Frequently Asked Questions

In the spirit of Jesuit education, the PA program at Le Moyne College focuses on the care of the whole person (or as we say in the Jesuit world - cura personalis). The mission of our program is dedicated to the education of students to become clinically competent PAs, practicing in a diverse and ever-changing healthcare environment. We strive to become a leading model in primary care training programs for PAs.

By providing our students with a Bio-Psycho-Social approach to healthcare, we are preparing our students for the rigor of modern and interprofessional team-based healthcare. Coursework in the medical humanities is integral to the training of our students and is one example of what makes the PA program at Le Moyne College so unique. Below are some questions that are frequently asked about our program and we encourage you to let us know if you have other questions or need additional information as you continue through the discernment process of selecting the right PA program for yourself.

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Program Overview

• Is the PA program at Le Moyne College accredited?

The Le Moyne College Physician Assistant Program is fully accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) and the Education Department of the State of New York through 2031.

• What is the format for the PA program at Le Moyne College? Is there a part-time option?

The PA program at Le Moyne College is a full-time program (only) for the duration of 24 months. Year one is the didactic year and year two is the clinical year. Students will attend classes/clinicals in the fall, spring and summer semesters during the duration of the program.

• Is there an online or distance learning option for the PA program at Le Moyne College?

There is not an online or distance learning option for our program. The first year is the didactic year and that will be in a traditional classroom/lab environment. The second year will involve nine clinical rotations and will take place in a variety of healthcare environments/settings.

• What is the cost of attendance for the PA program at Le Moyne College?

You will be able to locate graduate tuition and fees directly on our website. As you will see, students in the program will be required to have reliable transportation during the clinical year (year two). Clinical sites are typically within a 60-75-mile radius of campus and students may also incur additional housing/travel expenses during the clinical year, if placed at site from a farther distance.

• Is there on-campus housing available for Graduate PA students?

Le Moyne currently has a few different residential options for graduate students. The Office of Campus Life & Leadership will be able to provide more information about these options after admission. In addition to those options, there are several options in close proximity to campus that past and current students have found to be affordable and conducive to their study habits. In the spring, prior to starting the program, incoming students will receive a roster of the incoming cohort. This will provide opportunities to connect with future classmates and also a great way to discuss potential opportunities for roommates, housing, etc. Incoming students will also be assigned to a PA student mentor and this will be a person that can assist with the transition to the program and the Syracuse area.

• What is the passing rate on the national boards?

Click here under the section for “Academic Overview” to review a five-year summary of first time test takers for the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE).

Application Overview

• What is the application deadline for the graduate program?

Applications must be submitted electronically to the Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA)

by October 1st. Applications must be completed, submitted and verified by CASPA before the October 1st deadline. Applicants are encouraged to start this process at least three to four weeks in advance of the deadline in order to provide CASPA with enough time to process and forward the materials to Le Moyne College.

 

When does the CASPA application become available for each application cycle? We would always defer to the CASPA website, but traditionally it has opened in late-April.

• What are the required documents to be submitted with my CASPA application?

In addition to the completion of the CASPA application, applicants will be required to submit their college transcript(s) to CASPA along with three letters of recommendation - one academic recommendation, one clinical/professional recommendation & one other academic or clinical recommendation. The clinical recommendation letter does not need to be from a current Physician Assistant.

• Is there a Direct Entry option for first-year students (out of high school)?

Yes. High school students have the opportunity to apply to a 3+2 or 4+2 Direct Entry pathway coming out of high school. This offers an opportunity for early provisional acceptance to the graduate program. Accepted students will complete a Bachelor of Science program in Biological Sciences/Master of Science Program in Physician Assistant Studies, provided that they maintain (or exceed) an overall grade point average/overall science grade point average (as defined by CASPA) of a 3.40. They will also have to meet the requirement of 750 hours of direct patient contact.Click here to learn more about the requirements for the Direct Entry PA program.

• Is there a pathway to the PA program for veterans?

Yes. Le Moyne offers a Veteran-Physician Assistant Bridge Pathway. There are three distinct paths through this program to meet you where you are at in your academic career. Students should consult with the Graduate Admission Office to determine if they are an eligible student for these pathways.

• Is there an entrance exam or supplemental application required in order to apply to the PA program?

No. Le Moyne does not require an entrance exam score (ex. GRE, PA-CAT, etc.) as part of the application process. Le Moyne also does not require a supplemental application as part of the application process.

• If I have taken an entrance exam, then can my scores be considered as part of my application?

CASPA will allow for a student to submit results from various entrance exams (ex. GRE, PA-CAT, etc.) as part of their application, but we do not consider them as part of our holistic application review process.

• Are international students able to apply to the PA program at Le Moyne College?

