Admission

• Prerequisite courses listed will need to be completed at a regionally accredited institution. There is no specific number of credit hours needed per course and no specific university academic level is required. The course of study must be satisfactorily completed with a grade of C or higher. No more than 2 pre-requisite courses may have a grade of C.
• The program will accept the higher grade for prerequisite courses that have been retaken, a course may not be retaken more than once. If a candidate has taken a course more than 2 times only the first two attempts will be considered.
• Each pre-requisite course must have been completed within 10 years of matriculation date, except for Anatomy and Physiology with lab to be completed within 5 years of matriculation into the program. Note Human Anatomy and Physiology may be combined but then requires 2 semesters with lab components
  
  • General Biology (one year) with lab
  • General Chemistry (one year) with lab
  • Human Anatomy (one semester) with lab
  • Human Physiology (one semester) with lab
  • Microbiology (one semester) with lab
  • Organic chemistry (one semester) with lab
  • Biochemistry (one semester)
  • Psychology (one semester)
  • Abnormal or Developmental psychology (one semester)
  • Statistics (One semester)
• The program will accept Advanced Placement (AP) and CLEP credit for prerequisite courses. These courses will NOT be used to calculate the required minimum GPA.
• The program may accept online and hybrid courses from regionally accredited institutions, pending review of the syllabus by the Admissions Committee. To assure the material is comprehensive and delivered in a comparable manner to a traditional classroom, the committee may ask to review an applicants syllabi and/or course bulletin. While online courses are considered on a case-by-case basis, labs conducted online are not generally viewed favorably by the committee.
• Applicants may have no more than 2 pre-requisite courses in progress the semester prior to starting the program in May. Candidates cannot matriculate into the program without successful completion of all prerequisite coursework.

Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is required See http://www.ets.org/gre for further information. Our program code is 3372

• The exam must have been completed within the last 5 years (at the time of matriculation)
• No substitutes for the exam will be considered such as (i.e. MCAT, PA-CAT, GMAT)
• There is no minimum score requirement
• If the applicant were to take the GRE multiple times, the admissions committee will superscore the GRE. This entails the use of the highest score in a given section of the exam.

• One from a healthcare provider (PA, MD or DO) who can attest to the candidate’s passion for medicine and career as a PA.
• One from a college professor (current or prior) or supervisor.
• One from another professional colleague or mentor (No family members permitted).

• Minimum patient care experience of 200 hours which could be either paid or voluntary
• Highly recommended the candidate have more direct patient care hours (e.g. nurse aide, medical assistant, STNA, EMT etc.). For further clarifications please see FAQs
• All patient care hours need to be documented and submitted via CASPA using the programs verification form. Please email pastudies@miamioh.edu for a copy of the verification forms.

• Minimum 20 hours of shadowing a PA in a clinical setting.
• All shadowing hours need to be documented and submitted via CASPA using the programs verification form. Please email pastudies@miamioh.edu for a copy of the verification forms.

No applicant who was dismissed from, or discontinued their participation in, a health professional program due to an academic deficiency or non-academic policy violation(s) will be considered for admission.

International students may apply but must meet the same requirements for admissions as stated above. All international students must also provide proof of English language proficiency per University policy listed here. All international transcripts from an institution in any country other than the United States must have a course-by-course evaluation, plus determination of letter grade equivalent. Either of the following agencies may be used for international transcript evaluation: World Education Services or Education Credentials Evaluators.

After completion of the CASPA application and evaluation of the candidate by the admissions committee the ideal candidate will be invited for an interview. During the interview the panel will assess the candidate’s readiness to undertake the rigors of medical education. The admissions committee will consider a holistic review of all information available including academic achievements, letters of recommendation, community service, interpersonal and communication skills, personal integrity, professionalism, compassion, diversity of life experiences and motivation for a career as a physician associate.

Applicants with the below attributes will be given preference during the review process. Please note that if a candidate meets any or all of these preferences, that is not a guarantee for an interview or admission.

• Graduates of Miami University
• Veterans of the Armed forces
• Applicants with significant patient care experience (direct patient care & shadowing)
• Applicants with higher cumulative GPA and higher natural science GPA
• Applicants with research experience
• Applicants who are residents of rural, partially rural or Appalachian Ohio counties as defined by Ohio Rural Health Association. Please see link for listed counties https://www.ohioruralhealth.org/ohio-rural-health-improvement-plan
  • Adams, Allen, Ashland, Ashtabula, Athens, Auglaize, Belmont, Brown, Butler, Carroll, Champaign, Clermont, Clinton, Columbiana, Coshocton, Crawford, Drake, Defiance, Erie, Fairfield, Fayette, Fulton, Gallia, Geauga, Green, Guernsey, Hancock, Hardin, Harrison, Henry, Highland, Hocking, Holmes, Huron, Jackson, Jefferson, Knox, Lawrence, Logan, Lorain, Madison, Mahoning, Marion, Meigs, Mercer, Miami, Monroe, Morgan, Marrow, Muskingum, Noble, Ottawa, Paulding, Perry, Pickaway, Pike, Preble, Putnam, Richland, Ross, Sandusky, Scioto, Seneca, Shelby, Stark, Trumbull, Tuscarawas, Union, Van Wert, Vinton, Washington, Wayne, Wood, Wyandot.
  • Counties not considered rural are as follows: Clark, Cuyahoga, Delaware, Franklin, Hamilton, Lake, Licking, Lucas, Medina, Montgomery, Portage, Summit, Warren.

