Department Chair: Donna Ferrara
The Department of Physician Assistant Education currently offers a graduate program leading to the Master of Science degree. The program consists of approximately 100 weeks of pre-clinical and clinical instruction presented over a 24-month period.
The program educates skilled professionals who collaborate with physicians to practice medicine in patient-centered teams in all specialties and settings. Students learn to take medical histories, perform physical examinations, order/perform diagnostic procedures and develop patient management plans. Patient education, counseling, and health risk appraisal are also important aspects of physician assistant education and practice, as is preparation for responsibilities related to the prescribing of medications. Students and graduates are educated and employed in settings such as private and group practices, hospitals, managed care settings, nursing homes, rural and urban out-patient clinics, correctional facilities, medical research facilities, and health administration.
Physician assistants (PAs) are well utilized in healthcare because of the accessible, quality, cost effective care they provide. The physician assistant profession’s contribution to providing primary and specialty care services to underserved areas and populations is well recognized. In keeping with this commitment, PA education at Stony Brook is heavily directed toward preparing students to work in areas of medical need.
The physician assistant program is fully accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) and the New York State Department of Education. Graduates are eligible to sit for the national certification examination for physician assistants, administered by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants.
Admission Requirements
The program Web site: https://healthprofessions.stonybrookmedicine.edu/programs/pa/elpa is the definitive source of information on admissions and provides comprehensive information on the program. For questions that are not addressed by the Website, please contact the program directly.
Candidates for the physician assistant program must also meet the admission requirements of the School of Health Professions. The requirements may be fulfilled through previously completed college studies.
In addition to the general academic requirements for graduate status in the school, the program specifies that fulfillment of the natural science requirement consists of completion of six courses in the biological sciences to include two courses in biology, one in genetics, one in microbiology, one in anatomy, and one in physiology. In addition, the completion of four courses in chemistry to include two courses in general chemistry, one inorganic chemistry, and one biochemistry. Courses should be designated for science majors. Preference for interview is given to applicants who will have completed all admissions requirements by the time of interview, whose courses are within seven years of application, and who apply early in the cycle.
The program also requires a minimum of 500 hours of direct patient care experience. This requirement can be fulfilled by paid or volunteer experience as an EMT, medical assistant, emergency room technician, etc. Foran application, please visit www.caspaonline.org . A required supplemental application is also required and can be found under the program materials section on the CASPA website.
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