Physician Assistant Program

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American Medical Academy Physician Assistant Program:

Program Overview:

A Physician’s assistant is a healthcare professional who is licensed to practice medicine as part of a team with physicians and other healthcare providers. These qualified individuals are concerned with preventing and treating human injury and illness by providing a variety of healthcare services under guidance of a surgeon or physician.

As Per the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA), a PA is a nationally certified and state-licensed medical professional. PAs practice medicine on healthcare teams with physicians and other providers. They practice and prescribe medication in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the majority of the U.S. territories and the uniformed services.

PAs can:

  • Take a medical history

  • Conduct physical exams

  • Diagnose and treat illnesses

  • Order and interpret tests

  • Develop treatment plans

  • Counsel on preventive care

  • Assist in surgery

  • Write prescriptions

  • Make rounds in hospitals and nursing homes

PAs’ specific duties depend on:

  • The setting in which they work

  • Their level of experience

  • Their specialty

  • State laws

Physician Assistant (PA) Study Program (Master of Science):

The AMA’s physician assistant master’s program is a three years course of study preparing students to serve their community as primary care providers. The program is offering in partnership the teaching hospitals and other partner healthcare institutions. Our Faculty and staff work closely with students, helping them to develop professional attributes and clinical problem-solving skills necessary for efficient and optimal patient care. During the clinical component of the program, students attend clinical rotations in several disciplines of medicine

The first part of the program “1st year course” consist of pre pre-requisite coursework: this include Human Anatomy with lab, Human Physiology with lab, Microbiology, Biochemistry, College algebra, statistics and Medical Terminology; also do 200 + hours of nursing care practical and clinical observation.

The second part of the program is for developing a strong academic foundation for clinical practice. Faculty and staff work closely with students, helping them develop professional attributes and clinical problem-solving skills necessary for efficient and optimal patient care.

During the clinical component of the program, students attend clinical rotations in several disciplines of medicine. Students are supervised by clinical preceptors and continue to advance their clinical knowledge by working directly with patients and various healthcare professionals.

For graduation, candidates are required do the development of a capstone thesis paper/project in collaboration with the faculty. This thesis paper has designed for students to demonstrate their skills in critical analysis and a capacity for independent, logical thinking. After graduation, candidates has to take the national certification exam.

Areas of Medicine for PAs in the US Healthcare Field:

Physician assistants (PAs) are found in all areas of medicine in USA. They practice in family medicine, internal medicine, emergency medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, surgery and surgical specialties including orthopedics, psychiatry as well as many other areas. Many PAs work in settings such as education, government, administration and research.

The most common areas of medicine (as per the AAPA) include:

Employment Opportunities

  • Primary Care 26.6%

  • Surgical Subspecialties 19.5%

  • Emergency Medicine13.8%

  • Internal Medicine Subspecialties 7.6%

    • As per the current healthcare system in USA, the employment opportunities for PAs are abundant. Quite often many students are offered employment by preceptors on clinical rotations. There are many resources easily available. Examples include:

    Earnings Potential

    • The AAPA

    • State organization for PAs

    Median annual salary (per the AAPA): $93,800. Salary varies based on experience, education, geographical location and other factors.

    Physician Assistant Degree:

    AMA’s Physician Assistant program teaches the art and science of medicine steeped in the tradition of body-mind-spirit care for the whole person. Our faculty and trainers allow the students to grow into their profession in a learner-centered environment through face-to-face instruction, didactic clinical experiences, throughout the clinical procedures and history and physical exam laboratories, and regular Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) using standardized patient actors, all before their year of supervised clinical experiences working in clinics and hospitals.

    The AMA’s physician assistant master’s program, prepares students to serve their community as primary care providers through on-campus and clinical training throughout the entire study program. The ultimate objective of our PA education is to serve the communities with competent, compassionate care.

    Graduates Opportunities:

    The AMA’s program aims for the graduates to get in to these specialties field as listed below:

    • Family Medicine

    • General Internal Medicine

    • General Pediatrics

    • Women’s Health

    • Behavioral Health/Psychiatry

    • Emergency Medicine

    • General Surgery

    Admission Requirement:

    Candidates must have a Bachelor degree in Science or higher; the Bachelor Degree or higher degree must be completed from a regionally accredited institution in USA. The International students must have a Bachelor Degree or higher degree from an accredited university and with other appropriate academic qualification.

    If the candidate completed the following courses (pre-requisite coursework) prior to start the program from a regionally accredited US university; in this case the candidate can finish the program in less than 30 months’ time.

    1. Human Anatomy with lab (recommended that course be completed within 6 years of application date), minimum 4 semester credits.

    2. Human Physiology with lab (recommended that course be completed within 6 years of application date), minimum 4 semester credits.

    3. If combined Anatomy & Physiology course are taken, candidate must have two or more semesters (each with lab).

    4. Microbiology (recommended that course be completed within 6 years of application date), minimum 3 credits.

    5. Biochemistry – minimum 3 credits

    6. College algebra or statistics - minimum 3 credits

    7. Medical Terminology

    GPA requirements:

    The applicant must have achieved a minimum 2.50 cumulative grade point average overall (3.00 or higher strongly recommended) and a minimum 2.50 cumulative science grade point average (3.00 or higher strongly recommended) on a 4.00 scale.

