Physician Assistant

Physician Assistants provide diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive healthcare services under the supervision of a physician, usually in a hospital or clinic. Working as part of a comprehensive medical team, they take medical histories, examine patients, order tests, and prescribe medications.  They also treat injuries, apply splints and casts, provide other types of therapy and surgical assistance, and may be the principal care provider in small or rural clinics where a physician is not on staff every day. They may also have managerial and supervisory duties.

Student Resources

      Professional Associations and Accreditation

      Entrance Exam

      Most physician assistant schools require the Graduate Record Exam as an entrance exam. Learn more about the GRE here .

      Selected Regional Programs


      Important Note:

      Consult the admissions/application web pages of the professional programs for information on required pre-requisite courses and admissions tests, application procedures, and application deadlines. Some professional/graduate programs will not accept AP or CLEP credits, online courses, or correspondence courses for the core science and math pre-requisite requirements. Many programs also require that all pre-requisite coursework be completed within a certain period of time, e.g., within 5 years prior to application. Policies vary by school and program. Be sure you know the requirements