Physician Assistant, M.S.

Gary J. Bouchard, PA-C, Ph.D., Program Director
718-678-8146
gbouchard@mercy.edu

Objectives

The Physician Assistant Program is a full-time program designed to prepare graduates to pass the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) examination and to practice clinical medicine at an entry-level. The program grants a dual B.S. degree in Health Sciences and a Master of Science degree in Physician Assistant Studies. Those students who do not have a baccalaureate degree must first complete 90 credits, including all general education requirements. All students must complete 33 credits of specific prerequisite courses prior to beginning the physician assistant curriculum.

The Physician Assistant Program emphasizes research and writing skills as well as skills necessary to practice clinical medicine. As a master’s degree-awarding program, many of the required natural science courses are completed before entering the program, which enables the curriculum to focus on the advanced study of medicine and public health. It further allows for a study of the principles of community and population-based research, ending with the presentation of a capstone project based on participation in a community-based research initiative.

Course Load

The Mercy University Graduate Program in Physician Assistant Studies is a 90-credit, full-time, weekday program that takes 27 months to complete. The Program is divided into three terms of didactic instruction, three terms of clinical rotations and a final term for the master’s capstone project. Some evening and weekend sessions are held during the didactic terms. During clinical rotations, students will be required to take on-call shifts, including nights,  weekends, and holidays as required by the clerkship objectives and by the hosting institution.

Application Criteria

General information regarding eligibility for the Physician Assistant Program and an application form may be obtained from the Centralized Application Service for the Physician Assistant (CASPA) at www.caspaonline.org. Information may also be obtained by contacting the Physician Assistant Program Office at 914-674-7635.

Students who have earned an overall minimum GPA of 3.0 and a GPA of 3.2 in the CASPA designated sciences have met the minimum GPA requirements for the application process..

Applicants with a lower overall GPA may be considered for admission provided the GPA from their most recent degree meets the minimum GPA of 3.0 and other components of the application are strong. If admitted, the student would be a special matriculate required to achieve a minimum GPA of 3.0 after completing the first semester of the program. Special matriculates who fail to attain a minimum GPA of 3.0 in the first term of the program will be dismissed.

All prerequisite courses must be successfully completed prior to entry into the Physician Assistant Program. A minimum of 500 hours of direct patient care (volunteer or work) experience in a health care setting is required for admission to the Physician Assistant Program. Additionally, 250 hours of the 500 hours must be completed in a primary care setting (e.g., outpatient internal medicine, family medicine, pediatrics or OB/GYN). All applicants are required to submit the following to CASPA:

1. A completed CASPA application which includes official transcripts, three letters of recommendation, a personal statement, and evidence of a minimum of 500 hours of direct patient care (volunteer or work) experience in a health care setting, 250 of which must be completed in a primary care setting. Students who have studied at institutions of higher education in other countries must submit official translations of their transcripts to CASPA as part of the admissions submission. Please check the CASPA website for a list of vendors that evaluate transcripts from foreign and French-Canadian schools.

At least three letters of reference (one or more from a registered physician assistant, physician or a medically-related work supervisor) shall be submitted. The recommendations should give evidence of academic and professional qualifications for graduate study. Recommendations should be dated within six months from the date of the application. Applicants who do not have a baccalaureate degree must have completed 90 credits, including all general education requirements and JRSM 301 Junior Seminar. Please note that no more than 75 credits can be from a two-year college. At least three of the following prerequisite courses (human physiology, microbiology, biochemistry, advanced human biology course) MUST be completed at a four-year institution. See the Curriculum section below for the complete list of prerequisite courses.

Human physiology, microbiology, biochemistry and the advanced human biology course must be completed within five years of beginning the program. Students who have completed these courses more than five years prior to the beginning of the program must repeat the course(s).

All applications will be reviewed and ranked according to the overall GPA and the GPA of the CASPA-designated science courses. Selected qualified applicants will be invited for a personal interview with representatives of the Physician Assistant Program. Decisions will be based on each applicant’s academic achievement, health care experience, interview, essay and letters of recommendation.

Students with foreign credentials and whose first language is not English are required to complete six credits of college-level English composition to satisfy the dual degree requirements, or successfully pass the English CLEP or TOEFL exam.

