Please note: This page contains information on undergraduate preparation in the UND College of Arts and Sciences for those PA programs requiring such preparation. The PA Program at the UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences was designed for RN's who wish to upgrade their education. They added a pilot project in 2008 to include accepting other clinically practicing professionals. They will try this for three successive classes and if it proves successful, they will continue with the change. For more details on that program, click here: UNDSMHS PA Program.

Physician Assistant schools vary in prerequisites required, program length and credentials awarded.  In general, the various types of PA programs can be summed up as follows: 

UND offers excellent preparation for any physician assistant school requiring college courses and/or an undergraduate degree.  The Pre-PA track of the Pre-Medicine Program offered through the College of Arts and Sciences sets guidelines and timetables for UND  students to successfully complete the prerequisite coursework and other requirements relating to these PA schools.

This program is not a major and does not lead to a degree from UND!  Pre-PA students planning to complete an undergraduate degree at UND must choose a major and meet the University Graduation Requirement of 125 semester credits.  These credits are to include: 

We encourage you to meet with the Health Sciences Advisor, Mrs. Kimberly Ruit, as early in your UND undergraduate education as possible.  Mrs. Ruit can help in all aspects of your undergraduate preparation for PA school:  from scheduling to study skills, to interview preparation.  Together, you can plan the undergraduate curriculum that is right for you.

Competitive Applicant Profile
No matter what PA school a student chooses to attend, there are 4 areas that will be scrutinized by any Admissions Committee when reviewing applications.  It is therefore very important that the student is well prepared in order to present his/her best possible application.  The table below summarizes these areas:

Academics	Degree needed?  Most schools require or prefer a degree. Major?  Any major is fine - schools just want well rounded and broadly educated applicants. GPA?  National average is 3.5.
Relevant  Life Experiences	Essential!!!!!  Especially experiences that include contact with patients in a hospital or medical setting.  As many as 1000 hours (paid or volunteer) may be required.
Other Training	Some programs may require CPR training and certification.
Letters of  Recommendation	Required, although numbers and authors vary from school to school.
State of Residency	While UND does have a PA program offered through the UNDSMHS, enrollment in this program is limited to licensed registered nurses with a minimum of three years nursing experience or other clinically practicing professionals.  Other programs around the country offer a BS or MS degree.  These schools usually do not have a residency requirement.  The state of North Dakota does not provide funds through WICHE or PSEP for PA students.
Legal Record	Keep your legal record and personal image squeaky clean!! 1. Background checks a. More and more health professional schools are now doing background checks on all matriculants and/or applicants. => If you have been convicted of any felony or misdemeanor of a violent or sexual nature, you will be prohibited from professional health care practice in many states, so health professional schools will not accept you. => All other misdemeanors (underage drinking, drug possession, etc.) will also show up on background checks (even if they happened before you were 18). Having just one of these can definitely hurt your chances of acceptance into a health professional school! b. UND's medical school will ask you to list any violations beyond a simple parking ticket on their application! You will have to disclose everything – no matter how old you were!! The legal drinking age in North Dakota is 21. Illegal drugs are just that – illegal at any age. Stay away from alcohol and illegal drugs and any activities or instances where they may be present!! Why risk it? Is it worth ruining your future?   2. MySpace, Facebook, etc. a. As more and more companies and schools use the internet to research potential employees and students, it is essential that you make sure comments posted by you and about you are wholesome, reflect good character, and show maturity. => Limit visitors to your site to friends only. => Regularly check and remove any unwanted postings by others b. Be sure pictures are in good taste and not incriminating. => Regularly check and remove any unwanted postings or tags by others. => At UND, students may be written up by their RA's for university conduct violations with evidence provided by just a picture!

Sample Pre-PA Schedule
All PA schools have required coursework that must be completed successfully by prospective students.  The following table suggests a schedule for the most commonly required and basic classes.  However, please be warned that there is a great deal of variability from school to school with regards to specific classes and other experience required.  It is in your best interest to meet with the Health Sciences Advisor early in your undergraduate education if this is the career path you plan to choose.
 

	Freshman	Sophomore	Junior	Senior
Fall	Bio 150, 150L Chem 121, 121L Math 103 Eng 110	Chem 341, 341L (if taking the whole year of Organic Chem) Anatomy 204, 204L	Bio 315 (Genetics)** Physiology 301	Physics 211, 211L (?)  Most PA applications due
Spring	Bio 151, 151L Chem 122, 122L Eng 120 Comm 110	Chem 342, 342L (or Chem 240, 240L if taking the one semester survey course) MBio 302, 302L (?)	Bio 341 (Cell Bio)** Biochem 301	Physics 212, 212L (?) Bio 369, 369L (?)

*Courses with questionmarks are not required by all PA schools

**Additional courses required by some schools:  Med 205, Biol 315 (Genetics), Bio 341 (Cell Biology), Psych 250, Psych 270

***Please note: your second year classes will differ from those listed if you plan to be a biology or chemistry major.

Remember...admission to PA school is highly selective and competitive.
It is imperative that you take your studies very seriously from the first day of your freshman year!!

Bulletin Board

Pre-PA Links
Check out these links to sites of interest for Pre-PA students: