Program Information

Physician Assistants (PAs) are trained in the medical model, similar to how physicians are trained in medical school.  Students attending the Physician Assistant Studies (PAS) program at GVSU enter with diverse educational and health-related experiences.  The curriculum at GVSU enables all students to build on their prior knowledge and become highly competent physician assistants upon graduation.

The PAS program curriculum includes four semesters of didactic coursework (67 credits) followed by three semesters of clinical training (36 credits).  The didactic courses include human anatomy, medical physiology, statistics, clinical applications, clinical medicine, pathophysiology, clinical problem-solving, practical therapeutics, PA professional issues, and evidence-based medicine.

Course Schedule

PAs receive 16 months of didactic training followed by 12 months of clinical training (clinical rotations) at Grand Valley State University.

Didactic Phase (4 Semesters)

   Fall—Semester One Credits: 17

• BMS 561 - Prosected Regional Anatomy Credits: 4
• STA 610 - Applied Statistics for Health Professions Credits: 3
• PAS 501 - Clinical Applications I Credits: 2
• PAS 511 - Foundations of Clinical Medicine Credits: 4
• PAS 521 - Medical Physiology Credits: 3
• PAS 561 - Clinical Applications Lab I Credits: 1

  Winter—Semester Two Credits: 17

• PAS 502 - Clinical Applications II Credits: 1
• PAS 512 - Clinical Medicine I Credits: 6
• PAS 522 - Clinical Pathophysiology I Credits: 1
• PAS 532 - Practical Therapeutics I Credits: 2
• PAS 542 - Clinical Problem Solving Sessions I Credits: 1
• PAS 551 - Physician Assistant Prof Issues I: Credits: 1
• PAS 562 - Clinical Applications Lab II Credits: 1
• PAS 572 - Hospital Community Experience I Credits: 1
• PAS 582 - Evidence-Based Medicine I Credits: 3

  Spring/Summer—Semester Three Credits: 15

• PAS 503 - Clinical Applications III Credits: 1
• PAS 513 - Clinical Medicine II Credits: 6
• PAS 523 - Clinical Pathophysiology II Credits: 1
• PAS 533 - Practical Therapeutics II Credits: 2
• PAS 543 - Clinical Problem Solving Sessions II Credits: 1
• PAS 563 - Clinical Applications Lab III Credits: 1
• PAS 573 - Hospital Community Experience II Credits: 1
• PAS 583 - Evidence-Based Medicine II Credits 2

  Fall—Semester Four Credits: 18

• PAS 504 - Clinical Applications IV Credits: 1
• PAS 514 - Clinical Medicine III Credits: 6
• PAS 524 - Clinical Pathophysiology III Credits: 3
• PAS 534 - Practical Therapeutics III Credits: 2
• PAS 544 - Clinical Problem Solving Sessions III Credits: 1
• PAS 554 - Physician Assistant Profession Issues II Credits: 1
• PAS 564 - Clinical Applications Lab IV Credits: 1
• PAS 574 - Hospital Community Experience III Credits: 1
• PAS 584 - Evidence-Based Medicine III Credits: 2

Clinical Phase (3 Semesters)

Winter—Semester Five Credits: 12

• PAS 610^1,2 - Clinical Rotations I Credits: 12

  Spring/Summer—Semester Six Credits: 12

• PAS 620^1,2  - Clinical Rotations II Credits: 12

Fall—Semester Seven Credits: 12

• PAS 630^1,2  - Clinical Rotations III Credits: 12

During the clinical phase of the program, students complete seven core required rotations, an integrated pediatric rotation, and eight weeks of elective rotations.

• Core required rotations include emergency medicine (4 weeks), family medicine (8 weeks), internal medicine (8 weeks), psychiatry/behavioral medicine (4 weeks), underserved medicine (4 weeks), general surgery (4 weeks), and women's health (4 weeks).
• The pediatric rotation is integrated into the family practice, underserved, and emergency medicine clinical rotations. All students have supervised clinical practice experiences at a site with access to pediatric patient populations and with a preceptor qualified to provide care to infants, children, and adolescents to allow students to meet the pediatric rotation learning outcomes.
• Students also have the opportunity to select eight weeks of elective rotations. Elective rotations vary in length from 2-4 weeks. Popular electives include, but are not limited to:  cardiology, orthopedics, hematology/oncology, neurology, ENT (Ear, Nose, Throat), dermatology, pediatrics, surgical specialties (such as Cardiothoracic, Urologic, Vascular, Neuro, etc.), and international rotations.
  • Note:  Students who select an elective international rotation are responsible for all travel and housing costs associated with the rotation. International rotations are arranged through the GVSU Padnos International Center (https://www.gvsu.edu/pic/).

PAS program faculty ensure all enrolled students are placed in supervised clinical practice experiences to allow them to meet the program learning outcomes. See the PAS Program Student Policy on Student Solicitation of Clinical Sites and Preceptors (https://www.gvsu.edu/pas/pas-student-policies-122.htm) for additional details.

Course Information

Course Catalog

Please refer to the PAS Program Student Policy for Awarding the Master of Physician Assistant Studies Degree (https://www.gvsu.edu/pas/pas-student-policies-122.htm) for further details regarding program and degree requirements.