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UK PA Student Page

UK Graduate School Links:
Graduate School Bulletin, with PA Program Description
Graduate School Home Page

Outside Links:
American Academy of Physician Assistants
Kentucky Academy of Physician Assistants
Association of Physician Assistant Programs

(See notice regarding outside links)

Our address is:

Physician Assistant Program
College of Health Sciences
900 S. Limestone
Lexington, KY 40536-0200

By telephone: 

859-323-1100

If you are a graduate of our program seeking degree verification for application to a position or for licensing or credentialing, please contact the Registrar's Office for this service by calling (859) 257-7157, or by visiting the appropriate web page of the Registrar's Office.

A printable version of this FAQ can be found HERE. Please be aware that the most current version is this web page, and although every effort is made to keep the printable version up to date, it may not contain exactly the same information.

Prerequisites

What is the best major for pre-PA?

Application procedures

Applicant requirements

Developmental Psychology

Foreign Medical Graduates

The course of study

The Master's project

The Morehead campus

Program costs

Medical experience

Number of applicants/ acceptance/ pass rates/ etc.

I interviewed, but didn't get in this year

UK Students interested in the UK Pre-PA Student Society

This is a huge question. The short answer is that in many situations, you couldn't tell the difference between the 2, based on how they practice. PAs and NPs are often used interchangeably.

•  Key differences are that: 
  1) a NP must first be a nurse, PAs come from many backgrounds, including nursing; 
  2) the medical model in PA training differs from the nursing model, and is the same approach as used for MDs; 
  3) all PAs are trained in general medicine, with internal medicine, family practice, surgery, OB/GYN, pediatrics, psychiatry, etc., whereas NPs are all trained as specialists (e.g. adult, peds, OB/GYN, etc.); 
  4) details of licensing are different in different states, with the Nursing Board overseeing NPs and the state Board of Medical Licensure overseeing PAs; 
  5) all PAs have a required MD in a supervisory role, while NPs need to have a "collaborating physician" in most states, but may practice independently; 
  6) in general, PA students have more hours of supervised clinical practice in their training than do NPs. Although there differences among NP programs in this regard, PA programs are pretty well standardized with a year of clinical rotations at approximately 40-50 hr/wk; 
  7) currently, almost all NP degrees are Master's level or higher. Although a few PA programs offer less than a Master's degree, the majority of programs have moved to the graduate level for degrees. 
  8) Physician Assistant certification is based on proof of competency, as demonstrated by passing the national certification exam (see the NCCPA site for more information). The AANP site for NPs states that "Most NPs are nationally certified in their specialty area" (see their FAQ). The AANP position on NP education can be found HERE.

There are other differences, many hotly debated, but these are the big ones. Some of our best PA students are nurses, because of their great backgrounds. 

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What are the prerequisites?

• The prerequisites are as stated in the Graduate School Bulletin, which is the official source. Briefly, the prerequisites are:
  • Organic Chemistry with lab Pre-med or Chemistry major level
  • General Psychology
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Microbiology (lab recommended)
  • Biology/Zoology with lab Not Biology for non-majors
  • Human Physiology
  • Human Anatomy
  • Sociology/Anthropology
  • Medical Terminology

Will you accept the MCAT as a substitute for the GRE?

• No. We accept ONLY the GRE. No other exam will substitute for it.

Will my Chemistry (or Biology, Anthropology, etc.) course count as a prerequisite?

• We do not have an exhaustive listing of applicable courses from all universities. We cannot examine your course numbers for equivalency to UK courses, so common sense prevails. If you take a semester course in Anthropology, it will count. Likewise for General Chemistry, etc. (especially if the General Chemistry course satisfies the prerequisite for Organic). We do have a few requirements that apply to the prerequisite courses, such as the need for the Biology/Zoology course to be one designed for Biology majors, rather than a course for non-majors, but those requirements are clearly spelled out in the prerequisite listing. A Bacteriology course can substitute for Microbiology.

