Hofstra University Department of Physician Assistant Studies

Welcome to the Department of Physician Assistant Studies Website

Physician assistants are health professionals licensed to practice medicine with physician supervision. Physician assistants work in a variety of medical settings, ranging from basic primary care to sub-specialty medicine. Physician assistants are qualified to assist in surgery, attend medical emergencies, or care for patients in out-patient internal medicine, pediatrics or family medicine office and clinics.

Hofstra's program is designed to provide undergraduates the opportunity to earn both the B.S. and the M.S., as well as to provide graduate instruction for post-baccalaureate students. Undergraduate students first complete the pre-professional phase, consisting of three years of collegiate instruction including all prerequisite courses. The professional curriculum is divided into three semesters of didactic instruction, three semesters of clinical clerkships and one semester of research. Using a number of learning modalities including case-based learning, students integrate basic science with the study and application of clinical medicine.

During the clinical year of the program, students are assigned to clinical clerkships at affiliated hospitals, private physicians' offices and community clinics. Located in a variety of medical settings, these clinical campuses offer training in all disciplines of medicine and provide the opportunity for exposure to a wide variety of patient populations. The research semester will culminate in a research project using community partnerships and based on the principles of community-oriented primary care.

Upon successful completion of the program, candidates are eligible to sit for the Physician Assistant National Certification Examination (PANCE). Undergraduate students having completed 126 semester hours of coursework and all Hofstra University undergraduate degree requirements will receive a bachelor of science degree in physician assistant studies (1). All students, including those earning the baccalaureate, will earn a master of science in physician assistant studies upon completion of the entire curriculum (2).

Notes

(1) Students who complete 126 semester hours of course work and all Hofstra University undergraduate degree requirements are eligible for the B.S. degree; however, they will not be eligible either to sit for the PANCE exam or to receive the M.S. degree until all requirements for the M.S. degree are fulfilled, including completion of the PA Professional Phase of the program.

(2) Students who earn the B.S. in Physician Assistant Studies at Hofstra need only complete 37 additional semester hours of course work to earn the M.S. in Physician Assistant Studies. Students who enter the program with a baccalaureate degree from another institution must complete the entire Professional Phase of the program, or 79 semester hours of course work.

Event: The Department of Physician Assistant Studies, Class of 2012 Research Poster Presentation

Upon completion of their courses in Epidemiology, Evidence Based Medicine, and Research Design and Analysis, the students completed a thesis based upon a clinically relevant topic for their Master of Science degree.

Students had the opportunity to partner with healthcare organizations, hospitals, and research institutes across Long Island and New York City where they conducted qualitative and quantitative research on pressing public health issues. Topics included smoking, obesity, health literacy, preventive health screening, sexual health, asthma, aging, and even driving safety. Some students evaluated novel health promotion interventions aimed to increase access to healthy foods, promote sexual self-efficacy and safety, disease self-management, and physical activity among patients at risk for diabetes and hypertension. Each student's presentation marks the culmination of intense individual or team research and reflects the mastery of methodology and foundational knowledge. It is the program's objective to promote the integrity of evidence based research and its application to the clinical decision-making process.

Graduate from Hofstra University: 100,00th PA Certified!

Polina Burt, Hofstra University PA Program Class of 2012, was the 100,000th Physician Assistant to be certified. Ms. Burt is currently working as a PA in Dermatology.
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