Master of Science in Physician Assistant Program (MSPA)

Nancy Freeborne, Program Director
Felicia Esteban, Medical Director
Megan Ady, Director of Clinical Education
Vacant, Director of Academic Education
Faculty: Emily Greene, Kathleen Peltz, Caitlin Powers, David Suyes

Overview

The Master of Science in Physician Assistant Program embraces the team-based, collaborative and interprofessional approach to patient care. Students work together in course work, special interprofessional case study groups, research and clinical skills scenarios. Collaboration extends, but is not limited to, students from occupational therapy, physical therapy, medicine, nursing, and social work. Our PA program’s curriculum best prepares our graduates to practice the highest quality patient care in a rapidly changing health care environment.

Mission of the Physician Assistant Program

The mission of the MSPA Program at Mary Baldwin University is to academically and clinically prepare students for PA practice as compassionate, effective, qualified clinicians able to serve in a variety of medical specialty areas and settings in collaboration with licensed physicians. This is accomplished in an environment promoting diversity along with respect for self and others. The MSPA Program is committed to leadership, interprofessional education, and collaborative practice. The program’s mission is realized in a dynamic and holistic learning environment dedicated to critical reasoning, engaged learning and scholarship, and innovative teaching with a strong commitment to service, especially for those in underserved or disadvantaged areas. Veritably, the program holds that the primary goal of medical training is service to humanity.

MSPA Program Goals

Within the design of the curriculum and clinical experiences, the goals of the MDCHS PA Program are to:

• Each cohort will achieve a PANCE passage rate above the national average.
• At least seventy-five percent of the graduates will achieve employment as a PA or will be enrolled in a PA residency or other post-graduate program within six months of graduation.
• Educate PAs to work and collaborate in an interprofessional environment to foster a patient-centered care approach to health care delivery. At least 80% of exit survey respondents will rate interprofessional preparedness as a 4 or 5 on a 5-point Likert scale.

ACCREDITATION

The information below is current as of printing, however, our most current accreditation information can be found on our website: https://marybaldwin.edu/health-sciences/school-of-health-human-performance/master-of-science-physician-assistant/accreditation-outcomes/

ARC-PA

The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status to the Mary Baldwin University/Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences Physician Assistant Program sponsored by Mary Baldwin 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 March 2030. The review date is contingent upon continued compliance with the Accreditation Standards and ARC-PA policy.

Admission Requirements/Process for the Master of Science in Physician Assistant Program

CASPA Application

• All applications will be received and processed online through CASPA. Applications must be submitted and verified in CASPA by October 1. 

Bachelor's Degree

• Applicants must have obtained a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited post-secondary education institution prior to enrollment. Bachelor's degrees must be completed/earned by September 1 to be considered during the cycle.

Official Transcripts

• Official transcripts from the applicant's degree-awarding institution(s) must be submitted directly to CASPA. Official transcripts available after CASPA applications are verified may be sent to CASPA or directly the Mary Baldwin University (MBU)/MDCHS.

Minimum GPA

• Applicants must demonstrate a minimum overall GPA of 3.0.

Prerequisite Courses

• Applicants must satisfy all prerequisite coursework requirements.
• All prerequisite courses must reflect a grade of “C” or better.
• Prerequisite course credits must be earned from regionally accredited post-secondary education institutions.
• With the exception of the Medical Terminology prerequisite, coursework must be completed by September 1 to be considered during the cycle. The Medical Terminology prerequisite may be completed by October 1; a 1-2 credit-hour (minimum) course or a certificate program is acceptable to fulfill the prerequisite requirement.

• The required prerequisite courses are as follows:

   

*Must be completed within ten (10) years of matriculation in the MSPA Program

†Can be fulfilled by combined Human Anatomy & Physiology courses (for a total of 8 credits), but must still include labs.

Graduate Record Examinations (GRE)

• Applicants must submit their official GRE scores with their application via CASPA.  MDCHS does not establish a minimum required score, but applicants must have taken the GRE test within five (5) years of application to the program.

Casper Assessment

• Applicants must take and submit the Casper/Acuity Insights “US Professional Health Sciences, CSP-10101” situational judgment test as part of their application. Duet is not required.
• Applicants must complete the Casper assessment to be considered for an interview.

Personal Statement

• Applicants must submit a brief personal statement/essay.

Letters of Reference

• Applicants must submit at least three (3) letters of reference as part of their CASPA application.

Healthcare Observation and Experience

• Healthcare observation hours (shadowing) and/or actual healthcare-related and patient care experiences are recommended but not required. Shadowing experiences with a PA are encouraged.

