If you want to be on the path to work as a physician assistant, the Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Services and Sciences Physician Assistant Preparation Concentration may be ideal for you. We will prepare you with the necessary biomedical background, plus we’ll help build your professionalism, communication skills, skills using research to make decisions, and we’ll help you develop an understanding of our changing health care systems and policies.
This concentration will prepare you to apply to the WMU physician assistant graduate program. However, completion of this concentration does not guarantee admission to the Physician Assistant Graduate program. Other physician assistant graduate programs have similar but not necessarily identical prerequisites, you should check the requirements of your preferred graduate programs while pursuing your undergraduate degree.
You must satisfy all the requirements of the HSS bachelor's degree, including the capstone experience. In addition, you will take the following courses:
Note regarding capstone coursework: A patient contact paid internship is recommended for any student pursuing this concentration who has not acquired at least 1000 hours of patient care that is needed for application to the PA program.
Physician assistant preparation concentration cognate courses
- BIOS 1600 - Biological Form and Function - Credits: 3 hours
- BIOS 1610 - Molecular and Cellular Biology - Credits: 4 hours
- BIOS 1620 - Ecology and Evolution - Credits: 4 hours (prerequisite to BIOS 2500)
- BIOS 2320 - Microbiology and Infectious Diseases - Credits: 4 hours (prerequisite to the WMU PA program) - OR
BIOS 3120 - Microbiology - Credits: 5 hours - BIOS 2500 - Genetics - Credits: 4 hours
- BIOS 3500 - Human Physiology for Majors - Credits: 5 hours (prerequisite to the WMU PA program)
- CHEM 1100 - General Chemistry I - Credits: 3 hours
CHEM 1110 - General Chemistry Laboratory I - Credits: 1 hour - CHEM 1120 - General Chemistry II - Credits: 3 hours
CHEM 1130 - General Chemistry Laboratory II - Credits: 1 hour - CHEM 3550 - Introductory Biochemistry - Credits: 3 hours (prerequisite to the WMU PA program)
CHEM 3560 - Introductory Biochemistry Laboratory - Credits: 1 hour (prerequisite to the WMU PA program) - CHEM 3700 - Introduction to Organic Chemistry - Credits: 3 hours
CHEM 3710 - Introduction to Organic Chemistry Lab - Credits: 1 hour - MDSC 4390 - Pharmacology for Health Professionals - Credits: 3 hours
- MDSC 4450 - Pathophysiology for the Health Professional - Credits: 3 hours
- STAT 3660 - Data Analysis for Biosciences - Credits: 4 hours