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Students in the Physician Assistant Program at Penn State College of Medicine take part in the White Coat Ceremony in 2016, during which the students receive their white coats signifying the start of their training. Three female students are seen in the foreground, reading from the event program, with a male and female student visible in the background.

Physician Assistant (PA) Program

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PA Course Timeline Basic Content

Course Timeline

You’ll need 101 credits total to complete our program: 55 credits in the pre-clinical year and 46 credits in the clinical year, as described below.

All courses in the curriculum are graded on a letter grade basis with the exception of the Advanced Cardiac Life Support Course, the Health Care Ethics Course, and the Evidence-Based Medicine Course in the pre-clinical curriculum. These are Pass/Fail courses. Course descriptions can be found in the Penn State Graduate Bulletin.

PA Course Timeline Basic Content Effective 2023

Effective May 2023

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PA Program Details Pre-Clinical Summer Tab New

Pre-Clinical Year: Summer

  • PAS 701: Applied Human Structure and Function I (3 credits)
  • MEP 721: Medical Ethics and Professionalism (1 credit)
  • PAS 783: Inclusive Healthcare Practices (1 credit)
  • PAS 736: Introductory Concepts in Medicine (2 credits)
  • PAS 736: Principles of Immunology, Hematology, and Oncology (3 credits)
  • PAS 784: Principles of Dermatology (2 credits)
  • PAS 784: Principles of Infectious Disease (3 credits)
  • PAS 786: Principles of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology (3 credits)

Total credits: 18

PA Course Timeline Basic Content Before 2023

Prior to May 2023

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PA Program Details Pre-Clinical Summer Tab

Pre-Clinical Year: Summer

  • PAS 701: Applied Human Structure and Function I (2 credits)
  • PAS 702: Applied Human Structure and Function II (2 credits)
  • PAS 704: Clinical Medicine I (5 credits)
  • PAS 707: Pathophysiology I (2 credits)
  • PAS 710: Pharmacology I (2 credits)
  • PAS 713: Pharmacotherapeutics I (1 credit)
  • PAS 716: History and Physical Examination I (2 credits)
  • PAS 724: Laboratory Interpretive Methods (1 credit)
  • PAS 727: Clinical Skills I (1 credit)

Total credits: 18