• You may either take separate courses in Anatomy and Physiology, or you can substitute 2 semesters of a combined Anatomy/Physiology course.

• We usually accept upper level physiology and anatomy courses in lieu of the lower level human counterparts. Please check with us to be sure for your particular courses.

My institution offers a 1 s.h. Medical Terminology course for medical assistants, etc. and a 3 s.h. course for pre med and allied health. Which one should I take?

• Take the more advanced course. Usually, the 1 s.h. courses that are offered are inadequate for PA practice.

Do I need to finish all my prerequisites before I apply?

• Generally, yes. However, if new prerequisites are established and published, it may be difficult for applicants to obtain those new prerequisites by the close of applications for that year. In those cases, we will make an exception such that the new prerequisites will be required by the time of enrollment.
• For established prerequisites, all must be finished by the time applications close in June.

Which course number should I take for the Human Physiology (or other) prerequisite?

• We don't know the course numbers at multiple universities, so we no longer specify the course numbers for any institution. We only did that when we were an undergraduate program, and most of our students came in from UK. If a course is called "Organic Chemistry", for example, it will qualify. 
• For the example of the Human Physiology course, take one that could be counted for credit in a Biology major, or that would count in a pre-med curriculum, as specified in our published prerequisites.  

My school is on a quarter hour system, rather than semester hours. How can I calculate my semester hour equivalents?

• The translation is fairly simple; a semester hour is equivalent to 1 lecture contact hour per week for 15 weeks, or 15 lecture contact hours. Thus, a 3 semester hour course has 45 lecture contact hours. Lab contact hours are usually weighted 1/3 as much as lecture, so that a 1 semester hour lab meets for 3 hours per week. If you have a 10 week quarter, a 3 quarter hour course meets for a total of 30 hours, equivalent to a 2 semester hour course. Adjust the numbers according to how long your terms are.

I am already at UK. Can I take some of the courses in your curriculum before I am accepted to PA school, so I can get them out of the way?

• In the past, some students were advised to take some our our courses that are open to non-PA students as a way to show they were capable of doing graduate work, and to have credit transferred into the PA program. This worked when we were an undergraduate program, but no longer since we became a graduate program. 
• Please be aware that any courses taken while enrolled as an undergraduate, whether as part of your undergraduate degree or as a post-baccalaureate undergraduate student, cannot be transferred into a graduate program such as the PA program.
• The only way to get these courses (such as PGY 412G, HSM 601 and STA 570; see the Curriculum section of this FAQ) transferred successfully into our program is to take the course(s) while enrolled as a graduate student. You do not have to be in a graduate program; you can enroll as a post-baccalaureate graduate student. The mechanism for such enrollment is through the UK Graduate School. The limit on transferred hours is 9 credit hours, or 25% of the total curriculum, whichever is greater. Since our program is 100 graduate hours, you may transfer in as many as 25 hours (although no one has ever done so)..

In October, 2002, the GRE exam dropped the "analytic" section. How is the new "analytical writing score", which is scored on a scale of 1-6, treated in assessing my GRE score? 

• First, all GRE scores must be from within the past 5 years, so that no new applicants after the Fall of 2007 will have an "analytic" section score.
• GRE scores the writing scores on the 0-6 scale, but there is no direct conversion to the 800-maximum scale. 
• We have not yet set a criterion level for the analytical writing score. We will probably use percentile data and choose a cutoff in the neighborhood of the average percentiles that would be equivalent to a 3-part score of 1200. We think the minimum writing score will probably be a 3, although we have yet to see a good correlation between GRE writing scores and student performance.
• Regarding the verbal and quantitative sections, we will be looking for a minimum of 800 points on the 2 sections. This number may be adjusted in the future, and may be subject to "special circumstances" (e.g. see Admission Criteria).
• We agree with the GRE corporation that the writing exam may be a useful indicator of ability, but we will have to see where the percentile scores fall out. Check the GRE site for their information on the exam, and on interpreting GRE scores in general.