Yes. We absolutely consider and encourage international applicants to our program. Students should consider appropriate funding sources as international applicants may not qualify for traditional student loans via FAFSA.

How are international or foreign transcripts evaluated?

 

Are international applicants required to take the TOEFL exam?

  • A TOEFL score of 213 (computer-based exam), 550 (paper-based exam) or a 79 (internet-based exam) is required of all applicants whose native language is not English, with the one of the following exceptions:
  • Graduation from an accredited American High School.
  • Graduation from an American two-year or four-year college or university.
  • Completion of 15 graduate credits at an American college or university.
  • Completion of 60 undergraduate credits, including six transferable credits of English at an American college or university.

 

Does Le Moyne accept applications from Undocumented Applicants?

  • Yes, immigration status is not a factor in our admission process. Applicants who do not qualify for traditional student loans via FAFSA may need to plan for alternate funding sources. Applicants who do not hold US Citizenship or Permanent Residency should become familiar with licensing requirements as early as possible. Questions on these can be discussed with privacy to the Office of Graduate Admissions or the Chair for the PA Program upon admission.

 

• How many students are enrolled in each incoming cohort?

On average, 75 students will enroll as first-year graduate students in the PA program. Of the 75 spots in the program, about 15 (est.) of those are reserved for our Direct Entry students and participants in the Veteran-Bridge program.

• Am I able to make any updates to my application after submitting through CASPA?

Applicants that submit a completed and verified application by the application deadline, will be sent a confirmation email shortly thereafter to confirm that we have received all required documents. This email will also provide instructions on how to make a one-time update to your Le Moyne application prior to the advertised application deadline.

• When do interviews take place? What is the format of the interview process?

A timeline for each application cycle is posted on the admission information webpage and is updated as details are available for each individual application cycle.

Applicants invited for an interview will be provided with additional information in preparation for their interview.

All communication regarding admission decisions and interview invitations is sent via email to the account provided in CASPA by the applicant.

Admission Requirements

• Is there a major requirement from undergrad in order to apply?

No. There is not a specific major requirement for consideration for the program. We will do an extensive review of all coursework completed and verified by CASPA as part of our review process to ensure that all academic prerequisites have been satisfied. Whenever possible, we encourage applicants to complete all prerequisites in a rigorous course of study, ideally housed within a science major.

• What are the academic prerequisites for the program?

Click here to see an overview of admission requirements and prerequisite coursework for the PA program at Le Moyne College.

• When must I complete the prerequisites?

An applicant could be considered competitive with no more than two academic prerequisite courses remaining (or in process of completion) at the time of application (October 1). An applicant should also have completed a minimum of 750 hours of direct patient care experiences at the time of application (October 1). You can view a guide for how patient care experiences are evaluated in terms of quality by clicking here.

• Does Le Moyne accept AP credit for prerequisite requirements?

Le Moyne can accept AP credit for prerequisite credit as long as the credit earned is clearly noted on your previous college transcript(s) as having been accepted by that institution. This credit would have to count towards a specific content area or if a score report from the College Board is provided (upon our request). We commonly see AP credit being applied to Introductory Biology, English Composition or Social Science requirements. For example, credit for AP English is often reflected as an English Composition course on a college transcript.

• What constitutes an upper-level Biology course?

Upper level Biology coursework, must be at the 200-level (or higher) to indicate an advanced/upper-level curriculum and should have a Biology course coding such as: BIO, BIOL or BI. Coursework in other science categories (ex. Nursing, Kinesiology, Radiology, Exercise Science, etc.) are not considered to be as competitive.

• Is there a time limit for prerequisite courses?

Le Moyne requires the four advanced-level Biology courses to have been completed within the last five years from the time of application. Minimally, two of these four courses must be accompanied by a lab component. For example, if you are applying for the Fall 2023 semester, then you would be submitting your application by October 1st, 2022. Therefore, the upper-level Biology courses would have to have been completed from 2017 to present. With the ever changing nature of healthcare, we implemented this requirement to ensure that applicants have the most up to date knowledge and experiences to best prepare them for the rigors of the program and the profession.

Prerequisites outside of the four advanced-level Biology courses do not have a time limit.

• Will you accept coursework for the upper-level Biology requirements that are not Biology courses?

If no other advanced Biology courses are present, then we will accept a maximum of one course from the other sciences category toward this requirement. Courses considered for this requirement should come from our list of highly recommended/recommended subjects as indicated at the bottom of the prerequisite coursework form.

• Is there any exception to the five-year time limit, if someone has been working professionally?

Although health related work experience is attractive to your application, professional experience(s) would not be able to take the place of prerequisite coursework or exempt an applicant from the 5 year time limit on the four advanced-Level Biology courses.

• Does the five-year time limit for Upper-Level Biology courses apply to the other prerequisite coursework?

