Physician Assistant Studies
Physician Assistant Studies
The Ohio Dominican PA Program will educate students to become qualified members of the healthcare team, promoting service and excellence in academics, professionalism, and clinical care. Graduates will be prepared to deliver holistic, evidence-based, patient-centered care in a wide variety of practice settings.
Admissions Requirements
View the admissions requirements, including pre-requisites and minimum technical standards.
Application & Cost
Admission to ODU's PA Program is highly competitive. Learn what steps to take to apply today.
Curriculum
View the curriculum for the didactic and clinical phases of the program and the course descriptions.
Ohio Dominican's PA Program is designed for individuals committed to serving others through a compassionate and holistic approach to health care.
Program Features
- 27-month program with classroom and clinical phases.
- State-of-the-art PA Program building includes cadaver, clinical skills, and simulation labs.
- Partnerships with clinics and health care centers throughout Ohio.
- Housing available on campus.
ODU's program prepares students in:
- Application of coursework concepts
- Clinical and technical skills
- Critical thinking
- Effective communication
- Professionalism
- Service to the community
Ohio Dominican was the first university in central Ohio to offer a Master of Science
degree in Physician Assistant Studies, which graduated its first class in Fall 2014.
ODU PA Program graduates achieved a five-year average of 97% pass rate for first-time exam takers, which is consistently above the national average.
Students enrolled in the Physician Assistant Studies program at Ohio Dominican benefit
from the university’s strong liberal arts foundation. To understand the health of
the body and improving the health of others requires a true application of the liberal
arts approach to draw on foundations in business, ethics and the natural sciences. As
a result, Ohio Dominican is uniquely positioned to take a distinctive approach to
Physician Assistant Studies.
ODU draws on its strengths as a small university, its many community connections,
and its foundation in a contemplative, reflective, ethical understanding of its place
in the world.
- Medical Knowledge
Graduates will demonstrate core knowledge of basic and clinical sciences and the application of this knowledge to patient care.
- Interpersonal Skills
Graduates will use communication skills that identify patient goals and promote patient education and understanding.
- Clinical and Technical skills
Graduates will demonstrate knowledge of clinical and technical skills required to provide appropriate assessment, evaluation and management of patients.
- Professional Behaviors
Graduates will demonstrate self-awareness, respect for others, and identify professional limitations.
- Clinical Reasoning and Problem Solving
Graduates will integrate evidence-based medical knowledge, community resources and patient needs in their clinical reasoning to provide equitable care plans to patients.
Didactic Phase
The didactic (classroom) phase of the program lasts 15 months. Students receive an in-depth study of:
- Anatomy and physiology, including full cadaver dissection
- Genetics
- Pathophysiology
- Microbiology
- Pharmacology
- Clinical and technical skills
- Clinical medicine including:
- Internal medicine
- Primary care
- Surgery
- Emergency medicine
- Women's health
- Pediatrics
- Behavioral medicine
Students are also provided Blood Borne Pathogens and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy and Security Rules training and certification.
The didactic education is reinforced through dynamic, hands-on learning in our state-of-the-art lab facilities. Students apply their classroom knowledge in a fully equipped simulation
lab, develop essential clinical and procedural skills in the clinical skills lab, and gain a deep understanding of human
anatomy through hands-on dissection in our cadaver lab. Students participate in community-based service that enhances patient communication skills while learning
about local resources. These experiences provide a strong foundation for clinical practice, enhancing both competence and confidence as students prepare
for patient care.
The last semester in the didactic phase will include clinical skill instruction in
such areas as:
- Suturing
- Lumbar puncture
- Vascular access
- Splinting
- Operating room techniques
- Point of care ultrasound
- Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
In order to complete the didactic phase and proceed to the clinical phase of the program,
the student must successfully complete all didactic course assignments and program
assessments, as well as maintain academic and professional behavior standards.
Clinical Phase
- Family medicine
- Internal medicine
- Emergency medicine
- Surgery
- Behavioral health
- Women’s health
- Pediatrics
Students will be eligible to graduate upon successful completion of all clinical rotations and summative assessments. These assessments occur in the final semester of the program in addition to an intense board review course to support preparation for graduate success on the national certification examination.
The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status to the Ohio Dominican University Physician Assistant Program sponsored by Ohio Dominican University. Accreditation-Continued is an accreditation status granted when a currently accredited program is in compliance with the ARC-PA Standards.
Accreditation remains in effect until the program closes or withdraws from the accreditation process or until accreditation is withdrawn for failure to comply with the Standards. The approximate date for the next validation review of the program by the ARC-PA will be September 2025. The review date is contingent upon continued compliance with the Accreditation Standards and ARC-PA policy.
The program’s accreditation history document can be accessed on the ARC-PA website by clicking here.
Ohio Dominican University’s Physician Assistant program is accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). ODU graduates who complete the Master of Science in Physician Assistant studies program are eligible to sit for the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE) administered by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA). Ohio Dominican University’s Physician Assistant program satisfies the academic requirements for those credentials and licensure as set forth by the State Medical Board of Ohio.
Requirements for licensure and/endorsement eligibility can vary from state to state.
The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) has a concise breakdown of the requirements for licensure in all 50 states at the following: https://www.aapa.org/download/19739/
The NCCPA provides a directory of state licensing boards at the following: https://www.nccpa.net/state-licensing-boards/
For students who wish to practice in a state other than Ohio, please contact the appropriate
program director/advisor to discuss if you will need to satisfy additional requirements
in that state.
To find out whether a program satisfies requirements from your home state, please visit the ODU Licensure & Certification Programs and State Requirements page.
ODU Physician Assistant Simulation Lab
Students in Ohio Dominican University's Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies program share how important ODU's Simulation Lab is to their training to become a PA.