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• We don't have, or endorse, a Pre-PA undergraduate program or a specific major, because we feel that medical providers should be well-rounded people. To that end, we think that taking students from non-science backgrounds is a good thing, although we have quite a few Biology majors in our classes. The answer from here regarding what undergraduate major you should have is "Whatever you want, as long as you have the prerequisites." It is more difficult to get our prerequisites included in a Music degree than a Biology degree, so that's probably why we have more Biology than Music majors applying to the program. However, it is not necessary, from our viewpoint, to have the prerequisites count toward your degree. You may have to get them done after you graduate.
• It is also good, of course, to get some hands-on medical experience. That can be obtained during your undergraduate years, or after you graduate. I would say that it is better to graduate and work a year or 2 before applying to PA school than to apply straight out of undergraduate status. Maturity is one of the things we look for. However, we do have quite a few PA students who came straight from undergrad.
• Regarding what courses to take in preparation: first, there are our prerequisites; second, you would also benefit from taking some higher level science courses to prove to yourself (and us) that you can do well in demanding courses. Our curriculum is extremely demanding, and many students fresh from undergrad have never had such a hard semester in their lives as they undertake their first semester in PA school.

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How do I apply?

• See our page on application information on this web site. Keep in mind that you must apply both to CASPA and the UK Graduate School as well as through the PA program. The PA program application is a downloadable packet available on our application information page during the application window. Once the UK Graduate School has its required information, it will send your files to our program.

When do I apply?

• Our application window is from April 17 to June 15 each year. Check our home page and the application information link there.

I've applied, but I haven't heard anything about interviews. When will I know whether I am being considered?

• We usually interview for our next class in mid to late August. We collect information right up to the interview date, so notification is by email shortly before interviews. We hope to improve this response time in the future. If you have applied, and want to be sure we have received all that you have submitted, please contact us using the form at the bottom of this page.

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How do I qualify to apply to your program?

• See our page on admission criteria on this web site.

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My institution doesn't have a course in Developmental Psychology. Is there another course(s) that can substitute for Developmental Psychology?

The following discussion was provided by Dr. Gerry Gairola of the UK PA program.

• First, some college and universities have courses specifically designated as developmental psychology and obviously they would meet the requirement. Some college developmental courses will focus on only child and adolescent development, which is fine as many of the foundations for our entire development are established during this period. However, if you can get a course that covers the entire lifespan it would be preferable. Also look in departments, other than psychology for developmental courses, such as sociology, anthropology, social work, education, early childhood development, etc. The content will probably be similar in many of these courses but the application may differ.
• Second, for a course not specifically designated as developmental psychology, you should review the syllabus or course description for the course and/or speak with the instructor regarding the content. The instructor should be able to help you determine whether it will have enough basic developmental psychology for someone going into medicine.
• In your review/discussion you should look for the following content to determine whether the course would meet some of the content normally included in developmental psychology and which is especially relevant to clinical practice:
  • Theories of Development (e g., Piaget, Erikson, Freud, etc.)
  • Perception, Attention, and Memory
  • Attachment Behavior
  • Cognitive Development
  • Language Development
  • Psychosexual Development 
  • Affect Development
  • Moral Development
  • Psychosocial Development
  • Family Development
• If a course covers at least six of these topics, then it would be considered acceptable in meeting developmental psychology prerequisite course requirement. Be sure to save your syllabus and send it when you apply to the program if you are requesting that a non-developmental course be considered for substitution.

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I am a foreign medical graduate. Can I apply to the PA program?

