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Physician Assistant (MS)

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Training physician assistants since 1971 makes ours one of the most experienced programs in the nation.

Physician Assistants (PAs) are medical practitioners who practice collaboratively with a supervising physician. The PA scope of practice is authorized by state law and determined by the supervising physician.

PAs take medical histories, perform physical examinations, order diagnostic tests/studies, diagnose, develop and implement a treatment plan in consultation with the supervising physician, prescribe medication in all states, advise and educate patients on health promotion and disease management, provide inpatient hospital care for patients, and assist in surgery.

Physician Assistants provide care both in teaching institutions and in hospitals where there are no physician residents and are employed in health centers, multi-specialty medical group practices, emergency rooms, physician’s offices, and nursing homes.

As the role of the PA has expanded over the years, Northeastern has adapted its curriculum. While PA education concentrates largely on generalist medicine, more than a quarter of PAs now go into subspecialties.

Northeastern has been in the forefront of creative utilization of PAs. You will be trained as a generalist provider in the traditional primary care environment and will also be prepared to work in new and emerging aspects of health care.

Northeastern University’s PA Program prepares students for national certification and meets the education requirements for professional licensure as a Physician Assistant in all 50 states and Washington, DC, enabling graduates to apply for a PA license anywhere in the country upon graduation from the program.

If you have questions or concerns regarding professional licensure, please contact program manager Jason Parente.

Quickview

Degree type:
– Physician Assistant MS

Study options:
– On ground (Boston Campus)

– Full-time only

Application deadline: Aug 1

GRE: Not required

F1: Eligible


Accreditation and Program Outcomes


The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status to the Northeastern University Physician Assistant Program sponsored by Northeastern University. Accreditation-Continued is an accreditation status granted when a currently accredited program is in compliance with the ARC-PA Standards. Accreditation remains in effect until the program closes or withdraws from the accreditation process or until accreditation is withdrawn for failure to comply with the Standards. The approximate date for the next validation review of the program by the ARC-PA will be March 2025. The review date is contingent upon continued compliance with the Accreditation Standards and ARC-PA policy.

The program’s accreditation history can be viewed on the ARC-PA website at: https://www.arc-pa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Accreditation-History-Northeastern-U-11.pdf

ARCPA logo
Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA)

Curriculum

Northeastern’s PA Program is highly integrated within each semester as well as vertically between semesters. Methods of instruction include general lectures limited to the maximum 52 students in the class, small group discussion sections of 5 to 8 students, and simulation lab exercises including interdisciplinary cases with students from other health science programs in our college.

We are committed to developing future physician assistants who can advance diversity by providing culturally informed care to people across race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, class, age, ability, and nationality. We support the acquisition of competencies that prepare our students to recognize, confront, and end discrimination in its many forms.

Instructors are able to respond to questions and go into topics in considerable depth, preparing you for the clinical placements where you will put your knowledge to work.

Successful completion of the entire two-year program is required to take the PA National Certification Exam (PANCE).

What does a typical student schedule look like?

The program is a full-time day program. There is NO part-time option.

During the first year, students will have classes Monday through Friday, generally from 8:00 a.m. to at least 5:00 p.m.

Occasionally, there may be a special evening lab or demonstration which students are made aware of well in advance.

While on rotation during the second year, students will go to various rotation sites and are expected to fulfill the hours required at different sites, including evenings, weekends, and on-call coverage.

Sample Curriculum

Sample curriculum, subject to change.

The chart below describes a sequence of courses as taught in the recent past. The Physician Assistant program requires a total of 103 credit hours. For additional information, students should consult with their academic advisor or see the university course catalog.

Fall Semester

Anatomy and Physiology 1
(3 credits)

Clinical Lab and Diagnostic Methods 1
(3 credits)

Physical Diagnosis and Patient Evaluation 1 (3 credits)

Pharmacology 1 (2 credits)

Principles of Medicine 1
(4 credits)

Principles of Psychiatry (2 credits)

Professional Issues for Physician Assistants (2 credits)

Spring Semester

Anatomy and Physiology 2
(3 credits)

Clinical Lab and Diagnostic Methods 2 (1 credit)

Physical Diagnosis and Patient Evaluation 2 (3 credits)

Pharmacology 2 (2 credits)

Principles of Medicine 2
(4 credits)

Clinical Neurology (2 credits)

Principles of Pediatrics (2 credits)

Research Design (2 credits)

Summer

Health Care Delivery
(2 credits)

Principles of Medicine 3
(4 credits)

Principles of Obstetrics and Gynecology (2 credits)

Principles of Orthopedics
(2 credits)

Principles of Surgery
(2 credits)

Aspects of Primary Care
(4 credits)

Emergency Medicine and Critical Care (2 credits)

Aging and Rehabilitation Medicine (2 credits)

Admissions Requirements

Both academic work and patient care experience must be completed prior to applying to the program with the following exception. Applicants with outstanding degree completion and/or a single outstanding prerequisite course will be considered if successfully completed by June 15th prior to matriculation.

Admissions requirements and procedures are reviewed and revised annually. Please refer to our Selection Process and Criteria. Updates are generally made on our web page at the end of March.

We are unable to pre-review transcripts before an individual applies to the program. It is the applicant’s responsibility to review the most current information prior to applying. All applications will be considered as long as they are complete and are submitted prior to the August 1 deadline and verified by CASPA by August 31.

Admissions Rubrics

Read carefully prior to applying

Application Checklist

To apply, applicants must submit the following in CASPA:

Bachelor’s degree in any major from a regionally accredited institution.

Minimum overall GPA of 3.0 and science GPA of 3.0.
Stronger preference will be given to applicants with higher overall and science GPAs and who demonstrate strong academic rigor including the type of coursework completed and whether difficult courses were completed one at a time versus several difficult courses taken concomitantly.

Applications fee — both CASPA and Northeastern (waived for Northeastern alumni who earned a bachelor’s degree from Northeastern)

3 required letters of recommendation submitted in CASPA.
Two clinically related references can be from any combination of healthcare professionals with whom you work including, but not limited to, PAs, MDs, NPs, RNs, PTs, OTs, EMTs, RTs, ATs, etc. Practice managers, EMT supervisors, and others in similar supervisory roles are also acceptable. Note: References from shadowing experiences will not be accepted as a clinical reference as you are observing rather than actually performing patient care duties yourself. References MUST be sent via CASPA or they will not be considered. 

Official transcript(s) from all college coursework

Note: The GRE is NOT required and will not be considered in your application review.

Got questions?

Physician Assistant Faculty

Carey Barry

MHS, PA-C, MT(ASCP), DFAAPA

Chair, Department of Medical Sciences; Associate Clinical Professor
Medical Sciences

Michael Bessette

MD, FACEP

Medical Director; Associate Department Chair; Associate Clinical Professor Medical Sciences

Alexis Landry

MS, PA-C


Director of Clinical Education, Assistant Clinical Professor
Medical Sciences

Jason Parente

MS, PA-C

Director, Physician Assistant Program; Associate Clinical Professor Medical Sciences

Lauren Raine

PhD, MPH

Assistant Professor Physical Therapy, Human Movement, and Rehabilitation Sciences

Susanne Jaeggi, psychology professor at Northeastern University, shows a brain model at her office in the ISEC building in Boston. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University
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