ADMISSIONS

Admission Guidelines

Admission Requirements

Tuition & Financial Aid

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Admission Requirements

Technical StandardsImportant DatesPrerequisitesApplicationsExperienceAdmitted Students

Technical Standards

The goal of the program is to prepare students to become competent, caring physician assistants possessing the skills for lifelong learning necessary to incorporate new knowledge and methods into medical practices required to adapt to the changing professional environment. All students admitted to the program are expected to continually demonstrate the specific technical standards specified below. These technical standards are considered to be prerequisites for admission, for progression throughout the program, and to qualify for graduation from the UVU PA Program.

Every physician assistant student must be able to perform independently, with or without reasonable accommodation, a diversity of skills related to effective performance as a professional student and health care practitioner in training. A detailed description of those essential functions and technical standards required of each physician assistant student is described below:

 
  1. Observation: PA students must have the ability to observe and participate as appropriate in the lecture hall, laboratory, and in the spectrum of clinical environments. This includes all outpatient, inpatient, emergency department, and operating room settings. They should also possess the ability to use their other somatic senses as needed to enhance their ability to accurately observe and interpret these situations.
  2. Intellectual ability and Capacity: PA students must be able to learn, analyze, synthesize, problem solve, reason, and come to logical conclusions both in the didactic and clinical phase. They are expected to remain alert and attentive at all times in didactic and clinical settings.
  3. Communication: PA students must be able to practice effective, professional verbal and non-verbal communication skills with other students, faculty, preceptors, and patients. This includes building trust, being sensitive, and using discretion with personal and sensitive information in all situations. Additionally, PA students must have the ability to work effectively in groups with other students and with other healthcare professionals.
  4. Motor: PA students must be able to complete a full physical exam and basic clinical procedures. They must also be able to manipulate the equipment, instruments, apparatus, or tools required to collect and interpret data appropriate to the domain of study, practice, or research. Students must be able to respond to emergency situations in a calm and timely manner, and must always adhere to universal precautions in all clinical settings.
  5. Behavioral: Enrollment in a PA program can be stressful and requires the ability to handle a significant workload. All PA students must have the physical and emotional stamina to commit to their education and maintain a high level of function. PA students must also be able to accept criticism and have the ability to appropriately modify their behavior. They must understand the legal and ethical aspects of the practice of medicine and function within both the law and ethical standards of the medical profession.

Admitted students who have a disability and need accommodation should initiate discussions with the Office of Accessibility Services as soon as the offer of admission is received and accepted. Each student must be fully cognizant of the technical standards. Questions or concerns about the technical standards should be discussed with the Program Director. If a health condition arises that would in any way alter the student’s ability to perform in the didactic or clinical setting, it is the student’s responsibility to report this immediately to the Program Director. See the UVU PA Program Technical Standards Attestation Form in (Appendix A)

Immunizations & drug screenings

In order to participate in the clinical component of the physician assistant program, students will be required to abide by the immunization, health screening, and drug testing requirements of our clinical program partner sites, subject to individual accommodations. If placement at alternative clinical sites is not an available accommodation, the only available accomodations from UVU may be deferral or temporary withdrawal from the program.

In accordance with UVU policy 548, applicants to clinical programs at UVU must pass a drug test. Students will be tested upon acceptance to a clinical program. The responsibility for passing the drug test resides with the student regardless of possession of a medical cannabis card that is legal in any state. Clinical programs reserve the right to repeat drug tests at any time during the clinical program.

EnGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

To be considered for an interview, all applicants for whom English is a second language must take the TOEFL and score as described.

Exception: Candidates who have fully completed high school in the United States and who also have a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education in the United States. High school transcripts may be requested.

Achieve a score in each section (Reading, Listening, Speaking, Writing) that falls in the high-intermediate to advanced range on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Register to take the TOEFL at www.toefl.org. Test scores should be submitted with the CASPA application by the July 15, 2024 deadline.

Official TOEFL scores should be mailed directly to CASPA as described in the standardized tests section of their website:

Official TOEFL scores should be mailed to CASPA in paper format. They must be original copies of the test and sent to CASPA directly from ETS. CASPA cannot accept photocopied or electronic TOEFL scores.

Please mail all official TOEFL scores to:

CASPA TOEFL Scores

PO Box 9108 Watertown, MA 02471