The pre-physician assistant (PA) focus is an advising program to help students select courses and become well prepared for application to physician assistant school.
The steps toward a career as a physician assistant begin by taking the required pre-PA courses, completing an undergraduate degree, and gaining the required clinical experience. Course work will include chemistry, biology, anatomy, physiology, organic chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology and statistics. Common pre-PA majors include biology, chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, exercise science, and nutrition. Students will also need to seek out volunteer opportunities to shadow PAs and to work with patients in a variety of clinical settings.
Completing these steps are prerequisites for applying to PA school for two or more additional years of specialized training.