New Physician Assistant Agreements with USciences

The University recently entered into a new articulation agreement with the University of the Sciences (USciences) to benefit students interested in Salus University’s College of Health Science’s Physician Assistant Studies (PA) program. 

An articulation agreement is a formal partnership between two or more colleges and universities that provide an academic pathway for a student to receive one or more degrees. As an articulation agreement bridges two academic programs together, it is often appealing to a student as it typically guarantees an interview or a seat into graduate and professional school, or allows them to take a year off of their undergraduate program which in turn cuts down on tuition costs, provided that the requirements set forth in the agreement are met by the student.

Although Salus has over 40 articulation agreements in total across programs including Audiology, Occupational Therapy, Optometry, and Blindness and Low Vision, this is only the fourth agreement for the Physician Assistant program. The majority of the agreements Salus has with other institutions guarantee an interview, while a select few guarantee reserved seats.

The most recent agreement entered into is the 4+2 (four years of undergraduate plus two years Master of Medical Science) Physician Assistant Studies Program. Students must successfully complete Phase I of the agreement no later than August 1 of the intended entering year.

• Complete the Pre-Physician Assistant curriculum at USciences, which must consist of a minimum of 120 semester hours of undergraduate education including the required prerequisites. All Salus University prerequisites must be completed with a grade of ‘C’ or better.
• Attain a GPA of 3.70 or above on a 4.0 scale.
• Submit a completed application to the Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA), including scores results of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) and required letters of evaluation.
• Complete the GRE with minimum quantitative, verbal and analytical writing scores greater than or equal to the 60th percentile. Score results should not be more than three years old.
• Acquire a minimum of 300 hours of direct patient care experience. This may be a volunteer and/or employment position(s).
• Become familiar with the role of the physician assistant (PA) as a member of the healthcare team by obtaining a minimum of 20 hours of PA shadowing is required. Shadowing PAs in various medical disciplines is recommended.
• Successful completion of an interview by the Salus Physician Assistant Department and Office of Admissions.

Three seats will be reserved for USciences students interested in the Salus PA Program as long as they meet the above requirements.

The University’s full-time, 25-month PA program is patient-centered with a primary care philosophy and holistic approach so that students not only care for the patient but also about the patient; and emphasizes early and extensive clinical training.  

These aren’t the first articulation agreements for the Universities however - Salus and USciences have previous agreements for students who wish to pursue Doctor of Optometry degrees within the University’s Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO), and recently signed agreements for Doctor of Audiology degree within the University’s Osborne College of Audiology (OCA).

Learn More About our PA Program