• Program values applicants with exceptional background in leadership, volunteerism, those who are underrepresented minorities, first generation college, or those who come from an economically disadvantaged background. We highly encourage candidates to share their diverse life experiences and background through the application and interview process. The program values candidates who have demonstrated their ability to overcome adversity.

There is no acceleration or advance standing/placement in the program regardless of prior experience or degree.

Miami University’s Physician Associate program does not accept transfer students.

While it is notable that academic standards be defined, understood and accomplished, technical demands for graduation from Miami University’s Physician Associate Studies program also must be assumed.

Technical standards are those standards that refer to the holistic physical, cognitive and behavioral abilities required for satisfactory completion of the curriculum. These will differ from those identified as exclusively academic, possessing components that are considered: physical (motor/sensory), communicative, intellectual, behavioral and social (working)

Such technical standards are considered within the program, in each course, preparing students for student learning outcomes, framed within the professional competencies.

For such professional requirements and conduct, may include the following:

• Thinking critically, with sound judgement, emotional stability, maturity, empathy, and physical and mental stamina
• Learn and function in a wide variety of didactic and clinical settings, displaying the ability to process, retain, comprehend, integrate, analyze, synthesize and apply large volumes of material related to the higher order art, practice and science of medicine, including those that are legal, ethical and moral in nature.

This often requires a commitment to long hours of class, laboratory, clinical and self-directed study situations and environments

• Communicate effectively and professionally using both verbal and in written communication means.
• Effectiveness often depends on using appropriate grammar, spelling, and vocabulary- as well as timeliness.
• Comprehend and immediately, respond to auditory instructions or requests.
• Think clearly and act appropriately, professionally, and calmly within stressful situations.
• Work cooperatively, preserving relationships with other members of the education and health care team.
• Participation in educational activities including: examinations, demonstrations, simulations, presentations, evaluations, labs.

Observation/Sensation:

Students must be able to acquire information in all didactic and clinical settings through a variety of sources to include, but not limited to oral presentation, written material, visual media, and live presentations/demonstrations.

Students must possess function of visual, tactile, auditory senses in order to perform necessary skills for physical examination.

• Full range of motion including capabilities, including: patient movement, manual and finger dexterity and eye-hand coordination. (Ex. Perform fine and gross motor skills with both hands, including CPR)
• Frequent, prolonged patient interactions and essential activities that include: standing and walking for prolonged periods (ex. surgical services, inpatient medicine)
• Classrooms and laboratory experiences may require prolonged sitting
• Corrected or normal visual and/or hearing acuity
• Working effectively in physically and mentally stressful situations, within long and irregular hours.

Communication:

Students MUST be able to communicate, professionally and effectively. While various methods of communication (written and verbal) are required by the clinician to accomplish this, the fundamental expectations of courtesy and effectiveness are applied equally.

While nuances exist within healthcare, graduate level work requires the use of proper terminology and language, appropriate spelling and vocabulary.

Proper communication is essential to communicate patient evaluations, findings and conclusions. Additionally, students must communicate in a professional manner to all patients and their families, peers, and other members of a healthcare team.

Intellectual-Conceptual Abilities:

Students must be able to think critically, with sound judgement, in order to understand, assess and solve clinical problems. This includes the ability to collect, organize, prioritize, reason, analyze, integrate, learn, and retain information, often in a limited time frame. Students must also be able to comprehend two and three-dimensional structures, and understand spatial relationships of structures.

Motor Functions:

Students must possess the necessary motor skills to perform a physical examination, maneuver instruments or diagnostic tools appropriately to reach essential conclusions, and perform medical procedures. Students must also have the physical capabilities, strength and stamina to sit, stand, and move within classroom, laboratory and clinical areas including, though not limited to examination rooms, treatment rooms/trauma bays, surgical suites, critical care and inpatients floors.

Behavioral/Social Aspects:

Students must demonstrate psychological and emotional stability at a level necessary to deliver sound patient care in all settings and to interact with the interdisciplinary healthcare teams. The students must be able to tolerate physical, emotional, and intellectual stress during the educational period while responding appropriately and professionally and tolerate the physically taxing workloads commensurate with clinical work.

Students should also expect that they will perform physical examinations on each other during the program. Additionally, they are expected to perform sensitive male and female genital exams on guided learners during the didactic year and assess patients of all ages, sex, gender during their clinical rotation experiences (Supervised Clinical Practice Experiences, i.e. SCPE's).

After candidates' application is reviewed and interviews are conducted the program will extend an offer of acceptance. The candidate will be asked to provide a $1000 upfront non-refundable partial tuition payment, which will be used to secure their seat in the program. This tuition payment will be put towards full tuition at the time of matriculation.

Complete disclosure of felony and misdemeanor convictions is necessary, as it can impact a student’s ability to participate at clinical sites and eligibility for state licensure after graduation.

Please note that background checks, drug screening, and any additional proof of immunization that will occur during the program (usually conducted annually) is at the student’s expense. These are requirements of most clinical sites.

Matriculating candidates to the program may be asked to have a medical screening examination by a health care professional who can attest to the student’s ability to meet the Technical Standards of Physician Associate Studies students with reasonable accommodations, if necessary

Each candidate needs to submit proof of health insurance coverage through the entirety of the program at the students expense.

Immunizations are extremely important to students during their tenure at Miami University’s PA Program and as future medical professionals. Students matriculating into the program are required to maintain current immunizations as stated by the CDC Recommended Vaccines for Healthcare Workers. Vaccination status will be verified (either with proof of vaccination vs titers drawn) by Exxat APPROVE compliance management system.