Program Start Date(s):
- Fall 2023 - August 28, 2023
Application Deadline(s):
- Fall 2023 - November 1, 2022
The 2022 CASPA Cycle opens April 28, 2022.
Application Process
Application to the program can only be made through the Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA). Please visit the CASPA website for more information. In addition, students must complete the PLNU Supplemental Application. In order for a candidate to be considered, both the verified CASPA and the PLNU Supplemental applications must be received by the November 1, 2022 deadline.
CASPA (Central Application Service for Physician Assistants)
Telephone: (617) 612-2080
Email: apply@caspaonline.org
portal.caspaonline.org
Your application will be reviewed when the CASPA application has been verified and your PLNU PA Program Supplemental Application received. Applications must be verified by CASPA by the November 1, 2022 deadline. Prerequisite courses must be completed by December 31, 2022. Interviews will be conducted in the fall and winter either virtually or in person as safety dictates. All applicants will be notified of their admission status by March 1, 2023.
Application Criteria
Undergraduate degree
- A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university recognized by a regional accrediting agency. College seniors are eligible to apply providing they will receive their degree prior to the August start of the program.
- A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0
- A minimum science GPA of 3.0
Technical Standards
All applicants must meet the program’s technical standards.
Prerequisite Courses for PA Program
Anatomy: 3 semester hours or 4 quarter hours
Physiology: 3 semester hours or 4 quarter hours
Combined Anatomy and Physiology courses are acceptable if they meet a minimum of 6 semester hours or 8 quarter hours. Labs are preferred but not required. If the combined course is a two-semester sequence (e.g. A & P I and A & P II) then both courses must be taken.
Microbiology: 3 semester hours or 4 quarter hours
General Chemistry with labs: 6 semester hours or 8 quarter hours
Organic Chemistry with lab: 3 semester hours or 4 quarter hours; the two-semester sequence for science majors is strongly recommended
Biochemistry: 3 semester hours or 4 quarter hours
Statistics: 3 semester hours or 4 quarter hours
All prerequisites must be completed at a regionally accredited college or university and must be completed with a grade of C (2.0) or better. A C minus is not acceptable. Courses for which credit was awarded by examination, such as AP courses, will not meet the criteria for any prerequisite courses.
Applicants may apply to the program with no more than two outstanding prerequisites (including any in progress at the time of application), but prerequisites must be completed by December 31, 2022. Documentation of official grades received must be submitted to the program by January 31, 2023.
PLNU Supplemental Application
To begin your supplemental application please create an account on the Point Loma Nazarene Online Application Portal. Please make sure to create your account using the same email address as your CASPA application and follow the following steps to locate the Physician Assistant Supplemental Application:
- Create an account using your CASPA email address
- Select Graduate
- Please select "Physician Assistant" for the initial questions of "I want to study"
- From there you will be able to select the Physician Assistant, MSM major as well as the Fall 2023 term.
- To finalize click "Start Application"
Please be sure to have your CASPA ID number ready as it is required for this supplemental application.
The PLNU Supplemental Application fee is $35. If you feel you are experiencing a financial hardship that renders you unable to pay the PLNU Supplemental Application fee, please contact the program at jrussel@pointloma.edu to inquire regarding a fee waiver.
Experience
A minimum of five hundred hours of direct (hands on) patient care experience is required and must be completed at time of application. Hours must be paid, professional experience providing face-to-face patient care. Volunteering and shadowing, while helpful, do not count toward these hours. Hours accrued as a student as part of an educational program are not accepted.
The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), taken within the last 2 years, is required for any applicants for whom English is not their native language. The TOEFL requirement may be waived for applicants with a bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited US institution. To review your application, we must receive official scores from ETS for the TOEFL. Only the IBT (Internet Based Test) form of the TOEFL will be accepted. We require a total score of 93 and a speaking score of 26 for entry into our program.
Preferences
- Point Loma Nazarene University graduates
Advanced Placement
The PLNU PA Program values rigorous academic preparation and previous health care experience in the evaluation of applicants. However, it is not the policy of the program to award advanced placement or, to accept for credit, any previous academic or other experiential learning toward completion of the MSM degree. All matriculated students are required to participate in and complete the entire curriculum of the program to meet the requirements of graduation.