The purpose of the Physician Assistant (PA) program is to create and maintain an educational environment that promotes critical thinking as well as clinical knowledge and skills necessary to exercise sound medical decision-making and to provide a broad range of diagnostic and therapeutic services to patients across the lifespan, in diverse settings. The program also strives to develop compassionate, professional and ethically-minded clinicians.
While PA practice is primarily centered on patient care, PAs will also be prepared to take on educational, research and administrative roles as well. As such, PA students must have an understanding of biostatistics, research methodology and other research principals.
A Physician Assistant (PA) is a nationally certified and state licensed medical professional. PAs practice medicine on healthcare teams with physicians and other providers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, and the uniformed services.
The United States is currently facing a shortage of health care professionals, and PAs are needed to fill the void. From 2014 to 2024, it is projected that the PA field will grow at a rate of 30 percent, which translates into 28,700 new jobs PAs. Currently this PA profession is ranked as the #3 in the best 100 jobs in the nation per US News and World Report.
Guided by the tradition of compassionate health care exemplified by the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady, the Physician Assistant Program will develop graduates who will provide evidence based, patient centered medical care in diverse settings, and who are committed to serving all God’s people.
Applicants to the PA program must complete an application specific to the program through CASPA. Applications must be in verification status by August 1 for a January start. Enrollment is limited to 30 students and admission is via a competitive selection process.
Information on student attrition can be found here.
The program is a 28-month continuous program. The program consists of 108 credit hours (68 of those hours are in the didactic phase and 40 of those hours are in the clinical phase). Due to the intensity of the program, it is recommended that students do not work while enrolled in this program.
Applications for the PA program must be submitted through Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA). Applications must be received and in verified status by CASPA by the published August 1 deadline. To submit an application, please click here.
Transfer of College Credits
All credits for the Master of Medical Science degree in Physician Assistant Studies must be earned at Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University. The PA program will not accept credit hours earned from other PA programs, graduate programs or medical schools.
*Total Costs for the Physician Assistant Program
Semester | Credit Hours | Tuition/Fees | Course Fees | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 16 | $13,348.00 | $60.00 | $13,408.00 |
2 | 17 | $14,154.25 | $140.00 | $14,294.25 |
3 | 16 | $12,808.00 | $310.00 | $13,118.00 |
4 | 14 | $11,555.50 | $11,555.50 | |
5 | 12 | $10,123.00 | $247.50 | $10,370.50 |
6 | 16 | $13,348.00 | $13,348.00 | |
7 | 17 | $14,154.25 | $14,154.25 | |
Totals | 108 | $89,491.00 | $757.50 | $90,248.50 |
*Tuition costs do not include textbooks or any additional costs associated with this program.
Document Title | Type | File Size | |
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Document Title: Physician Assistant Program Student Supply List | Type: pdf | File Size: 460.219 KB | Download |
Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University has financial aid counselors available to assist students with the financial aid process. All students are encouraged to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form available at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Once enrolled, students are eligible for a number of scholarship awards offered by professional PA organizations.
With support from the Louisiana State Board of Regents and Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, FranU is proud to announce the FMOL Sisters Graduate Scholarship recipients from the PA program.
Please click the blue links below to see how the program is meeting its goals.
The PA program strives to educate future PAs to be competent, compassionate, professional life-long learners of medicine. As such, the program has identified seven program learning outcomes (PLO) as well as forty-five associated entry level PA competency measures (COMP). The learning outcomes and competencies were developed based on standards published by the National Commission on the Certification of Physician Assistants, the American Academy of Physician Assistants and the Physician Assistant Education Association.
As such, upon completion of the program, the entry-level PA graduate will successfully demonstrate the knowledge, skills and professional attributes defined by the program learning outcomes (PLO) and associated competencies (COMP).
Physician assistants must have the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to render a wide spectrum of patient care services in a broad variety of clinical situations. Consequently, it is essential that in its admission process, the Physician Assistant Program assesses an applicant’s physical and emotional capabilities as well as his/her scholastic accomplishments and academic potential in order to assure that the applicant can meet the full demands of the Program’s curriculum and graduate as a skilled and effective healthcare provider. In making this assessment, the Program must consider the applicant’s current physical and emotional status, any cumulative or progressive disability, and any drug-induced impairment that may pose obstacles to the safe application of his/her knowledge and skills to the provision of quality care or prevent effective interaction with patients.