Yes, we do accept applications from foreign medical graduates (FMGs), but there is important information you should know:

• We do not offer advanced placement for FMGs. You must take all of our curriculum.
• In general, we will also require all prerequisites, although in some cases, for example, we may waive Medical Terminology for a foreign physician who has several years of medical practice.
• Foreign transcripts (for all foreign students) will need to be evaluated by a service to establish equivalencies to US university courses and grades.
• You will need GRE and TOEFL scores to apply. You should consult the University regarding the type of visa that is required for students. You will need a permanent visa in order to practice as a PA.
• On the positive side, you will find that our PA program is much more friendly to foreign medical graduates (FMGs) than most. Some programs would not consider you at all. 
• On the negative side, PA educators in general are very cautious about training FMGs such as yourself. In some past cases, FMGs have had a difficult time dealing with the role of the PA because they have previously functioned as autonomous physicians. As a PA, you will always have to function under the supervision of a licensed physician. If you are comfortable with this aspect of medical practice as a PA, you will do well. However, if you truly wish to practice independently, you will always have some stress because of the PA role, and being a PA might not be for you. Please be absolutely sure that you understand the PA role, and that you wish to practice medicine in such a dependent fashion. 

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What is the order of courses in the curriculum?

Below is a term-by-term listing (the actual order of courses may change, but this is representative):

• SPRING SEMESTER
  HSM 601 Overview of Healthcare Delivery , 3 s.h.
  PGY 412G Human Physiology, 4 s.h.
  ANA 611 Anatomy, 5 s.h.
  PAS 851 Intro to PA Profession, 2 s.h.
  
• 4 WEEK INTERSESSION
  STA 570 Statistics, 4 s.h.
  
• 8 WEEK INTERSESSION
  CNU 800 Nutrition, 1 s.h.
  PAS 853 Intro to Human Disease, 3 s.h.
  PAS 610 Research and Methods, 3 s.h.
  
• FALL SEMESTER
  PAS 654 Clinical Lecture Series I, 4 s.h.
  PAS 672 Pharmacology I, 3 s.h.
  PAS 857 Clinical Lab Procedures, 3 s.h.
  PAS 850 Clinical Methods, 3 s.h.
  PAS 645 Masters Project, 1 s.h.
  
• SPRING SEMESTER
  PAS 658 Clinical Lecture Series II, 4 s.h.
  PAS 673 Pharmacology II, 3 s.h.
  PAS 655 Psychosocial Factors in Medicine, 3 s.h.
  PAS 856 Patient Management and Evaluation, 3 s.h.
  
• 4 WEEK INTERSESSION
  PAS 640 Survey of Geriatric Medicine, 3 S.H.
  PAS 680 Disease Prevention and Health Maintenance, 2 s.h.
  
• 8 WEEK INTERSESSION, BEGIN CLINICAL YEAR
  PAS 660 Family Medicine Clerkship, 6 s.h.
  PAS 661 Pediatric Clerkship, 6 s.h.
  PAS 862 Obstetrics/Gynecology Clerkship, 3 s.h.
  PAS 663 Surgery Clerkship, 6 s.h.
  PAS 864 Geriatrics Clerkship, 3 s.h.
  PAS 669 Internal Medicine Clerkship, 6 s.h.
  PAS 870 Emergency Medicine Clerkship, 3 s.h.
  PAS 871 Psychiatry Clerkship, 3 s.h.
  PAS 842 Elective Clerkship, 3 s.h.
  PAS 680 Seminar in PA Studies II, 2 s.h.
  PAS 646 Master's Project II, 2 s.h.

Can any of these courses be taken before I am accepted into the PA program?

• All of the courses with the "PAS" prefix are closed to non-PA students. However, PGY 412G, STA 570, HSM 601 and CNU 800 are open to UK students.
• Transfer credit into the PA program can be granted only under certain specified conditions. See above for a discussion of transfer credits into graduate programs. In general, if courses are taken while enrolled as an undergraduate student, whether or not the course is used for your degree, credit cannot be transferred into a graduate program, such as the PA program.

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What is the Master's Project?

• A component of the Physician Assistant Master’s program is the completion of a Master’s Project. The project will begin in the second year of the program and will culminate in a written paper and an oral presentation. Students will receive additional details regarding the Master’s Project as its beginning approaches during the curriculum.

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What is the Morehead campus?

