Program Description
The Physician Assistant program prepares graduates to become licensed medical clinicians who practice medicine under the supervision of a licensed physician. Admission to the program is a selective process and will matriculate 30 new students to begin a 27-month intensive program of study. The curriculum consists of 107 graduate-level credit hours of instruction in a faith-based environment of scientific and medical evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of the ill and injured patient. Clinical internships will be conducted in a variety of medical specialties including: family medicine, women’s health, pediatrics, surgery, emergency medicine, internal medicine, and behavioral health.
Program Requirements
Application Requirements
Submit Application through CASPA
All applicants to the Physician Assistant program must submit an application directly to the online Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA), accessible at CASPA. The application cycle will open in April and the deadline for a verified application is September 1. Applications that are not verified by the application deadline will not be considered for admittance. The program does not accept applications through our website.
Official Transcripts
Transcripts from each regionally accredited college and university attended, whether or not a degree was awarded, must be submitted directly to CASPA. Failure to disclose all colleges and universities previously attended could result in denial or dismissal. We do not accept transcripts delivered to our campus.
Transcript Evaluations
Unfortunately, due to the high volume of applicants, we are unable to provide individual transcript evaluations. If you have questions or concerns regarding specific courses and if those courses fulfill our pre-requisite requirements, you are welcome to email your inquiry to our program admissions team. In this email, please include the course description(s) with the course code(s) and the name of the institution(s) where the course(s) was completed. Please indicate which requirement you are looking to fulfill with each course that you submit. Email course inquiries to PA.info@ahu.edu.
International Transcripts
We require course-by-course transcript evaluations of college or university work that has been completed outside of the Unites States. All non-U.S. transcript evaluations must be completed through World Education Services (WES) and sent directly to CASPA. You can contact WES at 212-966-6211, info@wes.org, or at www.wes.org.
International Students and International Medical Students
International Students
The PA program accepts international students who hold or will apply for an F-1 visa only. International applicants must submit their non-U.S. transcripts in a timely manner to WES for evaluation and require the evaluation be sent to CASPA. WES transcripts must be received by CASPA no later than the verified application deadline; late submissions will not be accepted. Transcripts are required for all colleges and universities attended, even if they do not include prerequisite courses. Applicants are strongly encouraged to start the WES transcript process early to meet the application verification deadline.
For more information or inquiries about your F-1 visa status, please contact Zohaniris Torres Rosado at zohaniris.torresrosado@ahu.edu.
International Medical Graduates (IMGs)
IMGs are welcome to apply to AdventHealth University’s (AHU) Physician Assistant (PA) Program. IMGs must follow the same protocol for non-U.S. transcripts as listed above for international students. IMGs, regardless of past medical experience, are required to complete all admissions requirements and all aspects of the 27-month program, including all clinical rotations. No exceptions to this policy will be granted.
Military Support and Benefits
We are grateful to our veterans and military. In fact, we’re a Yellow Ribbon school, meaning we have financial aid options to help cover the costs that your military benefits don’t cover. The program also gives preference points during the selection process to applicants with current or prior documented military service. For more information about military benefits or financial aid, go to Military and Veterans Aid | AdventHealth University.
Policy on Pass/Fail Grades
- Pre-requisite courses:In light of the COVID-19 crisis, the AHU PA program will allow an applicant up to 8-credit hours of prerequisite pass/ fail grades received during the Spring and Summer terms of 2020 only. Any prerequisite course that has not received an alphanumeric grade must earn a “Pass” grade or equivalent. If the applicant has more than 8-credit hours of prerequisites with a pass/fail grade during this timeframe, their application will not be complete or considered for admittance until the applicant retakes the course(s) for an alphanumeric grade prior to matriculation. Prerequisite pass/fail credit hours will not be accepted outside of the Spring and Summer terms of 2020. Please note that courses taken for a pass/fail grade will not impact the applicant’s GPA. With this in mind, all applicants are still required to meet the minimum science and overall GPA for their application to be considered.
- Non pre-requisite courses:There is not a cap for non-prerequisite pass/fail credit hours as long as the applicant has a minimum of a conferred bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university at the time of matriculation.
Degree Requirements
All applicants must have a minimum of a conferred bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university prior to the Friday before matriculation into the program. Selection preference is not granted to any specific fields of study. All fields of study are equitable and competitive.
Minimum GPA Requirements
We require a 3.00 minimum cumulative and overall science GPA on a 4.00 scale as calculated by CASPA at the time of application. All prerequisite courses must be completed with a grade of “C” or above.
CASPA Essays:
The Personal Essay and the Life Expectancy Essay narratives will be used in the student selection process to determine program and mission fit.
