Physician Associate Program

URL (https://medicine.ouhsc.edu/Prospective-Students/Degree-Programs/Physician-Associate-Program)

Degrees offered: Master of Health Sciences

The University of Oklahoma College of Medicine offers the Physician Associate degree. The PA Program is one of the original six accredited programs in the United States and has maintained continuous accreditation since 1972. Our outstanding faculty is accessible and committed to the personal and professional development of our students. The program takes advantage of our place in an academic medical center to teach the next generation of clinicians. With a strong educational foundation our graduates are ready to launch a lifelong career with opportunities to practice in a variety of dynamic settings.

The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Physician Associate Program is accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). OUHSC PA graduates are eligible to sit for the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam administered by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants. Successful passage of this examination is required for physician assistant state licensure in the United States. To learn more about licensure requirements for each state visit https://www.aapa.org/download/19739/ or the individual licensing board site links found at https://www.aapa.org/advocacy-central/state-advocacy/state-licensing/list-of-licensing-boards/.

PANCE Pass Rate: (Click Here)

• 5-year first-time taker pass rate for the OUHSC Program: 93%
• 5-year first-time taker pass rate for the National average: 93%

Graduation Rate

Medicine Graduation Rate

Type	Class of 2021	Class of 2022	Class of 2023	Class of 2024
Maximum entering class size (as approved by ARC-PA)	57	57	57	57
Entering class size	51	50	48	50
Graduates	50	48	50	48
Attrition rate1	3.9%	6%	0%	6%
Graduation rate2	98%	96%	100%	94.00%

¹

Attrition rate calculation: Number of students who attritted from cohort divided by the entering class size.

²

Graduation rate: Number of cohort graduates divided by the entering class size.

Accreditation

The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status to the University of Oklahoma Physician Assistant Program sponsored by the University of Oklahoma. Accreditation-Continued is an accreditation status granted when a currently accredited program is in compliance with the ARC-PA Standards.

The University of Oklahoma is accredited by:

The Higher Learning Commission/A Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (HLC/NCA)
30 North LaSalle St., Suite 2400,
Chicago, IL 60602; 312/263-0456.

Program Faculty and Staff

Leadership

Darlla D. Duniphin, DHSc, PA-C
Interim Program Director
Director for Clinical Education
Associate Professor

Chad Douglas, MD, PharmD
Medical Director
Director for Didactic Education
Assistant Professor

Matt Allman, MPAS, PA-C
Director for Evaluation and Assessment

Faculty

Kenneth G Foster, MHS, PA-C
Assistant Professor

Elizabeth Garone, MHS, PA-C
Assistant Professor

Frederick Miller, PhD
Associate Professor
Assistant Dean for Preclinical Curriculum

Bruna Varalli-Claypool, MHS, PA-C
Professor

Staff

Ellie Dutton, BSBAM
Didactic Education Coordinator,
Senior Student Program Coordinator

Jasmine Handley, BA
Evaluation & Assessment Coordinator,
Senior Student Program Coordinator

Lisa Jones, BBA
Administrative Manager

Kathy Martin, BSSE
Clinical Education Coordinator,
Senior Student Program Coordinator

Aly Moss, BBA
Senior Coordinator for College Recruitment,
Senior Student Program Coordinator

It is the student’s responsibility to ensure they are enrolled in the prescribed courses and to pay tuition and fees at the time designated by the Bursar's Office. Details regarding tuition/fee charges and collection are available from the Bursar's Office.

