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Cal Poly Pomona

Pre-Physician Assistant (PA)

Physician Assistants (PAs) are health care professionals who practice medicine under the supervision of a licensed physician.  PAs provide physical exams, order and administer tests, make diagnoses, and treat illnesses.  PAs work in a variety of settings including hospitals, long-term care facilities, and surgical centers.  They are qualified to practice in over 60 specialty areas.

Prerequisites

The following prerequisites must be completed prior to matriculation in the PA Program. They are:

  • Bachelor's degree
  • Minimum cumulative overall G.P.A. of 2.5 with minimum pre-requisite GPA of 2.7

Course Prerequisites

  • 1 full year of English (Composition component required)
  • 1 year of inorganic chemistry with Labs
  • 1 year of biology with Lab
  • College Algebra
  • Human Anatomy
  • General Psychology
  • General Sociology
  • Physiology (human/vertebrate/organ)
  • Basic Microbiology with Lab
  • General Statistics
  • Spanish
  • Genetics
  • 1 year of humanities (i.e. Art, Music, Ethics, Philosophy, Foreign Languages, Religion)
  • Clinical Health Care Experience (direct patient contact experience) about 1000 hours

Strongly recommended: Medical Terminology, Biochemistry with Lab, Immunology, Other Biology courses, Organic Chemistry

Tests Needed:

Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) required by certain schools

PA Schools in California