admission preference is not given to residents of Georgia. Tuition for all students is the same.

Yes. Upon acceptance, each student is required to purchase a criminal background check. The background checks are at the expense of the student and are performed by a third party agency. Finding of any prior criminal activity may terminate the student’s acceptance into the South University Physician Assistant Studies program.

Our program does not offer a part-time option or online courses.

No. Every student accepted to our program must apply for admission through CASPA.

Students for whom English is a second language must submit a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a minimum paper-based score of 600, computer-based score of 250 or internet based score of 80.

Yes. The following are the minimum GPA requirements for acceptance to the South University Physician Assistant Studies program:

• Overall (Cumulative): 2.8/4.0 Required
• Prerequisite Courses: 3.0/4.0 Strongly Recommended

Our students rotate in busy clinics, private physician’s offices, teaching hospitals, large institutions, and military hospitals and clinics. Rotations exist in both small towns and metropolitan cities. Students frequently rotate out to underserved areas in the heights of the Blue Ridge Mountains of northern Georgia and in the most rural areas of southwestern Georgia and middle Georgia, and into underserved urban clinics in Savannah. Students are offered a wide variety of experiences and locations for their clinical rotations designed to round out the application of knowledge and skills to actual patient care.

Students are offered a choice in selecting their clinical rotations. Academic and professional performance while in the program and prior clinical experience are taken into consideration in all placements.

The campus has limited off site apartment living. The Director of Housing’s office has more detailed information on that and available housing in the surrounding area. The Director of Student Activities and Housing can be reached at 912.201.8049.

Our Financial Aid officers, who are vey knowledgeable in this area make every attempt to assist students seeking financial aid, can be reached at 912.201.8069. You can also find information about student loans here.

The South University school code for filling out the FAFSA is 013039. You can complete a FAFSA here.

Due to the intensive nature of the Physician Assistant Studies program curriculum and study hours involved in the first year most students do not work. During clinical rotations, students find that their patient management responsibilities and time required preparing for rounds and attending conferences do not allow them to work and attend the program. More information on student employment can be found here.

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