CASPer
All applicants are required to complete the CASPer online test as part of our admissions process. CASPer is an online test which assesses non-cognitive skills and interpersonal characteristics that we believe are important for successful students and graduates of our program and will complement the other tools that we use for applicant screening. In implementing CASPer, we are trying to further enhance fairness and objectivity in our selection process.
In order to take CASPer, you will be responsible for securing access to a computer with audio capabilities, a webcam, and a reliable internet connection on your selected test date. CASPer can be taken practically anywhere that you can satisfy the aforementioned requirements.
Please go to https://acuityinsights.app/, and select the current Admissions Cycle to sign up for the United States Casper 2 and reserve a test using your CASPA ID and a government-issued photo ID. You will be provided with a limited number of testing dates and times. Please note that these are the only testing dates available for your CASPer test. There will be no additional tests scheduled. It takes 2 weeks for CASPer to grade and submit your score to AHU therefore, the last date you can take your exam for us to get your results before our verified application deadline is August 11, 2026, at 8 p.. Keep this in mind when scheduling your exam date. If you take your exam less than 2 weeks before the September 1 verified application deadline, it will be your sole responsibility to contact Acuity Insights to ensure that we receive your score on time. There will be no exceptions made, and we will not contact Acuity Insights on your behalf. Please use an email address that you check regularly; there may be updates to the test schedule.
Prerequisites and Undergraduate Credit Hours
Each applicant must complete nine prerequisite courses—either in person or online—through a regionally accredited college or university. Virtual laboratory courses are acceptable. A grade of C or higher is required in each of the nine prerequisite courses.
Science Prerequisites
(all must include a lab component with the exception of Genetics)
- Human Anatomy and Physiology I, II or Human Anatomy and Human Physiology – 8 credit hours
- Organic Chemistry I – 4 credit hours
- Organic Chemistry II or Biochemistry I – 4 credit hours
- General Microbiology – 4 credit hours
- Genetics – 3 credit hours
TOTAL – 23 credit hours
Other prerequisite courses
- *General Psychology or Developmental Psychology or Abnormal Psychology – 3 credit hours
- *General Statistics or Elementary Statistics or Biostatistics – 3 credit hours
- Medical Terminology – 1 credit hour (certification acceptable)
TOTAL – 7 credits
*Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses will be accepted in place of the above referenced courses. The AP/IB course must be listed on the applicants conferred bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university.
Prerequisite Time Cap
All prerequisite courses must have been completed within 10 years of the date of application verification and must have been completed with a grade of C or higher.
Applicants who have one or more science prerequisite courses completed more than 10 years prior to the date of application verification may submit a PA-CAT Student Transcript as an alternative to retaking those science prerequisite courses only. The PA-CAT scaled score must be from an examination administered in the current or previous cycle and will only be considered if the percentile rank is at or above the mean shown on the PA-CAT Student Transcript. The AHU PA program does not require the PA-CAT for admission and does not require any candidate to take the exam in place of prerequisites. Therefore, if the exam has already been taken as part of the admissions requirements of another program, it is the applicant’s responsibility to submit the PA-CAT Student Transcript directly to pa.info@ahu.edu if this option is selected.
All other prerequisite courses (psychology, statistics, and medical terminology) must be retaken if completed more than 10 years prior to the application verification date.
Policy Regarding Outstanding Pre-requisites
An applicant is allowed up to 8-credit hours of outstanding prerequisites at the time of the verified application deadline. Those applicants who have completed all prerequisites with a C and above by the verified application deadline will be given preference.
If there are outstanding prerequisite courses, they must be completed by March 31 before matriculating in May. Unofficial transcripts must be submitted by the September 1 deadline to verify that the courses are in progress or registered for and will be completed by the March 31 deadline. If unofficial transcripts cannot be obtained, proof of course registration will be required and must be sent directly to pa.info@ahu.edu by the September 1 deadline. Those who are offered a seat in the program must submit transcripts showing completion of the outstanding prerequisite(s) with a C or higher directly to our admissions department at pa.info@ahu.edu by the Friday before matriculation.
Recommended Experience
The program strongly recommends a minimum of 1000 direct patient care and/or health related experience hours before the September 1 verified application deadline. Higher quality and quantity of direct patient care responsibilities will be considered more competitive and given preference during the selection process.
The program believes that involvement in direct patient care, health care related experience, and exposure to the PA profession give an applicant a foundation to begin PA school and demonstrates an interest and commitment to the health care field. Quality and quantity of patient care hours will be considered during the selection process. The program does not accept experience hours completed after the application has been verified but encourages applicants to continue gaining experience. Verification of listed experiences may be required.
