Master of Science in Physician Assistant
The mission of the Sullivan University Physician Assistant program is to train medical professionals who provide ethical, high-quality, and compassionate medical care while serving an integral role in the healthcare team. This includes increasing access to healthcare in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the nation.
The Master of Science in Physician Assistant (MSPA) Degree program is a rigorous 24-month curriculum consisting of a 12-month didactic phase and a 12-month clinical phase.
Academic and professional growth is monitored closely throughout the program by the program director, the medical director, directors of Didactic and Clinical Education, and the academic, clinical, and course coordinators. Each student is assigned a faculty advisor for assistance and counseling regarding academic progress. If a student is having academic difficulty, he/she is counseled and offered opportunities to make improvements.
Consistent with the goals of Sullivan University, the PA Program is dedicated to providing cutting-edge, educational enrichment opportunities for the intellectual, social, and professional development of its students, whilst instilling the values of teamwork, compassion, excellence, professionalism, integrity, and accountability.
Program Information
Program Overview & Locations
The didactic year curriculum builds a foundation for clinical practice and focuses on biomedical, clinical, and behavioral sciences as well as courses in physical diagnosis and critical thinking. During the first quarter of the didactic year, students may be introduced to clinical settings through shadowing experiences. In the second quarter, students must begin thinking critically and clinically, correlating classroom knowledge to clinical application through problem and case-based learning scenarios.
The final weeks of the didactic year include written and practical summative examinations — including simulated patient encounters — to assess each student’s preparedness for the clinical year. These examinations must be completed successfully as a requirement for entering the clinical year.
The clinical year consists of seven required clinical rotations and one elective clinical rotation. Each rotation is six weeks in length, and students return to campus the last two days of each rotation for required end-of-rotation testing, lectures, and debriefing sessions. They also begin preparation for their next clinical experience.
During the four months prior to program completion, students will be required to pass an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE). Failure to successfully complete this examination will result in remediation and retesting. The final two weeks of the clinical year are spent on campus for a summative written examination, completion of a graduate survey, presentations, and review for the Physician Assistant National Certification Exam (PANCE).
