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- University Southern California Physician Assistant
- Southern California Physician Assistant Programs
- How To Become A Physician Assistant
I would say very competitive. California healthcare programs are severely impacted right now, there is a very high applicant/program ratio and lots of budget cuts. P.A. school in general can be as hard (or harder) to get into than medical school, so all programs are pretty competitive. California programs accept about 5% of applicants.
A competitive GPA for both Western and UCDavis is considered to be above 3.5, even though the minimum requirements may be lower.
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UCDavis (I'm not sure about Western) also requires two years PAID, full time healthcare experience; they favor nurses, EMTs, and Medical Assistants. Their program doesn't really favor recent college grads, they're more geared toward healthcare professionals looking to further their patient care careers. Many P.A. programs are like this, (although not all) so it's important to check on that before applying. Volunteer experience is a great addition, but for some does not fulfill the entire patient care requirement.
I had a 4.0 GPA, 8,000 hours paid and 2,000 hours volunteer patient care exp., and didn't get in anywhere in CA; I ended up getting in to numerous schools in other parts of the country, however.
University Southern California Physician Assistant
Another thing you'll need to be a competitive applicant is at least 100 hours shadowing a P.A. Even if a school doesn't require it, they generally feel that you're not a terribly competitive applicant without it, particularly CA programs.
I actually called all the programs I was interested in and reviewed my background with the admissionscounselor, then asked what else I would need to do to make myself the most competitive applicant possible. Each program had a slightly different answer, and by doing this I was able to rule out programs I wouldn't be eligible for, as well as find some that were a perfect fit admissions-wise. I strongly recommend doing this!
Southern California Physician Assistant Programs
Hope I wasn't too discouraging, PA school is awesome, I wish you the best of luck! :)
See if University of Southern California is ranked and get info on programs, admission, tuition, and more. Physician Assistant. Program and Specialty rankings #20. In Physician Assistant (tie. Pre-Physician Assistant (PA). Prerequisites for most PA programs. Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. MBKU is home to the Southern California College of. Graduate health science professional programs. To see new Southern California Physician Assistant jobs.
How To Become A Physician Assistant
- Physician Assistant Programs in California Below is a snapshot of information and admissions requirements for PA programs in California. Please note that requirements are subject to change. Check all program websites before applying.
- Post-Baccalaureate Health Professions Program Schools Successful Outcomes Students in the Post-Baccalaureate Health Professions Program have been admitted to a variety of medical, dental, veterinary, pharmacy, physician assistant, nursing and osteopathic medicine programs, including.