• Our program maintains a campus at Morehead State University in Morehead, KY, with some of our faculty based there. The Morehead campus is still the University of Kentucky PA program, and the curriculum is the same on both campuses. The purpose of the Morehead site is to enhance access to medical care for the people in rural areas of Eastern Kentucky and Appalachia, with most of the students there coming from the local region. The Morehead campus admits only 14 students a year (compared to 40 for the Lexington campus). You can see a Morehead campus map from this site.

Are all the courses in Morehead by video line? Are the faculty the same?

• The faculty for lectures are the same people, and the lectures occur in real time, rather than being recorded, so students on the other end of the video link can ask questions, etc. Currently, the direction is probably 60% from Lexington to Morehead and the rest is in the other direction. For lab courses, faculty on site will be the instructors. Rarely, the video connection does lead to some minor problems with communication, but email and telephone contacts help to minimize that issue. Generally, the Morehead students find the mode of learning to be excellent.

How do I apply to the Morehead campus?

• There is a place on the application form for you to indicate that you are interested in the Morehead campus. You will be able to indicate your interest in one, or the other campus. We no longer accept applications for an either/or campus choice. Please note that in order to apply to the Morehead campus, applicants must either be from a rural area or have a strong interest in the practice of rural medicine. If you have any questions specifically about the Morehead campus, please attend one of our Morehead Information Sessions, or call/email Staci Mynhier at 606-783-2636.
  

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What is the tuition? Is out of state tuition higher than for KY residents?

• Please note that the information below is likely to continue to change over the next few years. There have been recent substantial rises in tuition rates, and rates are projected to increase by ~10% a year for the next 4-5 years. Please see the UK web site below for current costs and keep this projected inflation of costs in mind. Also be aware that the KGS program (see below) may not survive budget cuts.
• The KY resident tuition for UK graduate school in 2007-08 was $3,835/ semester, and $401/ hour for summer sessions. For a total of 5 semesters and 29 s.h. of summer sessions, the tuition cost total is $30,804. See the UK Registrar site for updates of tuition and fees.
• Non-resident tuition is more than double resident tuition, but other costs would be the same.
• In the past, out of state students who applied to the program with  a GPA of 3.5 in prior academic performance would automatically qualify for a Kentucky Graduate Scholarship (KGS) grant. The KGS gives the students in-state tuition rates, and is renewable through the completion of all degree requirements for students who remain in good academic standing. However, with state budget cuts in 2008, the KGS program may be curtailed or changed. Please consult the KGS web site for updated information.  

What other costs are there?

• Medical equipment, textbooks, lab coats, lab fees and immunizations add approximately $2,300.
• CPR and ACLS training, professional meeting registration, certification exam preparation, etc. will cost about $300.
• Graduation fees and PA board exam fees will be  about $600.

So, what is the total?

• Around $34,000 for the entire 30 month curriculum and taking the board exam (keeping in mind the probable inflation of tuition in the future).

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Do you require medical experience before application?

• No, but some sort of hands-on medical experience is extremely helpful. In an interview, an applicant with excellent scores and broad patient contact experience will fare better than another applicant with the same scores and no medical experience. We do believe that obtaining medical experience before PA school makes a better PA.

What sort of experience is best?

• Any direct, hands-on experience is good. Many of our students were EMTs before PA school. Good experience  may be obtained by volunteering in nursing homes, emergency departments, etc.

How much experience is good?

• The more the better, but the program wants to be convinced that you can make an informed decision that you really do know what medical practice involves and that you really want to become a PA. If you are able to first convince yourself that a PA's duties are what you want to do, you will be better able to convince an interviewing committee.

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How many applications do you receive? How many students do you enroll? How many applicants do you interview? 

• Our numbers of applicants vary, and we do not share those numbers. Our class size is set at 40 slots on our Lexington campus and 14 slots on our Morehead State University campus. We interview a number greater than the number of available slots because there are inevitably some applicants who either reject an offer of a slot, or whom we reject. The actual numbers vary from year to year.

