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Pre-Physician Assistant
The pre-physician assistant track provides a student with the opportunity to study as an undergraduate at the College of Liberal Arts in Macon and complete their Master of Medical Science degree at one of the nation's top schools for the health sciences, Mercer's College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.
Pre-P.A. students may choose one of three paths as they prepare themselves for graduate school: 1) Students may earn a bachelor’s degree as they fulfill the prerequisites for the P.A. school of their choice; 2) Students may participate in the Guaranteed Admission Plus Degree Program (GAPDP) described in detail in the Student Handbook for the Pre-Physician Assistant Track (MUPrePAHandbook.pdf); or 3) Students may fulfill only the minimum requirements for the P.A. school of their choice before matriculation into that graduate program (while most P.A. programs require a bachelor's degree before matriculation, some do not. Students are urged to consult the Student Handbook for more informaiton about the different P.A. programs available and their admission requirements).
Pre-physician assistant students are free to pursue any major field of study, but must also complete specific pre-requisite courses before application to a physician assistant (P.A.) program. At this time the College of Liberal Arts' Bachelor of Science degree in Biology offers the best overlap between degree requirements and the admission requirements for many physician assistant programs.
Located on Mercer's Cecil B. Day Campus in Atlanta, Mercer's College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences has been training pharmacists since 1903 and physician assistants since 2008 (Mercer University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences). The mission of the MU COPHS Physician Assistant Program is “to educate patient-centered medical providers of the highest quality who are leaders, life-long learners, possess an appreciation of ethical values and human diversity, and are provided a foundation to practice in every discipline of allopathic medicine”. With emphases on evidence-based medicine, informatics, critical decision making, and interdisciplinary teamwork, the program produces outstanding health care professionals.
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MU pre-professional program details
Facts to Know
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the physician assistant is among the fastest growing occupations in America, and is expected to grow faster than average than all other occupations through the year 2014. In 2009, the mean salary of physician assistants was $81,610.
The core science coursework required by most P.A. schools is only offered on Mercer's Macon campus; students must therefore apply to one of Mercer's colleges or schools located in Macon, Georgia to complete the pre-physician assistant track.
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