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/.

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

Mark Perdue, Ph.D., PA-C
Program Director
Professor

Darlla D. Duniphin, DHSc, PA-C
Associate Program Director
Associate Professor

Chad Douglas, M.D., Pharm.D.
Medical Director
Director for Didactic Education
Assistant Professor

Elizabeth "Libby" Garone, MHS, PA-C
Director for Clinical Education
Assistant Professor

Faculty

Mark Perdue, Ph.D., PA-C
Program Director
Professor

Darlla D. Duniphin, DHSc, PA-C
Associate Program Director
Associate Professor

Chad Douglas, M.D., Pharm.D.
Medical Director
Director for Didactic Education
Assistant Professor

Elizabeth "Libby" Garone, MHS, PA-C
Director for Clinical Education
Assistant Professor

Staff

Mikella Green, PhD
Program Assessment Manager

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

Lisa Jones, BBA
Lead Education Program Coordinator

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

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

Alicia Roth, BS
Didactic Education Coordinator,
Senior Student Program Coordinator

Cost

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

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) and College Level Examination Program (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 in the program during their academic career. 
2. An overall cumulative GPA of a minimum 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 the science GPA carrying the most weight. Applicants are selected for interviews based on their academic performance. Preference will be given to applicants with higher GPAs. 
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, consideration is given to applicants with health-related experience, patient care experience, shadowing hours, and volunteer hours. 
   2. Online shadowing will not be accepted. 
   3. CASPA experience-type definitions are located on this website.  
4. Three letters of recommendation - One letter is preferred to be from one of these specific Health Care Providers: 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. A life experiences essay explaining how your life's events and/or perspectives could contribute to the PA profession.
7. For your application to be processed, we must receive the following items by September 1st:  
   1. Completion of the PA Supplemental Application 
   2. Completion of the CASPA Application and fee
      1. Three Letters of Recommendation  
      2. Personal Statement  
      3. Life Experiences Essay
      4. Resume (template provided) 
      5. Transcripts submitted through CASPA from all previous institutions

It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that all requirements are submitted to CASPA before 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 OUHC campus. Interview dates will be announced at the end of each application cycle.

Approximately 150 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 PA program are contingent upon completion of the following items with satisfactory results, as deemed by the PA program. All of the requirements must be completed by the enrollment date. 

1. Satisfactory completion of prerequisites
2. Submit official transcripts from all previous institutions to Health Campus Recruitment and Admissions*
3. Background Check
4. Drug Screen
5. Immunizations
6. Meet the Technical Standards

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

*Recruitment and Admissions
Mailing address: P.O. Box 26901, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73126-0901
Phone: 405.271.2359 Fax: 405.271.2480
Email: admissions@ouhsc.edu

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
PA 7127	Clinical Anatomy	7
PA 7812	Foundations of Medical Sciences I	2
PA 7101	Introduction to Patient Care	1
Fall Year I
PA 7156	Human Physiology	6
PA 7106	Clinical Medicine I	6
PA 7124	Physical Diagnosis	4
PA 7811	Focuses in PA Practice I	1
PA 7822	Foundations of Medical Sciences II	2
PA 7183	Laboratory Medicine	3
PA 7861	Pharmacotherapeutics I	1
Spring Year I
PA 7116	Clinical Medicine II	6
PA 7134	Pathophysiology	4
PA 7821	Focuses in PA Practice II	1
PA 7144	Radiology	4
PA 7874	Pharmacotherapeutics II	4
PA 7154	Physician Associate Clinical Skills I	4
Summer Year II
PA 7115	Clinical Medicine III	5
PA 7114	Clinical Medicine IV	4
PA 7122	Principles of Psychiatric and Behavioral Medicine	2
PA 7164	Physician Associate Clinical Skills II	4
PA 7831	Focuses in PA Practice III	1
Fall Year II
PA 7881	Didactic Summative for Physician Associate Students	1
PA 7740	Special Studies (1 hour if needed)	1
Rotation (4 hours) x 3		12
PA 7732	Medical Practice Management	2
PA 7712	Clinical Inquiry and Scholarly Research	2
Rotation (4 hours) x 5		20
Summer Year III
PA 7732	Medical Practice Management	2
PA 7882	Senior Summative for Physician Associate Students	2
PA 7740	Special Studies (If needed)	1-8
Rotation (4 hours)

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.

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.

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 Requirements

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.  

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. 

PA Prerequisites

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 
• 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 (Must be a 3000 or 4000-level course)**

* 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&P I must be taken at the same institution as A&P II. A cadaver course is preferred, although not required. Kinesiology, Allied Health, and Exercise Science courses will not meet the requirement.

** Must be one of the four listed courses; substitutions will not be allowed. This course must be taken at a four-year college or university. Biochemistry and Organic Chemistry do not meet the requirement. 

Prerequisite course lectures must be at least three (3) semester credit hours, and all labs must be at least one (1) semester credit hour. Science prerequisites with labs must total at least four (4) semester credit hours.

Prerequisite lab courses should be completed at the same institution as the corresponding science course.

To maximize success within our curriculum, the program will evaluate prerequisite courses submitted by applicants to ensure they meet program standards. Please be aware that prerequisite coursework with titles that include "Essentials of," "Survey of," or "Introductory to," unless specifically designed for science majors, is considered less competitive. Science prerequisite courses should be designated for science majors. The course title on the applicant's transcript should align with the prerequisite course titles listed.

If there is any uncertainty or discrepancy, the applicant is responsible for contacting the PA admissions office at infookc-pa@ouhsc.edu to verify that the course will fulfill the requirement. Applicants should be prepared to submit the course syllabus for evaluation. It is the applicant's responsibility to confirm that all coursework will be accepted by both the program and the university.

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 98%
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. In 2025, the program's five-year pass rate is 98%, and the national pass rate is 95%.
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.