Admission Procedures

All candidates for the Physician Assistant Program must file an application with CASPA at www.caspaonline.org. and a supplemental Mercy University application. Completed applications must be submitted by November 1 and verified by December 1. The program begins in late May.

Selected applicants will be invited to interview with representatives of the Physician Assistant Program. Offers of admission are extended only for the academic year stated. Students accepted into the program will be required to pay a non-refundable deposit of $800.00 at the time of acceptance, which will be applied to the summer tuition payment.

Program Accreditation

The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status to the Mercy University Physician Assistant Program sponsored by Mercy University. Accreditation-Continued is an accreditation status granted when a currently accredited program is in compliance with the ARC-PA Standards.  

Accreditation remains in effect until the program closes or withdraws from the accreditation process or until accreditation is withdrawn for failure to comply with the Standards. The approximate date for the next validation review of the program by the ARC-PA will be June 2027. The review date is contingent upon continued compliance with the Accreditation Standards and ARC-PA policy.

The program’s accreditation history can be viewed on the ARC-PA website.                         

Student Advisement

Upon acceptance into the Physician Assistant Program, each student will be assigned a faculty member who will serve as his or her advisor. The advisor will offer counsel on issues related to requirements for program completion, the development of long-term plans of study and future professional direction, and academic standing in the program.

Program Design

The Physician Assistant Program is a full-time weekday program that takes 27 months to complete. It is possible that some evening and weekend sessions will be held during the first three terms. The program is divided into three terms of didactic instruction, three terms of clinical rotations and a final term for the master’s Capstone project. The didactic phase of the program will be taught during the day, Monday through Friday. For the clinical or second year, students will be required to take on-call shifts, including nights, weekends, and holidays as required by the clerkship objectives and by the hosting institution.

Students move through the curriculum as a cohort. There is no opportunity for part-time study. Transfer credit for courses previously completed will not be accepted. Each term contains a full course load, so working full-time or part-time is not advised. A comprehensive financial aid program is available through the Mercy University financial aid office.

Attendance

Attendance and punctuality in all classes and clinical education assignments is required, unless the student is excused for extenuating and extraordinary life circumstances. If absence is due to illness, a note signed by a licensed medical practitioner must be submitted. A maximum of three undocumented absences from class may result in failure in the course and may jeopardize the student’s standing in the program. Course instructors or clinical instructors must be notified in advance regarding absences. If a student misses a test or exam without previously contacting the instructor, the situation will be reviewed by the faculty and may result in a grade of F for that test or exam. Absence from a clinical assignment is subject to the rules and regulations of the institution and the PA Program Clinical Year Handbook distributed to students prior to beginning the clinical year. In addition, individual course instructors may have attendance policies specific to their courses. These will be provided at the beginning of the course.

Background Checks

In order to participate in clinical education a criminal background check is required. The majority of clinical sites now require students to pass a background check prior to starting their affiliation. It is the student’s responsibility to perform this and supply the necessary documentation to the clinical facility well in advance of the start date of their affiliation. Policies regarding criminal background checks vary from facility to facility. Some facilities require students to have the background check performed on site or by a specific company. Some facilities require fingerprinting and/or drug screening in addition to a background check. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the Clinical Coordinator to find out the specific procedure at that facility and to have it completed and submitted within the specific time frame for the facility. If a facility has no preference, the Clinical Coordinator will provide the student with an acceptable company. Cost of the background check is the student’s responsibility. A student may be required to have more than one background check performed during the course of the program.

Academic Probation

Failure of 2 or more components in any Fundamentals of Clinical Medicine course, may result in being placed on academic probation. Students placed on academic probation for this reason, will be required to meet with their advisors and course instructor regularly, to develop a remediation plan and will be required to show substantial progress to be removed from probation.

Any student whose cumulative program or term GPA falls below 3.0 (without rounding) after any given semester will be placed on academic probation. In all subsequent terms in which the student is on academic probation the student is required to achieve a term GPA of 3.0 or better. If a term GPA of 3.0 or higher is not achieved the student will be dismissed from the program. If the student is not able to achieve a cumulative program GPA of 3.0 by the end of the semester in which the student is on probation, the student will be dismissed from the program. A student must have a cumulative program GPA of 3.0 or higher by the end of the didactic year to be able to register for Clinical Clerkship courses. A student must have a cumulative program GPA of 3.0 or higher by the end of the clinical year to be able to register for the research semester courses. If a student receives a grade of F or FW in any course the student will be subject to dismissal from the program. Once a student is dismissed from the Program he or she may not re-apply to the PA Program.