In order to be considered for admissions, all applicants to the PA program must:
6. Submit a personal statement summarizing why the individual desires to be a Physician Assistant and what they feel they can contribute to the profession.
7. Complete a third-party situational judgment assessment (Casper). The Casper assessment helps the program evaluate behavioral attributes necessary to succeed as a PA student. Applicants are responsible for scheduling their Casper test from available test dates (vary by application cycle) and are responsible for the testing fee. Applicants must complete the Casper assessment each year they apply by the due date published in the program's CASPA portal. Failure to complete the Casper assessment prior to the published deadline will result in ineligibility for an interview. Instructions and tips for taking the Casper assessment can be found here: Welcome to TakeAltus - TakeAltus.
8. Attend a personal interview; After the initial application review, qualified applicants will be further screened via personal interview.
9. Meet and maintain all Technical Standards in order to be enrolled in, and progress through, the PA program; Technical Standards are posted on the web page.
The PA program strives to transform enrolled students into competent entry level PAs as well as mission-centered servant leaders. As such, other factors such as diversity, maturity, professionalism, compassion and service to community are also important criteria for acceptance.
Therefore, in addition to excellence in academics, the admissions committee weighs other individual factors when considering each applicant, including:
In general, the higher the GPA and greater number of additional admissions considerations, the more competitive the applicant.
The following table should give the applicant guidance as to how competitive he/she is in comparison to prior PA classes. The competitive candidate has a “B” or better in all defined pre-requisite course work. Repeated attempts at pre-requisite coursework will be noted and weaken candidate’s overall application packet.
Class | Average Undergrad GPA (cumulative) | Average GPA (pre-requisite) | Average Science GPA | Average Volunteer Hours | Average PA Shadowing Hours | Direct Patient Care Hours | Work Experience Hours |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 126 | 145 | 2667 | 1527 |
2022 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 256 | 131 | 2427 | 1714 |
2023 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 217 | 93 | 2153 | 2876 |
2024 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 304 | 218 | 2020 | 218 |
2025 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 284 | 115 | 1537 | 629 |
3 year mean | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 237 | 140 | 2161 | 1543 |
The PA program may accept up to 30 students per year.
There are a number of ways in which an applicant may be accepted:
All accepted students are required to submit a non-refundable deposit (credited toward first semester’s tuition) via the University's applicant portal.
Failure to respond to acceptance invitation by published RSVP date will result in forfeiture of seat in class.
Our faculty members are highly-skilled professionals with diverse backgrounds and a comprehensive blend of clinical practice, content expertise, and educational experience.
Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associate, baccalaureate, masters, and doctorate degrees. Questions about accreditation of Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).
The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status to the Physician Assistant Program sponsored by Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady 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 2023. The review date is contingent upon continued compliance with the Accreditation Standards and ARC-PA policy.
The program’s accreditation history can be viewed on the ARC-PA website at: http://www.arc-pa.org/accreditation-history-franciscan-missionaries-of-our-lady-university/
Clinical Rotation Courses
PHAS 5771 Primary Care I
PHAS 5772 Primary Care II
PHAS 5773 Hospital Medicine
PHAS 5774 Medical Elective I
PHAS 5775 Medical Elective II
PHAS 5776 General Surgery
PHAS 5777 Musculoskeletal Medicine
PHAS 5778 Pediatrics
PHAS 5779 Emergency Medicine
PHAS 5780 Focused Topics: Behavioral Health/ Women's
PHAS 5781 Pediatrics Elective
PHAS 5782 Advanced Pediatrics Elective
PHAS 5783 Advanced Surgery Elective
There are 68 hours in the didactic (classroom) phase of the program. Classes may be taught online, face-to-face, or in a blended format. Face-to-face classes are taught on the FranU campus. There are currently no distant campuses.
The clinical phase is made up of 10 clinical rotations. Students may be assigned rotations in the Baton Rouge area, throughout Louisiana and/or in some cases, any of the 48 contiguous United States.
Clinical site selection and student placement are the responsibility of the program faculty. Prospective and enrolled students are not required to arrange clinical site placements for their rotations and are asked not to solicit clinical sites or clinical preceptors. Once admitted, if a student knows a clinician who wishes to become a clinical preceptor for the program, contact information should be forwarded to the Clinical Coordinator for consideration and vetting per program policies and procedures.