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Academic preparation for PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT

REQUIRED PREREQUISITES

BIO
20A, 20B, 20C, 20L

ANATOMY w/ lab
BIO 135/L

CHEMISTRY
2 quarters

Organic Chemistry
2 quarters

HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY w/ lab
BIO 130/L

MICROBIOLOGY w/ lab
BIO 119/L

COLLEGE MATH

ENGLISH
ENG 1A composition, LIT 1

PSYCHOLOGY

STATISTICS

HUMANITIES 1 year (art, music, philosophy, religion, foreign language)

FOREIGN LANGUAGE

INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY
OR
INTRODUCTION TO CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY

A MINIMUM OF 3,000 HOURS OF DIRECT PATIENT-CARE EXPERIENCE MUST BE COMPLETED BY THE APPLICATION DEADLINE.
EXAMPLES OF ACCEPTED CLINICAL DIRECT PATIENT--CARE CONTACT INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO:
MEDICAL ASSISTANT (BACK OFFICE)
MILITARY MEDIC OR CORPSMAN
NURSE (LVN OR RN)
PARAMEDIC/EMT (WAITING AND TRANSPORTATION TIME NOT COUNTED)
RADIOLOGY TECHNICIAN
PHYSICAL THERAPIST
RESPIRATORY THERAPIST

CLINICAL EXPERIENCES NOT ACCEPTABLE WOULD CONSIST MAINLY OF, BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO,
ADMINISTRATIVE DUTIES
MESSAGE THERAPY
HOME CARE
SHADOWING A DOCTOR

CREDENTIALS OFFERED IN THIS FIELD:

Certificate of Completion
ASSOCIATE DEGREE
BACHELOR’S DEGREE
MASTER’S DEGREE

The courses listed above are minimum preparation. Please note that some of these courses, especially the sciences, may have other prerequisites such as mathematics. 

SUGGESTED ADDITIONAL PREPARATION

ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

BIOCHEMISTRY

PHYSICS

Courses that contribute to professional and cultural background.

For general information, check http://www.aapa.org

For specific requirements, check each school (catalog or web site).

REMEMBER: YOU WILL BE APPLYING TO SCHOOLS APPROXIMATELY 8 TO 12 MONTHS BEFORE MATRICULATION. PLAN ACCORDINGLY.

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