For all students on probation, future registrations must be reviewed and approved by the director of the student’s program as well as the graduate dean.

Program Dismissal Review Policy

This Mercy University School of Health and Natural Sciences Program Dismissal Review Policy applies to programs that are professionally accredited or seeking accreditation: Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Communication Disorders, Exercise Science, Occupational Therapy Assistant, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Physician Assistant and Veterinary Technology. The purpose of the SHNS Dismissal Review Policy is to provide a process for the equitable resolution of formal complaints made by a student over academic dismissal at the Program level. Separate appeals policies exist for violations of academic integrity and academic grade appeals. Each of these individual programs have a student manual/handbook made available to its students that includes, at a minimum, the program’s (1) academic requirements; (2) professionalism and/or ethical requirements and standards; (3) a description of the program’s process for dismissing a student or otherwise sanctioning a student for failing to meet program requirements; and (4) a copy of this Dismissal Review Policy.

Academic Dismissal from a SHNS Program

An academic dismissal from a program may occur if a student does not meet the criteria outlined by the specific program to remain in good standing. (Refer to Program Requirements for guidance on each program’s criteria). If a student fails to meet these criteria, the program’s Academic Unit Head or Program Director may dismiss the student after a faculty review. The student may appeal the program dismissal through the following steps. Before proceeding to a higher-level step, all lower-level steps must first be completed and documented in writing. To the extent that an Academic Unit Head/Program Director or Associate/Assistant Dean is unavailable, a designee may be appointed for purposes of resolving such issues in a timely manner.

Step One: Academic Unit Head / Program Director – Within two weeks after the end of the semester, term, or trimester (the “academic period”) in which the dismissal occurred, the Academic Unit Head or Program Director will notify the student inwriting of the program dismissal. The student may appeal the program dismissal by submitting a request in writing to meet with the Academic Unit Head or Program Director within two weeks. This meeting must take place by phone or in person within two weeks of receipt of the student’s written request. Each party may bring relevant information and supporting documentation to the meeting to discuss.

The written appeal submitted by the student to the Program Director must include the following information:

1. The name, telephone number, address, and e-mail address of the student appealing the decision of dismissal; and

2. The stated reason(s) the student was dismissed from the SHNS program; and

3. Identification of the (a) extraordinary and non-recurring circumstances that caused the student’s unsatisfactory academic performance and subsequent dismissal from a SHNS program; and (b) evidence that the unsatisfactory academic performance is not representative of the student’s academic ability; and

4. An explanation of why the information provided in Paragraph 3 above should result in the reversal of the decision to dismiss the student from the SHNS program.

After the meeting, the Academic Unit Head or Program Director will make a decision on the student’s appeal within one week and communicate it in writing to the student. A copy of this decision will be sent to the SHNS School Associate/Assistant Dean along with supporting documentation. If the student is dissatisfied with the outcome of this decision, a formal written appeal may be submitted by the student to the SHNS Associate/Assistant Dean within one week after receipt of the Academic Unit Head or Program Director’s decision.

Step Two: SHNS Dismissal Review Committee – In the event that the issue has not been satisfactorily resolved in Step One, the SHNS Associate/Assistant Dean will refer the appeal to the SHNS Dismissal Review Committee for review and recommendations. All parties to the appeal will be permitted to submit any documentation they believe is necessary, including written statements and documentary evidence in the meeting with the SHNS Dismissal Review Committee. The SHNS Dismissal Review Committee will hold a meeting within two weeks after receipt of the appeal documentation. All parties to the appeal will be permitted to participate in the Dismissal Review Committee meeting. The student may be accompanied by one person who is not professional legal counsel who may observe but not actively participate in the Committee meeting. The Committee will hear from both parties and may call on any witnesses to the matter and review any supplementary documentation. The Committee may ask questions throughout the meeting and may, if necessary, adjourn the meeting to obtain additional information. After all the interviews have been completed, and documents reviewed, the Dismissal Review Committee will deliberate in closed session. The Committee will make their recommendations to the SHNS Dean which may include upholding or overturning the program dismissal.