Examples of preferred patient care experience include:
- Registered nurse or Licensed practical nurse
- Surgical technician
- Certified nursing assistant
- Paramedic/Emergency medical technician
- Military medical corpsman
- Respiratory therapist
- Radiology technologist
- Physical therapist/Physical therapy assistant
- Occupational therapist/Occupational therapy assistant
- Phlebotomist
- Nurse coordinator/navigator
- Perfusionist
- Cardiac monitor technician
- Audiologist
- Clinical pharmacy technician – hospital based
- Registered dietician
- Clinical researcher
- Athletic trainer
- Dental hygienist
- Medical scribe
Examples of health related experience include:
- Social worker
- Patient care advocate
- Medical laboratory technician
- Pharmacy technician – retail/compound, non-hospital based
- Non-clinical researcher/Non-clinical research assistant
- Peace corps
- Nutritionist
- Ophthalmic technician
- Medical assistant (administrative)
The above list of patient care and health related experiences is not all inclusive. All patient care and health related experience submitted on your verified application will be critically evaluated for depth and breadth of the experience. Ensure you are not listing an experience as both patient care and health related experience and that your experiences match the above definitions. If you have any questions about your experience, please contact pa.info@ahu.edu.
Please note, shadowing healthcare providers and any hours credited as part of a training, educational, or internship/externship program will not be considered direct patient care or related healthcare experience.
PA Shadowing
We do not have a minimum requirement for shadowing hours; however, we highly recommend shadowing a variety of physician assistants in order to acquire a solid understanding of the PA profession. Shadowing hours will not be accepted if you received pay or salary of any kind for the time shadowing. Shadowing hours should be separate from those types of experiences. Only non-paid shadowing hours will be accepted.
Please note: We do not accept any additional shadowing hours submitted after your application is verified. We only use the hours reported on your verified application.
Other Experiences
Although not required, other experiences listed on the CASPA application will be considered during the selection process, such as extracurricular activities, working or participation in athletics while in school full time, leadership experiences, research, teaching, and volunteer/community activities.
Letters of Recommendation
Three letters of recommendation are required and must be submitted through CASPA. If more letters of recommendation are submitted in CASPA, we will only consider three. We highly recommend that two letters of recommendation come from practicing advanced practice providers or practicing physicians. Letters of recommendation from practicing PAs that the applicant has worked with or shadowed will be preferenced. These individuals should be able to attest to your potential as a physician assistant. We highly recommend that the third letter comes from a college or university professor who can strongly attest to your academic ability. We do not accept letters of recommendation from family members or friends.
English Proficiency
International applicants, where English is not the primary language must demonstrate English proficiency by providing one of the following:
- A score of 4.5+ on the Test of English as a Foreign Language iBT (TOEFL iBT), as well as appropriate evidence of temporary or permanent U.S. residency. These requirements are supplemental to the general education requirements.
- Successful completion of a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree from an institution where English is the primary language of instruction.
Selection Preferences
We value individuals from diverse backgrounds and prioritize those who strongly align with our mission. AHU will no longer offer automatic interviews based on preference status. However, preference in the student selection process will be given to candidates who demonstrate the following:
- Graduates of a Seventh-day Adventist college or university, with highest preference given to graduates of AdventHealth University
- Active Seventh-day Adventists verified by a letter from the applicant’s pastor confirming regular attendance and good standing in an SDA church
- Current or prior documented military service
- Strong academic performance, including higher prerequisite, last 60 credit hours, and BCP (biology, chemistry, physics) GPAs
- Completion of all prerequisite coursework (grade of C or higher) by the verified application deadline
- High quality and quantity direct patient care experience
- High quality and quantity PA shadowing experience
- Strong letter(s) of recommendation from a practicing PA who has supervised or been shadowed by the applicant
- Engagement in multiple and diverse experiences such as:
- extracurricular activities while maintaining a full academic load
- volunteering/community service
- leadership roles
- Research or teaching experience
- collegiate athletics participation while maintaining a full academic load
- From a medically underserved area (as indicated in CASPA)
- Economically disadvantaged background (as indicated in CASPA)
- Strong alignment with the mission and values of the AHU PA Program
Demonstrated understanding of the healthcare system and the role of the physician assistant - along with motivation, maturity, personal insight, and strong interpersonal skills - are also important factors considered in the admissions process.
While these qualities and preferences strengthen an applicant’s overall competitiveness, applicants who do not meet these preferences will still receive full consideration for admission to the program, provided they meet all minimum admission requirements.
State Residence Preference
Preference is not given to in-state applicants. Regardless of the state of residence, admission to the AHU PA program is equitable and competitive.
Articulation Agreement
Additionally, AdventHealth University Physician Assistant Program has an articulation agreement with Stetson University that provides admissions preference to Stetson University graduates who meet the requirements of the agreed memorandum of understanding.
*Applicants who believe they qualify for admissions preference under the AdventHealth University Physician Assistant Program articulation agreement/memorandum of understanding with Stetson University should contact the appointed advisor at Stetson University to assess their eligibility.
