Department of Physician Assistant Studies
Chairperson: Josh Knox, PA-C, M.Ed.

Mission

Our mission is to develop physician assistants in the Jesuit tradition who realize their full potential as excellent clinicians and national leaders. We pursue this ad majorem Dei gloriam, for the greater glory of God, and the benefit of the human community.

An ideal graduate of our program is well-rounded, clinically and intellectually competent, committed to professional growth, spiritually centered, compassionate and dedicated to doing justice in generous service to others. Our graduates will be leaders in promoting health, wellness and preventing disease in diverse healthcare settings and in their communities.

PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT PROGRAM GOALS AND COMPETENCIES

A complete list of program goals, student learning outcomes, and competencies is available on the PA Program website. 

Undergraduate Accelerated Degree Program

Marquette undergraduate students in the biomedical sciences major (BISC) can apply for admission into the Physician Assistant Studies program as early as the summer after their sophomore year, for admission to the PA program the summer after junior year. Candidates for the accelerated admission program must be on track for an initial undergraduate degree with a major in Biomedical Sciences (BISC) following the published BISC pre-PA curriculum in the Undergraduate Bulletin. This curriculum includes specific prerequisite courses for the accelerated program and ensures undergraduate degree completion by the end of the spring term in the first year of the PA program. In addition, applicants to the accelerated program must meet all admission requirements for Marquette Undergraduates listed on the PA program website.  Students in the Biomedical Sciences major who transferred from another institution must have a minimum of 30 total credits hours (2 semesters), including at least 12 credits of science course work, completed at MU to be eligible to apply for the accelerated program. Undergraduate transfer students interested in applying to the BISC pre-PA accelerated program will work with the Director of Student Success & Recruitment at the College of Health Sciences Dean’s Office for initial course planning.  All applicants to the accelerated degree program must be enrolled as degree-seeking students at Marquette University at time of application.

Meeting the admission requirements and completing the academic prerequisites does not guarantee admission to the Physician Assistant Program.  Marquette's PA program accepts students from a large pool of highly qualified, diverse applicants and is a competitive process.  The program currently admits 75 students per class consisting of a target class makeup of approximately 25 Marquette applicants from the Biomedical Sciences major.  Marquette senior applicants pursuing majors outside of Biomedical Sciences are also considered as part of the internal candidate pool.  

Applicants with a completed bachelor's degrees, current Marquette University seniors and international students should refer to the PA program web page for Graduate Application requirements. 

Typical 28-month Professional Phase - Master of Physician Assistant Studies

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Didactic Curriculum (Summer, Fall, Spring, Summer)
Summer Term
BISC 7220	Medical Pharmacology	3
BISC 7230	Medical Anatomy	6
PHAS 7095	Public Health	2
PHAS 7050	Introduction to Medical History and Physical Examination	3
PHAS 7270	Diagnostics Technology	3
Fall Term
PHAS 7080	Evidence-Based Practice 1	2
PHAS 7091	Clinical Medicine 1	5
PHAS 7092	Clinical Medicine 2	5
PHAS 7115	Clinical Decision Making 1 with Medical Coding	2
PHAS 7145	Physician Assistant Practice	1
PHAS 7200	Interpersonal Communication	1
PHAS 7301	Experiential Learning 1	2
IPED 9705	Interprofessional Education Communication	0
IPED 9715	Interprofessional Education Teams and Teamwork	0
IPED 9730	Interprofessional Education Special Topics (Chronic Disease & Oral Health )	0
Spring Term
PHAS 7085	Evidence-Based Practice 2	2
PHAS 7093	Clinical Medicine 3	5
PHAS 7094	Clinical Medicine 4	5
PHAS 7116	Clinical Decision Making 2	2
PHAS 7260	Pediatric Medicine	3
PHAS 7265	Health Care Systems	1
PHAS 7302	Experiential Learning 2	1
IPED 9710	Interprofessional Education Values and Ethics	0
IPED 9720	Interprofessional Education Roles and Responsibilities	0
IPED 9730	Interprofessional Education Special Topics (Opioid Summit)	0
Summer Term
PHAS 7118	Clinical Decision Making 3	3
PHAS 7220	Pharmacotherapeutics and Comprehensive Patient Management	4
PHAS 7235	Emergency Medicine	3
PHAS 7245	Professional and Ethical Issues	1
PHAS 7250	Surgical Principles and Procedures	3
PHAS 7303	Experiential Learning 3	1
Clinical Curriculum (Fall, Spring, Summer)
PHAS 7887	Summative Clinical Assessment (Two credits each of the final three terms)	6
PHAS 7986	Supervised Clinical Practice Experience (SCPE) (Distributed over the final three terms)	30
PHAS 7997	Master's Capstone (Completed in one of the final three terms)	3
Total Credit Hours:		108