Admissions Components

1. Completion of a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university before matriculation. 
   1. Applicants from all academic disciplines are welcome to apply, provided they complete the required prerequisites.
   2. Advanced Placement (AP)/CLEP credits can be counted for prerequisites if the credit has been accepted by the applicant’s institution and is listed on an official transcript. Further documentation may be required to verify that AP credit granted in science courses meets the program’s admission standards.
   3. The Physician Associate Program does not offer or accept advanced standing credit for any course offered within the program. Students are required to complete all courses during their academic career in the program. 
2. An overall cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale and all prerequisite coursework with a minimum GPA of 3.0. Scoring will be assigned on a weighted scale, with science GPA weighing the most. Applicants are selected for interviews based on their academic performance.  
3. Patient care experience is preferred to ensure that applicants recognize the physical and psychological demands of the PA profession and appreciate the challenges and rewards of being a health care professional.
   1. While there is no minimum requirement, it is highly recommended that applicants have health-related experience, patient care experience, shadowing hours, and volunteer hours.
   2. Online shadowing will no longer be accepted. 
   3. CASPA experience-type definitions are located on this website.  
4. Three letters of recommendation - One letter is highly recommended to be from a Physician Associate (PA), Medical Doctor (MD), or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO).  
5. A personal statement expressing interest in becoming a Physician Associate must be submitted in the CASPA application. 
6. The Casper assessment allows applicants to demonstrate their unique personal and professional strengths, providing programs with insights into critical personal and professional characteristics fairly and reliably. Learn more about Casper. 
7. For your application to be processed, we must receive the following items by September 1st:
   • Completion of the PA Supplemental Application and fee
   • Completion of the CASPA Application and fee
     • Three Letters of Recommendation  
     • Personal Statement  
     • Resume/CV (template provided) 
     • Transcripts submitted through CASPA from all previous institutions
   • The Casper assessment 

It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that all requirements are submitted to CASPA by the September 1st deadline.

Due to the competitive nature of the Physician Associate Program, the completion of admission requirements and prerequisites does not guarantee an applicant will be awarded an interview.

Interview Information

Applicants are selected for interviews based on their academic performance. 

Interviews are held in person on the OUHSC campus. Interview dates will be announced at the end of each application cycle.

Approximately 140 of the most qualified applicants will be invited for a personal interview. Maintaining a high standard of academic excellence, good interpersonal skills, knowledge of the health care system, shadowing a PA, volunteering in the community, personal maturity, and work experience will weigh strongly in the admission decision.

Essential Applicant Qualities

• Strong Academics
• Knowledge of the OUHSC PA Program Mission and Goals
• Maturity
• Professionalism
• Knowledge of the profession
• Community Service
• Interpersonal Skills
• Experiences that prepare for the rigor of PA school

Offers of admission to the Physician Associate Program are contingent upon completion of the following items with satisfactory results as deemed by the PA program. 

• Satisfactory completion of prerequisites
• Background Check
• Drug Screen
• Immunizations
• Acknowledgement of Technical Standards

To secure your seat in the program, you are required to make a $300 non-refundable deposit.

Physician Associate Program - Oklahoma City – Curriculum

URL (https://medicine.ouhsc.edu/current-learners/physician-associate-program/current-learners/curriculum)

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Summer Year I
PAT 7125	Clinical Anatomy	5
PAT 7221	Principles of Genetics	1
PAT 7723	Concepts of Community Medicine	3
PAT 7132	Professional Issues in Medicine and Health	2
PAT 7001	Medical Terminology	1
PAT 7231	Principles of Immunology	1
Fall Year I
PAT 7118	Clinical Medicine I	8
PAT 7153	Applied Physiology I	3
PAT 7014	Physical Diagnosis I	4
PAT 7243	Pharmacotherapeutics I	3
PAT 7193	Lifestyle Medicine	3
Spring Year I
PAT 7106	Clinical Medicine II	6
PAT 7265	Clinical Medicine for Special Populations	5
PAT 7273	Pharmacotherapeutics II	3
PAT 7163	Applied Physiology II	3
PAT 7024	Physical Diagnosis II	4
Summer Year II
PAT 7116	Clinical Medicine III	6
PAT 7201	Clinical Transitions	1
PAT 7702	Epidemiology and Medical Statistics	2
Fall Year II
PAT 7870	Internal Medicine Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship	7
PAT 7940	Pediatric Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship	5
PAT 7930	Obstetrics and Gynecology Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship	5
PAT 7603	Health Systems Science in Practice	3
PAT 7950	Elective Rotation (Elective Rotations I & II)	6
Spring Year II
PAT 7202	Program Selective	2
PAT 7613	Health Systems Science in Practice II	3
PAT 7917	Surgery Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship	7
Summer Year III
PAT 7990	Primary Care Rotation	3
PAT 7811	Community Impact Rotation	1
PAT 7620	Advanced Clinical Seminar	2
PAT 7920	Emergency Medicine Rotation	3
Fall Year III
PAT 7980	Physician Assistant Preceptorship	4
PAT 7123	Master of Health Science in Physician Assistant Studies Capstone Project	3
PAT 7830	Underserved Medicine Rotation	3
PAT 7620	Advanced Clinical Seminar	2
Total Hours		123

The Physician Associate Program is a rigorous program that consists of two phases, didactic and clinical.