What is your average GRE and GPA for accepted students?

• For the past years (since we have been a Master's program), our average bachelor's degree GPA has been ~3.4, with a range from 3.0 to 3.98. Average GREs for the same period have been ~1050-1100 for Verbal plus Quantitative sections, with a range from 800 to ~1350. We anticipate that future classes will be in a similar range.

What is your first-time pass rate for graduating students taking the PANCE?

• Our overall first-time pass rate from 2003 through 2007 has averaged 90.8%, compared with a national average for all programs of 91.0%. Our pass rates for those years, compared with the national pass rates, are shown in the table below:

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I was invited for an interview this year, and I thought it went well, but I didn't get in. What was wrong? 

• Our applicants since we have begun the Master's program have been exceptionally well qualified, so many very well qualified applicants have been turned down. In most cases, these people were not turned down because of any inadequacies. On the contrary, nearly everyone we interviewed would make a fine PA/PA student, and we wish we could have accepted them all. We use GPA, GRE and interview scores to stratify our applicants and decide on our class for the next year.

How can I be a better candidate next year?

• In many cases, simply reapplying is likely to be enough. However, we cannot predict with any confidence how good the next crop of applicants will be. It is possible that we will have yet another group of incredible applicants next year. 
• To make yourself a better candidate, take a look at your qualifications. Is your GPA significantly lower than the average? Likewise for your GREs (see above for past numbers)? Do you have good clinical experience (i.e. hands-on), and can you broaden your experience? Sometimes getting more clinical background with different types of patient populations will enhance your qualifications significantly. 
• Think about how you came across in the interview. We are looking for people who are passionate about becoming a PA and caring for patients. Did you give that impression?

How can I improve my GPA? My GRE score?

• Because of the way we use GPA data, you really cannot improve your GPA without obtaining a graduate degree, or at least accumulating a large number of graduate hours with a good graduate GPA. If you do have a large number of graduate hours (e.g. 20+ hours), make sure we become aware of your successful efforts at graduate study.
• Since you may not be able to increase your GPA score, you will need to increase your scores in other areas (i.e. GRE and interview).
• Retaking GREs will not make you smarter, but it is likely to increase your score, and thus your numerical qualifications. Perhaps the applicants who made the cut this year retook their GREs and got higher scores.

How can I improve my interview? 

• Your interview score is based on our perceptions of your clinical experience, your knowledge of the PA profession, your motivation for becoming a PA, your academic ability, your ability to be a compassionate medical provider, and multiple other areas. 
• If you are indeed the compassionate, committed person that we are looking for, be sure that the correct impression comes across in the interview. 
• Probably one of the most important attributes for a PA student is maturity. How can you convince us of your ability to handle the curriculum and your future clinical responsibility as a mature adult?

How do I reapply?

• You again have to undergo application through CASPA, the UK Graduate School and the College of Health Sciences..
• Reapplication through CASPA and the College of Health Sciences must be done as it was the first time. See http://www.mc.uky.edu/pa/application_information.htm for current details.
• Reapplication through the UK Graduate School is simplified. You simply have to "update" your application, at no extra charge to you. Go to the UK Graduate School page for further information. Keep in mind that applications are kept on file for 1 year only, so this updating procedure works only if you applied in the previous year.

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I am a University of Kentucky student. Is there a student group of "Pre-PA's"?

• There is indeed a UKPPASSA, which stands for University of Kentucky Pre Physician Assistant Studies Student Association. They are an active group and they welcome new members. You can email the group at UKPPASSA@yahoo.com if you are interested. They also have a web site.

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Use the form below to contact the University of Kentucky PA program with your questions. You will receive a prompt response (within 2 business days, usually much sooner) by email. Please be aware that if your question is already clearly answered above, you will not receive a reply. Please be aware that if you request printed materials, you will receive a brochure. The brochure can be downloaded in a PDF format at THIS LINK.

When you click "Submit", your question will be emailed, and you will be redirected to the top of the FAQ page.

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