QUICK LINKS:
- Admissions Requirements (A3.13b,d)
- GPA Requirements (A3.13 d)
- Prerequisite Coursework (A3.13 b,d)
- Direct Patient Care (patient care experience) (A3.13b)
- GRE (A3.13b)
- Advanced Placement (A3.13c)
- Prerequisite Coursework (B2.01)
- Special Consideration: Favor for Special Individuals or Group (A3.13a)
- Technical Standards (A3.13e)
- Accreditation (A3.12a, D1.02c)
Admissions
Thank you for your interest in applying to Palm Beach Atlantic’s faith-integrated Master of Medical Science in Physician Associate (MMSc-PA) in West Palm Beach, Florida.
The time and preparation to get to this point may have been challenging but will ultimately be very rewarding. Please read below for the steps to apply to this program and the application requirements to be eligible for selection.
Application Steps
Applicants for PA Medicine can complete the following steps to be eligible for admission.
Step 1- Review Application Requirements (See Below for Specifics).
Step 2- Review Technical Standards Requirements (See Below for Specifics). (A3.13e)
Step 3- Review Applicant Self-Assessment.
Step 4 – Apply
- Complete the online application for Palm Beach Atlantic University, Florida. Application cycle opens March 1st, 2025 and closes October 1st, 2025.
- Applicants are strongly encouraged to complete application materials early. All applications must be verified before being considered for an interview. PA Medicine uses a rolling admissions process.
- Send official transcripts from all coursework, GRE scores, and three (3) letters of recommendation directly to PBA.
Step 5 – Interview (In-Person)
- The program admissions committee invites the most competitive applicants to interview.
- After interviews are completed, candidates will be notified regarding their admission into PA Medicine.
Step 6 – Complete Post-Acceptance Requirements
- Accepted candidates will be notified by phone and email.
- Accepted students must reserve seats within seven days of this communication with a $500 non-refundable tuition deposit. A second deposit of $500 will be required upon the ARC-PA accreditation decision in June 2025. Note: In the event that the Palm Beach Atlantic University’s PA Medicine Program does not achieve Accreditation-Provisional status as planned, selected students will not matriculate and will receive a full refund of deposits.
- Provisional acceptance to the program is conditional on completing the post-acceptance requirements, which must be completed by July 1st, 2025.
Step 7 – Begin PA Medicine Program
- On-campus orientation: September 2025
- First day of class: October 1st, 2025
Admissions Requirements (A3.13 b,d)
If your ability to meet admission criteria has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly related to pass/fail grades and official transcript submission, please contact our Admissions Counselor, Aida Castro, to learn about your options.
Aida Castro | aida_castro@pba.edu | (561) 803- 2192
Applicants will be considered for acceptance with satisfactory completion of the following requirements.
Application
If you are interested in applying to PA Medicine, please submit your application through PBA online which will open for application submissions starting March 1st, 2025.
Letters of Recommendation
Submit three letters of recommendation directly to PBA via the PA Medicine online application. .
One letter should be from a PA.
Other letters can be from another healthcare professional (physician, dentist, pharmacist, registered nurse, nurse practitioner, physical or occupational therapist, and/or from a mentor.
Please note recommendations submitted by relatives, friends, personal healthcare providers, or personal friends of the family are not acceptable.
Baccalaureate Degree
Degree must be obtained from a regionally accredited United States institution.
Applicants can apply while still earning baccalaureate degree. However, the degree must be completed before or on July 1st before matriculation.
Official College Transcripts
All official college transcripts must be submitted to, received, and verified by PBA before July 1st.
GPA Requirements (A3.13 d)
Must have a minimum overall GPA of 3.0 and prerequisite GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale as calculated by PBA.
Admission Prerequisite Coursework (A3.13 b,d)
Must be completed with a C (2.0) or better from a regionally accredited United States institution.
Applications with no more than two outstanding prerequisite courses will be reviewed and considered for interview. All prerequisite courses must be completed by July 1 before matriculation into PA Medicine.
A single course cannot be used to satisfy multiple prerequisites.
Coursework cannot be completed online if it requires a lab component.
Required Prerequisite Courses include:
General Biology and Lab – 4 semester hours
Human Anatomy & Physiology I and II (Human Anatomy & Human Physiology including labs) – 8 semester hours.
General Chemistry (I & II) including lab – 8 semester hours.
Organic Chemistry I including lab – 4 semester hours.
Microbiology including lab – 4 semester hours.
Psychology – 3 semester hours.
Direct Patient Care (patient care experience) (A3.13b)
A minimum of 500 Hours of Direct Patient Care/Patient Care Experience must be completed by July 1st before matriculation into PA Medicine.
Paid or volunteer experience accepted.
Experience should involve direct responsibility for a patient’s care and can include but is not limited to performing vital signs, obtaining a medical history, performing physical assessments or procedures, medical documentation, directing a course of treatment, prescribing or providing medication, etc.
Other allied health experience such as medical assistant (MA), certified nursing assistant (CNA), patient care technician (PCT), phlebotomist, pharmacy technician (PhT), emergency medical technician (EMT), athletic trainer (AT), behavioral health technician (BHT) and other health professionals like RN, CRT, MD, or CLT accepted.
Medical scribe hours may account for for up to 250 hours of the required 500 direct patient care hours.
GRE (A3.13b)
Must be completed by the time of application.
GRE scores must have been taken within the last 7 years of application.
Multiple GRE scores will be super scored (best score for each section used).
No minimum score is required, however, a score of 150 in each quantitative and verbal, as well as, an analytical score of 3.5 is considered competitive.
Advanced Placement Policy (A3.13c)
PA Medicine does not award or grant “advanced placement.”