No. The five-year time limit only applies to the four required upper-level Biology courses. Therefore, the other prerequisite courses can be from any point of your academic record.

• How does Le Moyne evaluate applicants from institutions that do not use semester credits (quarter credit, trimester credit, etc.)?

It is very common to receive applications from students who have attended institutions that do not use a traditional semester credit hour system (quarter credit, trimester credit, etc.).

In these scenarios, we will translate/equate your previous credit to semester hours during our application review process. This commonly involves accepting more than one course on your transcript in order to satisfy one prerequisite course. There are many tools available online that you can use in order to translate your credits to semester credit hours to assist in the process of applying to our program.

Year I - Didactic Year

• When will classes begin for the first semester?

Classes for the first semester of the PA program will begin sometime at the end of August. However, in the summer prior to your program start, you will take a non-credit/no-fee online and 100% self-paced course: PAS 600 - Orientation to the Profession. This course provides a refresher on common medical terminology and orients you to many program logistics.

• What is problem-based learning (PBL)?

PBL is designed to help our students develop clinical reasoning skills by using patient scenarios. Our program will combine traditional lecture-based coursework with a student-oriented group learning experience (along with self-study) that is facilitated by a medical provider. This will assist students in developing proficiency in conducting histories and physicals as well as applying medical knowledge to patient scenarios.

• What does a typical week in the didactic year look like?

Students will spend their days in a mixture of traditional lectures (ex. Clinical Medicine, Pharmacology, Medical Humanities, Anatomy & Physiology and Research Seminar) in addition to hands-on courses. Hands-on courses will include the laboratory portion of Clinical Medicine or Anatomy & Physiology, group-involved courses, such as the PBL or service learning activity. Time spent outside of the classroom will be used for studying and practicing/applying the skills learned during the day.

Year II - Clinical Rotations

• How many clinical rotations are required?

Nine rotations are required in the clinical year. There are seven core rotations: Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, Pediatrics, Women’s Health/Ambulatory Care, General Surgery, Behavioral Health & Emergency Medicine. The final two rotations are elective rotations from a surgical or medical specialty.

• Where (geographically) do students typically complete their clinical rotations?

Students will generally be assigned to rotation sites that are located within a 60-mile radius of our campus, but can be assigned to sites from a farther distance. Students will be expected to have reliable transportation in order to get to the assigned clinical rotation sites. Students will also be responsible for all costs associated with transportation and housing.

• Are students able to participate in an international rotation?

Students have taken advantage of a global experience during the clinical year and have utilized one of the elective rotations for this experience. Please note these experiences take a tremendous amount of planning and additional considerations and therefore are not guaranteed.

Students will generally be assigned to rotation sites that are located within a 60-mile radius of our campus, but can be assigned to sites from a farther distance. Students will be expected to have reliable transportation in order to get to the assigned clinical rotation sites. Students will also be responsible for all costs associated with transportation and housing.

• Am I responsible for setting up my own clinical rotation assignments?

No. At Le Moyne College, it is our obligation to our students to place them in each of the clinical rotation sites. The PA program at Le Moyne has a clinical coordinator that works with students to develop individualized rotation locations/schedules in order to meet the needs of the students and to fulfill the requirements of the program.

• Can I do a clinical rotation in my hometown?

A clinical rotation could potentially be established in the hometown of a student as it would depend on the specific geographic location and if we have a preceptor relationship established in that geographic location.

• Can I use my own personal network to set up a clinical rotation?

A student could potentially utilize their personal network in order to set up a clinical rotation. The approval process for this type of rotation can take months to establish, so the recommendation is for a student to work with our clinical coordinator as early as possible to begin the process. We have to ensure that the rotation would meet the standards of our program and the standards of our accreditation.

After Graduation

• Upon completion of the program, what degree will a student receive?

Students that complete the requirements of the program will receive a Master of Science Degree in Physician Assistant Studies.

• When can a student sit for the board exam (PANCE)?

A student would be eligible to take the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE) upon graduation from an accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). The earliest that a student can take the PANCE exam would be seven days after completion of the PA program under the assumption that the program has certified the student to graduate.

• What kind of salary can a graduate from this program expect?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics provides information on salary trends for the profession, which can be found by clicking here.

U.S. News & World Report has listed the PA profession as one of the Best Health Care Jobs in 2022.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic

• Have there been any adjustments to the number of required patient contact hours due to the COVID-19 Pandemic?

No. We are still requiring 750 hours of patient contact experience at the time of application. We understand that there have been some restrictions and limitations of certain experiences, but the pandemic has also provided new opportunities to gain patient contact experience(s) (i.e. COVID testing).

• Will we accept coursework for prerequisites that was forced to go online due to the pandemic?

Yes. We will consider coursework that was forced to go online due to the pandemic as long as the course was completed through an accredited institution.

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