Didactic Phase

The Didactic phase begins in early June and lasts for 15 months. Students are exposed to a vigorous classroom schedule, with classes held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and, occasional evening and Saturday classes.

Didactic Phase Credit Hours

• Summer I: 10
• Fall I: 23
• Spring I: 23
• Summer II: 16
• Fall II: 1

Didactic Phase Total: 73 credit hours

Clinical Phase

Credit Hours

The remaining 12 months consist of 12 clinical rotations (48 credit hours) and 3 courses (6 credit hours) which begin in October. Many rotation sites are in rural communities.

Clinical Phase Total: 54 credit hours

Rotations Include:

Rotations

Rotations	Number of Rotations	Number of Weeks
Pediatrics	1	4
Surgery	1	4
Primary Care/Family Medicine	2	8
Mental Health	1	4
Internal Medicine	1	4
Emergency Medicine	2	8
Women's Health	1	4
Clinical Elective	2	8
Inpatient Medicine	1	4

Total number of program credit hours: 127 credit hours

All rotations are within the state of Oklahoma. Rotation sites are selected by the PA Program and the student is not required to secure their own rotation sites. Students are required to provide their own travel and housing.

Work Policy

Students are highly discouraged from participating in extra-curricular employment. History demonstrates to the time conflicts that outside employment brings.

PA students cannot work for the PA program.

PA students do not substitute for or function as instructional faculty. They may share their previous healthcare knowledge and skills with students informally but will not be required to give lectures. Students are not required to substitute for clinical or administrative staff during clinical rotations and should never do so.

PA students are strongly discouraged from outside employment while enrolled in the program. Coursework or days missed as a result of outside employment will not be excused.

Prerequisite Completion- No more than one science and one non-science prerequisite can be in progress after December 31st of the year before enrollment in the program. 

The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education require that all applicants meet minimum academic requirements to be eligible. The following courses are required with a letter grade of "C" or better:

• College Algebra or higher
• Introduction to Psychology
• Psychology elective (must have PSYC/PSY/PSYCH prefix)
• General Chemistry I with lab
• General Chemistry II with lab
• Human Anatomy with lab**
• Human Physiology with lab**
• Microbiology with lab
• Upper-level Pathogenic Microbiology, Immunology, Virology, or Genetics***

** Note: One semester of Human Anatomy with lab and one semester of Human Physiology with lab OR two semesters of a combined Anatomy and Physiology course (A&P).  A cadaver course is preferred, although not required.  Kinesiology and Exercise Science courses will not meet the requirement.

*** Must be a 3000 or 4000-level biological science course.  Biochemistry and Organic Chemistry do not satisfy the requirement.  

If a course covers the material of one of the listed prerequisites but is categorized under a different name, please email the syllabus and course description to Allison-moss@ouhsc.edu and request a prerequisite substitute request form. Please include the name of the course and the prerequisite to which it is coordinated. The faculty will evaluate the course to ensure it covers the requirements and provide a decision.

Please be aware that prerequisite coursework with titles that include "Essentials of," "Survey of," or "Introductory to," unless specifically designed for science majors, are considered less competitive. Basic science courses should be those for science majors.

Program Mission and Goals

Mission:  Our mission is to develop extraordinarily competent and compassionate physician associates to provide evidence-based healthcare to Oklahomans, emphasizing rural and underserved communities.

Goals:

1. Maintain a 95% or better three-year graduation rate for students matriculating into the program.
   1. The current three-year graduation rate is 95.4%
2. Maintain at least 50% of clinical rotation sites in low-income zip codes as defined by the Health Resource and Services Administration (HRSA).
   1. Currently, 79.26% of clinical rotation sites are in low-income zip codes as determined by HRSA.
3. Maintain a five-year first-time average pass rate on the PANCE at or above the national pass rate.
   1. The program’s five-year pass rate is 95%, and the national pass rate is 93%.
4. Create a program learning environment that promotes diversity, inclusion, mutual respect, and support as measured by the student survey.
   1. Student satisfaction with the program's learning environment related to diversity, inclusion, mutual respect, and support received a rating of greater than 4 on a 5-point scale on the most recent student survey.