Other Considerations

• Applicants are also encouraged to document the following for consideration:
  • Leadership experience
  • Employment experience, regardless of whether that experience is related to healthcare or patient care
  • Volunteer experience and community engagement, regardless of whether that experience is related to healthcare or patient care
  • Military service (veteran, active, or reserves)
  • First generation college student
  • Multilingualism
  • Graduation from undergraduate institutions involved in Articulation Agreements with MBU/MDCHS
  • Local residency

Language Proficiency

• Students for whom English is not their primary language, regardless of US citizenship, are required to submit their Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score with their application. A minimum score of 570 (paper-based) or 88 (internet-based) is required for admissions consideration.
• A student may be exempted from this requirement if they have graduated with a bachelor’s or graduate degree from a regionally accredited four-year university in the US.

Application Fee

• In addition to the CASPA application fee, MBU requires applicants to also pay a supplemental application fee of $45.
• An application is not considered complete until MBU has received all required application materials, including the supplemental application fee (or supplemental fee waiver).

Admissions Practices that Favor Specified Individuals or Groups

Applicants from Institutions with Articulation Agreements

• MDCHS's MSPA Program has established articulation agreements with select institutions. Applicants from these institutions who meet the terms defined in these agreements are guaranteed an interview. Admission to the MSPA Program is not guaranteed.
• Please refer to the Articulation Agreements policy and to established Articulation Agreements.

Regional Applicants

Additional consideration during the admission process is given to applicants from the western Virginia and eastern West Virginia regions. This includes the counties of and cities within Albemarle, Augusta, Bath, Highland, Nelson, Rockbridge, and Rockingham in Virginia, and the counties of and cities within Pendleton and Pocahontas in West Virginia. This includes individuals who have either:

• Graduated from a high school in the above-mentioned region, or
• Are long-time residents of the above mentioned region (defined as five (5) or more years)

Applicants from the favored groups described above must still complete the CASPA application process and satisfy the admissions requirements described above.

Applicants who meet these terms are not guaranteed an interview, and admission is not guaranteed.

Transfer Credit

• The PA program will consider requests for up to 6 (or equivalent) semester hours of transfer credit into the curriculum.
• Please refer to the Transfer Credit policy and PA Transfer Policy.

Advanced Placement

• There is no provision for initial admission of students into the PA program with advanced placement.
• Students who withdraw, or are suspended, must reapply through CASPA and the admissions criteria and procedures in place at the time of reapplication. This may not apply to students who are away from the university on a leave of absence or deceleration.
• Students who are dismissed from MDCHS are not eligible for readmission into Mary Baldwin University.
• If the decision is made to readmit, a readmission plan will be developed. This plan will address numerous factors e.g. grades, need for continuity of the academic experience, cohort support and other pedagogical concerns. Readmission is not a guarantee for successful completion of the program.

Supplemental Fee Waiver

The MBU/MDCHS MSPA Program aligns with CASPA in providing a mechanism for applicants to waive the supplemental application fee. To qualify, applicants must provide either:

• Proof of a granted waiver from CASPA, or
• Proof of a granted fee reduction for the GRE (GRE Fee Reduction Certificate)

Application Receipt and Review

The application cycle opens in CASPA on the last Thursday of April, and applications must be verified in CASPA by October 1 to be considered for admission.

An application must be submitted and verified in CASPA before Admissions will begin their review. Per the policy established herein, Admissions requires all of the following elements to be present before an application is considered complete. If all required elements are not present and complete, Admissions cannot effectively evaluate an application for admissions consideration.

• Official college transcripts
• Official GRE scores
• Casper assessment
• Personal statement/essay
• Three letters of reference
• Application fees (CASPA and MBU supplemental fee)
• TOEFL scores, if applicable

Admissions may exercise discretion when considering whether to recommend for further review and/or interview a candidate whose application reflects an undergraduate degree or prerequisite coursework still in progress, assuming that all requisite degree and coursework requirements are projected to be met by the associated deadlines established by the policy above.

Admissions will coordinate with MSPA Program faculty to establish and implement specific operational procedures for the evaluation of applications that establishes the parameters that will recommend specific candidates for further consideration. Such procedures will allow for the holistic review of applications with relevant consideration given the factors described in the policy above.

An applicant's race will not be considered in admissions recommendations and decisions.

Interviews

Based on the completed evaluation of received and verified CASPA applications, Admissions will send invitations to selected candidates to interview. Not all applicants will be invited to interview. An interview does not guarantee acceptance into the program.

Admissions will coordinate with MSPA Program faculty to establish and implement specific operational procedures for conducting interviews with selected candidates.

If applicable, all travel expenses are the responsibility of the candidate.

Admissions Decisions and Pre-matriculation Requirements

Admission decisions are made on a rolling basis.

Admissions will coordinate with MSPA Program faculty to establish and implement specific operational procedures for making admissions decisions, and for communicating decisions and next steps to candidates.

Please see the Admissions Decisions policy for guidance regarding conditional acceptance and conditional admission decisions.