A master’s degree in physician assistant studies requires successful completion of 108 minimum total credits. This includes 30 credits of PHAS 7986 Supervised Clinical Practice Experience (SCPE), 6 credits of PHAS 7887 Summative Clinical Assessment and 3 credits of PHAS 7997 Master's Capstone in the final clinical year. Required clinical clerkship experiences include behavioral health, emergency medicine, family medicine, internal medicine, pediatric medicine, surgery, and women's health. PHAS 7986 Supervised Clinical Practice Experience (SCPE) may be offered for letter grade or S/U grading, as determined by the program.

Academic Regulations

Academic Progress

To achieve satisfactory academic progress leading to promotion in the Physician Assistant Program, the student must achieve a GPA of 2.800 in each term (summer, fall, spring). In addition, the student may receive no single final grade below a C (2.000) for courses required in the MPAS degree. The PA program considers a grade below C (2.000) to represent unsatisfactory academic progress, including C-. Unsatisfactory academic progress may result in conditional promotion, student-initiated withdrawal from the program, or dismissal from the program. Students who earn grades of C-, D+, D, or below, or unsatisfactory grades (U, UNC, ADW, UW, WA, or WF) in any course in the PA program may be dismissed. This may also lead to withdrawal of financial aid. Students are required to have a cumulative GPA equal to or greater than 2.800 to graduate.

In the clinical portion of the program, the term GPA is compiled from an aggregate of clinical rotation grades completed in that term (fall, spring, summer).

Students may not participate in Physician Assistant clinical rotations until they have successfully completed all the required courses in the didactic curriculum.

In addition, at intervals during each term and at its conclusion, the Progress and Promotion Committee reviews students' progress. The committee determines whether students shall be promoted, conditionally promoted (as described below), or be subject to other action as described earlier in this section. See the PA Program Didactic and Clinical Student Handbooks for the PA Program's Policies and Procedures.

If remediation is required, students must satisfy all requirements of any remediation protocols in the defined time frame. These protocols are defined in the PA Program Didactic and Clinical Student Handbooks. If students do not meet the remediation requirements, they may be subject to dismissal. All policies in the Student Handbooks are stricter than those outlined in the university general bulletins; therefore, the Handbooks supersede the university policies.

Counseling

Directing a student to seek appropriate counseling is within the purview of the Progress and Promotion Committee (P&P Committee). In such cases, timely referrals will be made to the PA Program's Academic Counseling Subcommittee and identified PA faculty. While students should seek assistance from instructors and faculty as a course proceeds, there may be circumstances where support is needed to understand certain concepts and to make up missed work from extraordinary reasons such as illness. The Academic Counseling Subcommittee can recommend that the student establish a collaborative plan with the faculty to complete selected course outcomes and incomplete work. A letter from the program director or the Academic Counseling Subcommittee will notify the students of this recommendation. This letter will remain a part of the student's permanent file.

In specific financial or personal situations, the Progress and Promotion Committee may recommend using outside resources to satisfy this promotion category. When medical or psychiatric consultation is required or recommended, the P&P Committee will respect patient/provider confidentiality. However, the committee may require documentation of enrollment and/or completion.

Warning Letter

A warning is a written letter to a student for unacceptable academic or professional progress during the semester. A warning may come from the course instructor or the Program Director on behalf of the course instructor. The purpose of the warning letter is to make the student aware of impending academic or professional jeopardy. Warnings are reported to the Progress and Promotion Committee and the program director for informational purposes. Students may also be placed on professional probation upon receipt of the warning letter.

Academic Censure (Dismissal/Probation)

Overview

There are categories of student performance problems that can lead to academic censure. These problems may be identified at any point during the academic year, though a systematic review of all students' course grades is also conducted at the end of each academic term. The review of other non-course grade problems is typically conducted on an individual basis as issues arise. A finding of significant problems in any of these areas can result in probation, suspension, or dismissal, depending on the nature and severity of the problems identified. All of these statuses are maintained permanently on the academic record; only actions resulting in suspension or dismissal, however, appear permanently on Marquette University’s official transcript. If students are reinstated following dismissal, that notation also appears permanently on the official transcript. Refer to the "Transcripts-Official" section of the Health Science Professional policies for statuses that appear permanently on the official transcript.