In arriving at its recommendation, the SHNS Dismissal Review Committee shall not overrule the academic judgment of a faculty member in the program on the assignment of grades to the student. The SHNS Dismissal Review Committee will consider: (1) whether the program followed its own policies governing student performance, advancement and program completion; (2) whether the evidence supports the program’s decision; and (3) whether the student has new significant information that bears on the program’s decision that was not available to the student when that decision was made. If the SHNS Dismissal Review Committee finds that the student has significant new information, the appeal shall be referred to the student’s program for reconsideration of the dismissal in light of that information.

Step Three: SHNS Dean – Within two weeks after receipt of the recommendations from the Dismissal Review Committee, the SHNS Dean will review all the relevant documentation. A written decision shall be sent to both the student and Academic Unit Head or Program Director. The decision rendered by the SHNS Dean is final; no additional appeals will be permitted.

Any student reinstated in a SHNS Program following an initial dismissal will be subject to immediate academic dismissal effective upon the occurrence of any additional probationary event. The student’s past academic history will be considered when determining if a probationary event is warranted. Students dismissed for a second time will not be allowed to appeal to the program director or Dean for reinstatement, nor are they permitted to reapply to the program. Failure to comply with any part of this process on the part of the student will result in forfeiture of all rights of appeal as outlined.

Mercy University School of Health and Natural Sciences reserves the right to make changes to this Dismissal Review Policy as it deems necessary, with the changes applicable to all students then in attendance in an accredited health professions program.

Academic Integrity

The Physician Assistant Program maintains a zero-tolerance policy regarding cheating and plagiarism. The Physician Assistant Program follows the University’s Academic Integrity Policy (located in the Academic Regulation and Procedures section in the Graduate Catalog). This policy covers cheating, plagiarism, obtaining unfair advantage, and falsification of records and official documents.

Maintenance of Matriculation

It is expected that students will fulfill the requirements for their graduate degree by registering over successive sessions. For cohort programs, registration is required during summer session(s). For non-cohort programs, summer registration is not required. Registration is accomplished by either enrolling in classes or maintaining matriculation. The Maintenance of Matriculation fee is $100 per session when student does not enroll in classes and is processed as a registration. The course number in all programs is 899. Students must be approved for registration of 899.

Students who have not maintained matriculation and wish to return to their program within one year after their last course will be charged the Maintenance of Matriculation fee of $100 for each missed session. Maintenance of matriculation without attending classes is limited to one year. Activated U.S. Military Reservists are not required to pay the Maintenance of Matriculation fee.

Capstone Advisement

It is expected that Capstone students shall make satisfactory progress with their program’s culminating activity. After the student registers for all sections of his/her Capstone requirement, he/she will be given one subsequent term to complete his/her work. The Maintaining Matriculation registration must be completed for this subsequent term if no other courses are taken. After this period, a Capstone Continuation fee (equal to the cost of one graduate credit) will be charged for each additional term required to complete the project. The course number in all programs is 890. Students can only register for Capstone Continuation for two terms.

A student’s degree will not be released until all Maintenance of Matriculation and Capstone Continuation registration and fees are recorded appropriately on a student’s record.

Maintenance of Good Academic Standing

A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 in all courses applicable to the degree is required for both good academic standing and degree conferral. A student admitted as a Special Matriculant is required to achieve a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 after completion of six credits. Please note, certain graduate programs may have more stringent program policies. Please check the specific program regulations. Grades are subject to review by the faculty advisor and program director at the end of each term. If the academic average falls below 3.0, the student will be placed on academic probation. Students must achieve a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 to progress through phases of the program (i.e., didactic to clinical to capstone).

Complaints That Fall Outside the Realm of Due Process

The Physician Assistant Program is committed to meeting its mission as it relates to serving our students, potential students, staff, faculty, adjunct faculty, clinical faculty and the public consumer of physician assistant services. To that end, we are committed to ensuring that exceptional complaints for which there is no established College, School or program policy or procedure are considered and resolved in a timely, fair, consistent, and equitable manner.

Procedure: Complaint to the Program: Complaints should be addressed to the Program Director through the online form located here.  
If the program director is the subject of the complaint, the complaint should be addressed to the Dean, School of Health and Natural Science.

Professional Licensure

If you are interested in obtaining professional licensure, please check with the appropriate licensing body in the state where you intend to practice. For additional information and detailed requirements, please refer to the specific program of interest on the “School Resources” section of the Mercy College NC-Sara webpage.