DEPARTMENT OF

The Hofstra Northwell Department of Physician Assistant Studies’ mission is to create an interprofessional environment that fosters PA leaders and scholars who deliver empathetic, patient-centered care, and promote inclusivity to the diverse populations they serve.

The vision of the Hofstra Northwell Department of Physician Assistant Studies aspires to be an innovative global leader in the preparation of the next generation of PAs.

• Lifelong Learning
  The program is committed to promoting the ongoing professional growth and betterment of clinical practice through self-directed learning activities.
• Innovation
  We facilitate learning with a multimodal approach that is creative, interprofessional, collaborative, and student-centered using the most advanced medical resources and technologies that will provide the student with the tools for lifelong learning.
• Collaboration
  The program is committed to fostering a learning environment where students partner with members of an interprofessional healthcare team to promote excellence in patient-centered care.
• Compassion
  We embrace a patient-centered, caring, empathetic approach to the delivery of health care.
• Excellence
  We are committed to preparing clinically competent PAs that excel in their ability to critically think and problem solve to provide comprehensive patient care.
• Leadership
  We inspire our students and faculty to positively influence their professional, institutional, and patient care communities.
• Diversity and Inclusivity
  We instill awareness of and respect for individual cultures by educating our students on the importance of understanding the unique needs of a diverse patient population.
• Professionalism
  We challenge our students to become exemplary PAs by exhibiting respect, integrity, honesty, and ethical behavior in all circumstances.
• Scholarship
  We foster an environment that utilizes evidence-based medicine in clinical practice. We also promote the student and faculty’s contributions to the advancement of scientific knowledge for the betterment of the profession.

Student Handbooks

• CO 2028
• CO 2027
• CO 2026

Clinical Handbook

• CO 2026

Dual Degree Handbooks

• Class entering 2026
• Class entering 2025
• Class entering 2024

Preceptor Handbook

• Fall 2025

Guide to Pride

Admission preferences for the PA graduate program:

Students enrolled in the Hofstra BS/MS Program who complete all progression requirements, will be reserved a seat in the graduate phase of the program.

In addition, applicants will receive preference for the following:

• Higher overall GPA
• Higher science GPA
• Fewer withdrawals, incompletes, and grades of C or lower
• Upper level science courses with a B or better (not included pre-reqs)
• Three or more science courses taken in one semester
• Favorable letters of recommendation
• Quality of professional preparation (i.e. health care or volunteer experience)
• Superior personal statement

A physician assistant student must possess several abilities and skills. The use of a trained intermediary is not acceptable in many clinical situations in that it implies that a candidate’s judgment must be mediated by someone else’s power of selection and observation. Therefore, each student must be able to:

• Observe a patient accurately, at a distance and close at hand, with or without standard medical instrumentation.
• Acquire information from written documents and to visualize information as presented in images from paper, film, slides, or video.
• Comprehend X-ray, EKG, and other graphic images with or without assistive devices.
• Speak, hear, and observe patients by sight to elicit information, describe changes in mood, activity, and posture, and perceive nonverbal communication.
• Communicate effectively with patients and their families in both written and oral modalities.
• Possess motor skills necessary to perform palpation, percussion, auscultation, and other diagnostic and therapeutic maneuvers, basic laboratory tests and emergency therapeutic procedures, including airway management, placement of intravenous catheters, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, application of pressure to control bleeding and suturing of wounds.
• Measure, calculate, reason, analyze, integrate, synthesize, and comprehend three-dimensional relationships and understand spatial relationships of structures according to standard medical care.
• Exercise good judgment and complete all responsibilities attendant to the diagnosis and care of patients promptly. Develop mature, sensitive, and effective relationships with patients.
• Tolerate physically taxing workloads, function effectively under stress, adapt to changing environments, display flexibility and learn to function in the face of uncertainties inherent in the practice of clinical medicine.

Where a candidate’s ability to observe or acquire information through sensory modalities is compromised, the candidate must demonstrate alternate means and/or abilities to acquire and demonstrate comprehension of essential information. Costs of necessary accommodations should be reasonable and will be properly borne by the college when not the responsibility of the student or otherwise funded.

Hofstra University complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and state and local requirements regarding applicants and students with disabilities. For general information about support services for students with disabilities, contact:

Student Access Services
Roosevelt Hall
Room 102
Phone: 516-463-7075
Fax: 516-463-7070
sas@hofstra.edu