Recommendations for Greensboro College Students

 Interested in becoming Physician Assistants

 

1) Factors for Consideration of Admission to Clinical Program

         Several key factors are considered in evaluating potential candidates for entry to any PA clinical program.  These factors include overall grade point average, quality and amount of clinical hours, quality of the reference letters, and quality of the courses taken.

 

2) Grade Point Average

         The average GPA for 2006Ős new enrollees to Wake Forest UniversityŐs clinical program was 3.35, and Wake Forest (WFU) expects that this statistic will not drop significantly in value for the near future.  We therefore recommend that a student apply to a clinical PA Program only if he or she has a GPA of at least 3.0.

 

3) Courses & Academic Requirements: All courses required by WFU should be completed by the time of application (@October 1).  (Application deadlines may differ for programs at other institutions).  The WFU program has been willing in the past to look at our applicants who will finish these courses by the spring before entry.  These courses are only part of our own major course requirements.

        A competitive applicant will have completed the following: (*= required by WFU)

One year of General Biology*                

One year of General Chemistry*          

One year of Human Anatomy & Physiology*

a Microbiology course*                                                 

One year of Organic Chemistry (pre-/co-requisite for Biochemistry at GC)

a Biochemistry course*

a Statistics course*                                                                               

GRE score* (competitive scores at WFU: 450 Verbal; 595 Quantitative; 4.3 Analytical Writing)

a BachelorŐs Degree* (by the spring before entry)

 

4) Clinical Hours

         The minimum number of clinical contact hours required by WFU is 1000 hours or six months full-time employment in an allied health science career. The average clinical experience for 2006Ős new enrollees (graduating 2008) was about 24 months (@4200 hrs), so Wake Forest (like other PA programs) is looking not only for good academics but also for good clinical backgrounds in its PA students.  GC students must complete the minimum 1000 hours (6 months) of clinical patient care by the time of matriculation (by May of the year of entry).  Some other PA programs do not require these clinical hours.

 

5) Learn to Work in Groups or Teams

         Group-based learning is a major foundation for the Wake Forest clinical program and elsewhere.  Thus all prospective PAŐs should learn how to work in a cooperative group.  In other words: teamwork, critical thinking, and effective communication (oral and written) is an important part of being a PA.

 

6) Wake Forest PA Web Site:   http://www1.wfubmc.edu/PAProgram

7) Other PA programs

         One should be aware of other PA programs other than the Wake Forest program (programs at Duke, ECU, etc.).  You can apply to most of these programs (as well as to Wake Forest) in the Fall of your senior year at the earliest.  Most of these programs now give the MasterŐs degree.

 

Dr. Cal Bond, Director of Allied Health Programs (email bondc@gborocollege.edu)