Pre-Physician Assistant Program

Rural Health Opportunities Program (RHOP)

The physician assistant track within RHOP is designed for rural Nebraska students interested in returning to rural areas. In this program, you’ll take a prescribed course of study to earn your bachelor’s degree at Wayne State before entering the physician assistant program at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) in Omaha. At UNMC, you’ll complete a 28-month program to earn your MPAS degree. Participants in RHOP receive a full-tuition scholarship at WSC, guaranteed admission to UNMC, job shadowing and internship experiences, one-on-one advising, and early registration privileges.

Rural Health Opportunities Program

Honors Program

Honors students complete an independent research project, usually spanning their junior and senior years. Your research can take you just about anywhere - in the lab or library, in the community, or in the U.S. or abroad! Honors work can also be very practical. Prospective employers and graduate admissions committees often look carefully at an undergraduate record for evidence of extra initiative and genuine intellectual strength.

Learn more about the Honors Program

Pre-Physician Assistant internships and job shadowing

Our outstanding Career Services Office is available to help you find internships and career opportunities. Students recently completed internships at the following locations: 

• Brain Injury Alliance of Nebraska (Lincoln, Neb.)
• Fillmore County Hospital (Geneva, Neb.)
• Fransiscan Health Care (West Point, Neb.)

Career services and internships

Topics covered in the Pre-Physician Assistant program

• Analytical, organic, and inorganic chemistry
• Biochemistry
• Chemical processes and materials
• Chemical experiment and design
• Human anatomy and dissection
• Molecular genetics
• Probability and statistics
• Advanced lab techniques and management
• University physics and experimentation
• Critical thinking and problem solving
• Research, observation, and analysis of data

This 4-year timeline serves as a guide to help you plan for applying to physician assistant schools.

Freshman year

1. Meet with your Pre-Physician Assistant program advisor to create a personalized plan and discuss what you'd like to accomplish during your summers (i.e. working, job shadowing, internship, or research). Your advisor and the WSC Career Services Office will help you achieve your goals.
2. Join the Pre-Physician Assistant Club at WSC to engage in health-related activities and participate in networking events.
3. Begin researching PA schools and learn about their admission requirements. Be mindful of prerequisite course and GPA requirements, location, costs, program reputation, and entrance exams score requirements.
4. Study and practice for the Graduate Record Examinations Test (GRE) (required by some schools, but not all).
    

Sophomore year

1. Continue researching PA schools and their prerequisite course and GPA requirements, location, costs, program reputation, and entrance exams score requirements. Inquire with the professional school for any specific questions and guidance.
2. Investigate summer health opportunities with your advisor and WSC Career Services Office.
3. Study and practice for the Graduate Record Examinations Test (GRE)(required by some schools, but not all).
    

Junior year

1. Register for and take the official Graduate Record Examinations Test (GRE) during the spring of your junior year, or the summer between junior and senior years.
2. Complete any summer work or internships opportunities, if applicable.
    

Senior year

Fall semester

1. Ask people if they would be willing to provide a letter of recommendation. Letters of recommendation are statements from professors, supervisors, or other professionals that detail your academic abilities, interpersonal skills, and character. Professional schools typically require 2-4 letters and will sometimes ask that some be from professors. Check with each school you plan to apply to for the number and type of letters they require.
2. Work on essays - Your personal statement or essay is an opportunity to expand upon unique experiences and events and adds a personal dimension to your application. Work with professors or advisors to have your statement reviewed.

Spring semester

1. Start the application process. Use the Central Application Services for Physician Assistants (CASPA). This allows you to submit one application and send it to multiple programs. Start the application process during the spring of your junior year, as the application opens each year on the last Thursday of April and closes the following year on April 1.
2. Complete the application process. Some schools may also require a secondary application for their program. This application deadline will be after you submit your centralized application. Each school you apply to will let you know what steps you need to complete after you submit your centralized application.
3. Interview with PA schools if required for the application process. Make sure to practice by doing a mock interview.
4. Make admissions decisions - Admissions committees will review your application to decide on your admission to their program. Follow up with your Pre-Medicine advisor if you have questions about your admission status.

Graduates of the Pre-Physician Assistant program work in their field or continue their studies using the skills they learned while at Wayne State College. Each year, medical schools and employers welcome WSC graduates into their organizations.

Recent grads are pursuing their MPAS degrees at the following pharmacy schools:

• College of St. Mary (Omaha, Neb.)
• University of Nebraska Medical Center (Kearney and Omaha, Neb.)

 Career possibilities:

• Physician assistant
• Lab supervisor
• Clinical advisor
• Clinic manager
• Educator
• Research assistant

 

job or grad school placement rate
within six months of graduation
Data based on most recent
employment outcomes survey