Interview
We offer interviews by invitation only, applicants who are selected for an interview will be contacted via email. Interviews, a required part of the admissions process, are conducted after the September 1 CASPA application deadline. Please understand that meeting our minimum requirements does not guarantee an interview invitation. Additionally, all applicants who are interviewed are not guaranteed admission.
Student Selection
The admissions committee will consider the cumulative data collected, strength of the interview, and the applicant’s firm and clear commitment to the profession and the program. Due to the competitive nature of our admissions process, meeting the minimum standards does not guarantee admittance.
Immunizations and Health Verification Requirements
Matriculating students must have:
- Proof of Hepatitis B vaccine and positive Hepatitis B Antibody test
- Proof of MMR vaccine or immunity
- Proof of Varicella history or vaccination
- Proof of tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis vaccine or signed declination form
- Proof of Influenza vaccine or signed declination form
- Proof of COVID vaccine or signed declination form
- Tuberculosis screening
- AHU Physical Examination Form and Immunization Form filled out and signed by a provider
- Proof of health insurance at the time of matriculation and maintain that health insurance throughout the duration of the program
Drug Screening
All accepted students will be required to complete a drug screening prior to matriculation.
Deposit
We require that accepted applicants place a nonrefundable $1000 deposit to reserve your program seat. Your acceptance letter will provide a deadline indicating when we must receive the deposit. Once enrolled in the program, these funds will be applied to your account. Those who paid the deposit but decline to enroll in the program will forfeit the deposit. If that student is admitted to the same program at a later date, AHU will require another full deposit. A professional program deposit is not transferable to another department.
Background Check
Upon acceptance to the program and again before the start of clinical rotations, a required Level II background check will be conducted that includes fingerprinting, GSA/OIG, and sexual offender background check. Criminal convictions of any nature may create difficulty placing the student in clinical rotations, as well as potentially resulting in ineligibility for the national board examination and licensing in many states. It is the student’s responsibility to address any such issues and determine the continued viability of their program candidacy. Please refer to NCCPA and Florida Board of Medicine for further information.
Progression
- The progression requirements for advancement from the didactic phase to clinical phase:
- Cumulative GPA of ≥3.0. Maintain a cumulative GPA of ≥ 3.0 or better to remain in good standing in the program. A trimester grade point average (GPA) of ≥ 3.0 is expected throughout. The trimester GPA may drop ONCE below a 3.0 but no less than 2.85. All subsequent trimesters must have a trimester GPA of ≥ 3.0. If a student’s trimester GPA is below 2.85 or their cumulative GPA after the second trimester is below 3.0, the student may be subject to dismissal from the program.
- Demonstrates professional behavior in accordance with the policies outlined in the Advent Health University Physician Assistant Program Policy Manual.
- Completion of all didactic phase academic requirements.
- The progression requirements for advancement from the clinical phase to the summative phase:
- Maintain a cumulative GPA of ≥ 3.0 or better to remain in good standing in the program. A trimester grade point average (GPA) of ≥ 3.0 is expected throughout. The trimester GPA may drop ONCE below a 3.0 but no less than 2.85. All subsequent trimesters must have a trimester GPA of ≥ 3.0. If a student’s trimester GPA is below 2.85 or their cumulative GPA after the second trimester is below 3.0, the student may be subject to dismissal from the program.
- Demonstrates professional behavior in accordance with the policies outlined in the Advent Health University Physician Assistant Program Policy Manual.
- The progression requirements for advancement from the summative phase to completion:
- Maintain a cumulative GPA of ≥ 3.0
- Demonstrates professional behavior in accordance with the policies outlined in the Advent Health University Physician Assistant Program Policy Manual.
- Completion of all academic requirements.
- Completion of all summative assessments demonstrating all MSPAS Program Graduation Competencies have been met.
All of the above progression requirements for advancement will be reviewed by the academic director or clinical director for completion and signed by the program director. Failure to meet progression criteria may be subject to adverse action (delay or dismissal) which may include requirement for remediation of deficiencies.
Readmission
Any student who has previously been dismissed from the PA program due to academic failure or voluntarily withdrawal may reapply during any normal application cycle. This includes submitting an online application directly to Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) and completing the application requirements outlined in the Application Checklist on the website www.ahu.edu/pa.
A student may also be offered a Life Event if they have been maintaining satisfactory academic progress and experience significant academic deterioration secondary to an unavoidable life event. If the student would like to request a life event, the student must notify the program director. The program director reserves the right to evaluate these instances on a case-by-case basis.
Completion
AdventHealth University will consider students for graduation with the degree of Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies (MSPAS) when they have:
1. Met all general requirements for the MSPAS degree.
2. Completed the program curriculum successfully.
3. Completed a Capstone Project that has met or exceeds the standards of the University and the program.
Curriculum
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