Physician Assistant

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Physician Assistants (PA) are members of the fastest growing health profession. PAs are academically and clinically prepared to work closely with a supervising physician to provide many of the same services. Most PA programs require the completion of a BA/BS degree before entry into their professional program. A few require several years of experience in a health-care field. The BA/BS degree can be in any field in which the student will excel. There are several foundational courses in the natural sciences that are required as a part of prerequisite coursework.

Admission to most PA programs requires that applicants take the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). This exam covers verbal, analytical, and writing skills in a variety of disciplinary areas.

PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT - PREREQUISITES OFFERED AT FORT LEWIS COLLEGE:

BIO 112 - Introduction to Organismic and Evolutionary Biology Credits: 4
BIO 113 - Introduction to Cellular and Molecular Biology Credits: 4 - with lab
BIO 260 - Genetics Credits: 4 - with lab
BIO 321 - General Physiology Credits: 4 - with lab
CHEM 150 - Fundamentals of Chemistry I: Atoms/Molecules Credits: 4 - with lab
CHEM 151 - Fundamentals of Chemistry II: Chemical Reaction Credits: 4 - with lab
COMP 150 - Rhetoric and Research Credits: 4
OR
COMP 126 - The Craft of Research Credits: 3
MATH 110 - College Algebra Credits: 4 - some schools may require math through Calculus
MATH 201 - Elementary Statistics Credits: 4
PSYC 157 - Introduction to Psychology Credits: 4

Additional Courses:

One additional upper division science (with lab).
One to two courses in the humanities (foreign language, fine arts, music, philosophy, etc.)
Students contemplating admission to Physician Assistant programs should plan to work with a pre-health professions advisor to complete these prerequisites along with their chosen degree requirements.