Prerequisite Coursework (B2.01)
PA Medicine requires specific course(s) as prerequisites to enrollment; those prerequisites must not substitute for more advanced applied content within the professional component of the program.
Special Consideration: Favor for Specified Individuals or Groups (A3.13a)
We give special consideration to the applicants with the following, provided they meet the competitive admission requirements for PA Medicine:
- Military service – Served in 1 of the 6 branches of military, National Guard, or Reserves and received honorable discharge.
- Long-term mission work – Served in Peace Corp or foreign country missions greater than 6 months.
- Medical Mission Experience – Served on a medical mission trip or served in a medical capacity to an underserved population.
- PBA Alma Mater – Attended or graduated from Palm Beach Atlantic University.
Technical Standards (A3.13e)
The foundation of success in Physician Associate Medicine is built upon the “Technical Standards,” a set of competencies that encapsulate the core knowledge, skills, and professional attributes required for graduation. Prior to enrollment, candidates are required to confirm their ability to meet these standards, a commitment that must be sustained throughout their educational journey. These standards are categorized into five essential areas, each reflecting a critical aspect of the professional competencies deemed necessary by the faculty and the broader physician assistant community.
Adherence to these Technical Standards is imperative; non-compliance not only jeopardizes a student’s standing within the program but may also lead to dismissal, underscoring the program’s commitment to maintaining the highest levels of healthcare delivery and patient care.
Upon being welcomed into PA Medicine, candidates will need to affirm their comprehension and capability to meet these standards, with the provision for reasonable accommodations if necessary. This affirmation is a cornerstone of the admissions process, reflecting the candidate’s confidence in meeting these fundamental criteria.
We invite all prospective students to engage in open dialogue about the program’s technical standards to ensure a clear understanding and to evaluate their ability to meet these standards, with accommodations if required. In alignment with the principles of Section 504 of the 1973 Vocational Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, PA Medicine is committed to ensuring that all candidates can meet these essential technical requirements, with or without adjustments.
Students who may need accommodations are encouraged to voluntarily disclose their needs and contact the PBA Student Success Center Office at 561-803-2063 for support, with additional policy information available in the PBA Graduate Catalog.
The P&A Committee will monitor students’ compliance with the technical standards throughout their program participation, ensuring ongoing adherence. The PA Medicine faculty is devoted to fostering graduates who are not only academically and professionally prepared but also capable of delivering compassionate, patient-centered care across a spectrum of clinical settings and patient populations.
Technical Standards - Candidates and students for PBA PA Medicine must possess the following abilities and skills:
- Accurately and in entirety, observe patients both at a distance and close at hand. This ability requires functional vision, hearing, and bodily sensation.
- Ability to visually observe materials presented in the classroom and laboratory environment, including audiovisual presentations, written documents, microbiology cultures, microscopic examination of microorganisms, tissues, and gross organs, and diagnostic images (e.g., ECG, X-ray, C.T.).
- Effectively speak, hear, and observe patients to elicit information, perceive nonverbal communication, and describe mood, activity, and posture changes.
- Communicate effectively and sensitively with patients and their families through oral and written language.
- Communicate accurately and efficiently in oral, written, and electronic form with healthcare team members.
- Elicit information from patients by palpation, auscultation, percussion, and clinical diagnostic testing.
- Execute movements required to provide general medical care and emergency treatment to patients. Such skills require gross and fine muscular movements, equilibrium, and sensation coordination.
- Properly use clinical instruments and medical devices for therapeutic intervention (e.g., stethoscope, ophthalmoscope, venipuncture and intravenous equipment, gynecologic speculum, suturing and casting equipment).
- Physical stamina is sufficient to complete the rigorous didactic and clinical study, which may include prolonged sitting, standing, and/or rapid ambulation periods.
- Demonstrate the ability to measure, calculate, reason, analyze, and synthesize information.
- Demonstrate acquiring, retaining, and applying new and learned information.
- Demonstrate appropriate judgment in patient assessment, diagnosis, monitoring, evaluation, and intervention, including planning, time management, and resource use.
- Comprehend three-dimensional relationships and understand the spatial relationships of structures.
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- Possess the emotional health required to fully utilize his/her intellectual abilities, exercise good judgment, and promptly complete all responsibilities attendant to the diagnosis and care of patients.
- Demonstrate mature, receptive, and effective relationships with faculty, staff, patients, fellow students, and healthcare team members.
- They possess qualities of flexibility and adaptability, which are necessary to function in an environment of uncertainty inherent in the clinical problems of many patients.
- Demonstrate the capacity to tolerate taxing workloads and function effectively under stress.
- Display the personal qualities of compassion, integrity, commitment, motivation, and genuine concern for others that are intrinsic to the medical profession. These qualities will be assessed during the admissions and educational process.
(Approved by PBA Chief Legal Officer Feb 2023)
Submitted Documents
Once submitted as part of your application, application materials become the property of Palm Beach Atlantic University. Materials will not be returned, nor will copies be provided to applicants or released to other institutions. Please keep a copy for your records.
PBA’s Right of Verification
PBA reserves the right to investigate the authenticity, accuracy, and authorship of materials submitted, information provided, and assertions made in connection with the application.
PBA reserves the right to withdraw an offer of admission if: (1) An applicant shows a significant drop in academic performance or fails to graduate; (2) There has been a misrepresentation in or breach of the terms of the application; or (3) PBA learns that an applicant has engaged in behavior before the first day of enrolled attendance that indicates a severe lack of judgment or integrity.
PBA reserves the right to require that applicants provide additional information and/or authorization to release information about such matters or any matter relating to their application for admission.
PBA will begin interviewing for the inaugural class in the Spring of 2025, and pending ARC-PA approval, the first class will matriculate on October 1, 2025.