    Admissions Timeline:

    AMA Physician assistant program is preparing to offer from 2019 Academic year (actual program starting date may change depend upon when AMA receive the actual approval and accreditation from the concerned authorities for offering the program).

    Program enrollment is based on a rolling admissions policy. Applications are reviewed in the order in which they are received. Due to limited number of seats in the Program, applicants are encouraged to apply early. Interviews are awarded on a competitive basis. Admission to the program is made based on multiple criteria.

    Other General Admission Requirements:

    Applicants are also required to submit three letters of recommendation from professionals:

    1. Employer or supervisor

    2. Healthcare Practitioner (Physician, Physician Assistant or Nurse Practitioner)

    3. Science Faculty Member.

    Once AMA office receives a completed application and determines that minimum requirements are met, the applicant will be notified by email to submit a secondary fee for final processing. Upon receipt of this fee, the application is forwarded to the program for consideration.

    All International students are required to demonstrate proficiency in English (IELTS score 6.5 or better) when applying for the pogrom and also applicable other international admission requirements.

    General Overview of the PA Course

    Lectures are offered generally in group format, often with case studies, interactive clickers, and projects to encourage participation and collaboration with peers and faculty.

    Labs are generally in smaller group format, often with students working with other students and faculty to practice skills (for example: clinical skills, procedures, history taking, and physical exam).

    Standardized patients are utilized to give “real world” scenarios and exposure in the testing environment to best prepare students for clinical rotations.

    Students gain practical experience to prepare for clinical rotations by going into the community to see patients during their didactic year. Students build confidence by working closely with preceptors and patients. Examples of these didactic year clinical experiences include the following:

    Students are assigned to complete their supervised clinical practical experiences in:

    • Family Medicine

    • Community Health

    • Emergency Medicine

    • Hematology/Oncology

    • Medical Examiner

    • General Surgery

    • Ears Nose Throat (ENT)

    • Dental Clinic and Emergency Medical Response

      • Clinical Year Overview

      All students complete the required weeks of supervised clinical practice experiences. Students are assigned to complete these experiences at AMA’s partner healthcare and teaching hospitals and other community health center partners located in other parts of the country. Clinical Practice Experience areas include:

      • Family Medicine

      • Internal Medicine

      • Pediatrics

      • Emergency Medicine

      • Women’s Health

      • General Surgery

      • Behavioral Health

      • Elective

        • • Successful completion of the AMA’s PA program leads to a Master of Science degree with a total of 180 credit hours.

        Frequently Ask Questions:

        1. What degree get after the AMA’s PA program? Graduating students receive a Master Degree in Physician Assistant Studies (MS in Physician Assistant Studies).

        2. How long is the AMA’s PA program, and when does it start? The AMA PA program is three years in length, with the first classes are planned to start in the beginning of October 2019 or soon after AMA receive all concerned approvals. Then onwards, the program offer on annual basis & the program start in the beginning of October each year.

        3. Should I have a bachelor’s degree to enter the program? Yes.

        4. How do I apply to the PA Program? Completed applications must be submitted to AMA’s Admissions Department for Physician Assistants.

        5. Do you have a distance learning option for the PA program? No.

        6. Can I take prerequisites at your institution? Yes. AMA offer pre-requisites courses and it is part of the PA studies. However, those candidates who have the pre-requisites course as part of the undergraduate studies prior to start the PA program with AMA can finish the course in less than 30 months.

        7.Does it make a difference for admission if I am from out-of-state or I am from outside of USA? No. Your state of residence or outside of USA residency does not impact your chances for admission, if you are qualified.

        8. If I am selected to interview, how long does it take to find out if I am selected for the program? We try to inform applicants within two weeks’ time after the final review.

        9. Will I be able to work while I am in school? Because the rigorous nature of the physician assistant course work, the AMA strongly discourage students from working. Typically, PA students are in class from 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday, with an occasional required weekend or evening hours.

        10. How many open positions are available in the AMA’s PA program each year? We anticipate 90 positions will be available each year with the first batch classes starting in October 2019.

        11. How many hours of clinical experience do I need? There is no set number. It is important that one is familiar with the career in which the applicant is planning to make a commitment. We value the type of experience more than total number of hours. Prior clinical experience will enhance your application.

        12. Is there housing convenient to the University/Institution? Yes. Students find housing in many of the neighboring communities. There is no AMA student housing at this time but AMA has plan to establish student housing in the near future.

        13. I do not work in the medical field. What type of experience should I get to accumulate hours for “Clinical Experience”? Your goal is to become a physician assistant, therefore, your clinical experience should provide you with as much exposure/experience as possible to the roles and responsibilities of physicians, PA’s and other medical professionals, whose primary responsibility is patient care.

        14. What are the costs in the PA program? Please consult the AMA admission office for the current tuition and costs of the PA program. Please note PA program costs are subject to change upon approval of the AMA’s Board of Directors.