Accepted students are required to pay a nonrefundable $2,000 deposit, which will be applied to tuition upon matriculation. Prior to matriculation, accepted students must also provide the following at their own expense (as applicable):

• Completed/signed Intent to Enroll and Technical Standards document
• Criminal background checks (federal requirement for all persons working with vulnerable populations)
• Verification (in writing) of a physical exam and health clearance, accompanied by health information release
• Verification (in writing) of a tuberculosis screening
• Verification (in writing) of immunizations
• Verification (in writing) of health insurance
• Basic Life Support (BLS) for Health Care Providers certification from the American Heart Association (AHA)

After classes start, and in preparation for clinical placements, students must also provide any additional requirements prescribed by specific health care agencies (such as drug screening, criminal background checks, etc.), again at their own expense.

Program Policies

Readmission with Advanced Placement

There is no provision for initial admission of students into the PA program with advanced placement.

Students who withdraw, or are suspended, must reapply through CASPA and the admissions criteria and procedures in place at the time of reapplication. This may not apply to students who are away from the university on a leave of absence or deceleration.

Students who are dismissed from MDCHS are not eligible for readmission into Mary Baldwin University.

If the decision is made to readmit, a readmission plan will be developed. This plan will address numerous factors e.g. grades, need for continuity of the academic experience, cohort support and other pedagogical concerns. Readmission is not a guarantee for successful completion of the program.

Grading, Student Standing, and Academic Probation

The PA program is a full-time program. Students will not be permitted to reduce the course

load in a semester as the professional programs are sequential and require the student to

complete them in a specific sequence and timing. Any special circumstances related to course work for students will be addressed on a case-by-case basis with the Accessibility Services Program Coordinator, the Program Director, and the faculty. The minimum passing grade for courses in the MSPA Program is 70% out of 100%.

* Does not count toward graduate degree requirement: does count on grade point average.

**Does count toward graduate degree: does not count on grade point average.

Courses will be taken in semesters and assigned appropriate credit hours for contact time for lecture, lab, and clinical activities as appropriate. A course may be offered as a pass/fail grading option; however, students may not choose to take a regular, graded course for pass/fail.

All graduate courses must be passed with a grade of “C” or better. A student receiving a grade of “D” or “F” in any course will be dismissed from the program in which they are enrolled.

Students must maintain an overall GPA of 3.0 or better to continue in the program and graduate. During the didactic phase, students falling below a GPA of 3.0 in any given semester will be placed on academic probation. A student may remain on academic probation for one additional semester in order to reach a 3.0 overall GPA. If the 3.0 GPA is not met at that time the student will be dismissed from the program.

Students who fail to maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 at the conclusion of the final didactic semester will be subject to academic review by the Academic Progress Committee. The student may face consequences which could include remediation, inability to progress to the clinical phase, or dismissal from the program. Academic probation during the clinical phase of the program is addressed more completely in the PA Clinical Education Manual.

A student on probation at the completion of the last didactic semester may be allowed to progress to the clinical phase provided the student completed all remediation successfully, has no course work with a grade lower than a “C”, successfully passed all practical examinations, and demonstrated appropriate professional behaviors in class and clinical settings. The Academic Progress Committee will meet to discuss the student’s readiness to proceed to the full-time clinical experience. Students on probation are ineligible for academic or programmatic awards.

Students on academic probation will follow the individual guidelines established by the

Academic Progress Committee to facilitate their academic improvement.

Program Matriculation and Completion – PA Program

At the end of each semester, faculty review the academic performance of all students. In order to progress to the next semester students must successfully complete all courses in a particular semester with a grade of "C" or better and maintain a 3.0 GPA. All practical testing during that semester must be successfully completed as per the course syllabi. The student must demonstrate appropriate professional behaviors. To enter the clinical phase, a student must successfully complete all didactic courses, successfully complete the didactic formative examinations and objective standardized clinical examinations (OSCE) given following completion of the didactic phase of the program, as well as maintain standards of professional behavior. In addition to successful completion of the didactic year, the student must be certified in basic life support for health care providers (BLS) and advanced cardiac life support (ACLS). Students must maintain CPR/ACLS certification for the entire clinical year of the program. In the event the student's certification in CPR/ACLS expires before graduation, the student must recertify.

The PA timeline for completion of all program requirements is specified as four years from the initial date of enrollment.

Transfer Credit

The PA program will consider requests for up to 6 (or equivalent) semester hours of transfer credit into the curriculum.

PROCEDURE:

These courses must have been successfully completed within the past three years with a minimum grade of “B” or better in a graduate-level program at a regionally-accredited institution of higher learning. Courses must be directly applicable to the established PA program curriculum, as determined by the faculty after thorough review of all appropriate documents (application, transcripts, recommendations and personal request letter).

Competency on the subject material will be assessed in accordance with the course requirements prior to acceptance of transfer credit. If the request for transfer of credits is from another PA educational program, it must be from another accredited program in which the student is in good standing, and with the specific recommendation of the program director, dean or other appropriate official. The faculty will determine satisfaction of program course prerequisites for transfer students from other PA programs on a case-by-case basis. Transfer candidates must fulfill the Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences prerequisites prior to matriculation.

MSPA Curriculum