Academic Dismissal – Required to Withdraw for Academic Reasons (RWAR)

Health Science Professional Students (HESP) in the Master of Physician Assistant Studies Program must achieve a cumulative GPA of 2.800 by the end of the second term in the program and maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.800 each term thereafter. In addition, students are subject to RWAR for any course required for the MPA degree with a final grade below a C (C-, D+, D, F) or an unsatisfactory grade (U, UNC, ADW, WA, or WF). The Office of the Registrar (OTR) and the Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA) monitor the program's academic requirements at the end of each term (fall, spring and summer). Students who do not meet these academic requirements are academically dismissed by the college (coded as RWAR by OTR), and their records are coded as failure to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) by the Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA).

The college office communicates the RWAR and OSFA communicates the SAP via Marquette email. As per the university email policy, students have the responsibility to monitor their email.

Undergraduate students in the Physician Assistant Studies Program must meet the requirements listed above to continue in the Physician Assistant Studies Program. Students who are not allowed to continue in the Physician Assistant Studies Program but remain in good standing at the university as undergraduate students may be allowed to continue with their undergraduate degree course of study.

Satisfactory Academic Progress: There are other SAP conditions for which students are responsible and apply to all students in this program, both professional and undergraduate. Refer to the complete SAP policy on the OSFA website.

RWAR/SAP Appeal Process

Per the PA Student Handbook, the initial appeal of decisions made by the PA Progress and Promotion Committee for not meeting the Academic or Professional Standards of the program must be submitted in writing to the dean of the College of Health Sciences within three business days. This may be done by letter or emailed to the dean. The dean, appointed designee, or a panel, hears the appeal.

Students subject to RWAR/SAP by the university may appeal both RWAR/SAP by sending one form, which addresses both RWAR and SAP issues. The Academic Censure Appeal form is mandatory and located on the Marquette Central academic forms website. The form includes all the required information students must submit for their appeal to be reviewed. 

• The form is submitted according to the instructions on the form for initial review for completeness. Completed appeal forms are then forwarded to the program director of the Department of Physician Assistant Studies. The program director, in consultation with the Progress and Promotion Committee, has the final decision on all RWAR/SAP appeals.
• If the appeal is approved by the Progress and Promotion Committee, students may be decelerated or reinstated on probation, and the Progress and Promotion Committee establishes an academic probation plan for them to regain their satisfactory academic and degree progress standing, and their eligibility for financial aid is restored.
• The plan must be measurable and ensure that students are able to meet Marquette's SAP standards by a specific point in time. Plans include courses to be taken, expected grades and a time frame to complete the outlined objectives.
• The plan is monitored by the department (Progress and Promotion Committee).
• Should students not fulfill all of their academic obligations as outlined in the academic probation plan, their performance is reevaluated by the committee; however, they are again coded as SAP for that term.
• Students whose appeal is denied or who do not appeal, are dropped from all classes in which they are subsequently registered.

Probation and Required to Withdraw for Unsatisfactory Degree Progress (RWDP)

Academic performance is monitored carefully by the Progress and Promotion Committee of the Department of Physician Assistant Studies Program. Students who fail to maintain steady progress or demonstrate adequate academic progress at midterm, will meet with the Progress Promotion Committee to determine a corrective plan.

Within a term where remediation is required, students who fail to comply with the remediation standards outlined in the PA Program Didactic and Clinical Handbooks are subject to probation and possible dismissal. All students who have had conditions of probation established are subject to Progress and Promotion Committee review and possible dismissal (Required to Withdraw for Unsatisfactory Degree Progress - RWDP) should they fail to fulfill the conditions. It is possible that students may be dismissed from the program for academic reasons even though the student’s cumulative GPA exceeds 2.800. Students concerned about their academic progress should consult the remediation protocol and academic progress section defined in the PA Program Handbooks.

Students are notified of the Progress and Promotion Committee’s decision by email along with the appeal process. Undergraduate students who are not allowed to continue in the Physician Assistant Studies Program but remain in good standing at the university may be allowed to continue in their undergraduate degree course of study.

Academic Dismissal – Professional Integrity

Students may be dismissed from the Physician Assistant Studies program for failure to maintain professional integrity standards, which may include, but are not limited to:

1. Failure to comply with the Physician Assistant Studies Program Honor Code and Professional Code of Conduct.
2. Failure to comply with the learning outcomes set forth in a professional behavior learning contract between the student and the program.
3. Professional misconduct, including, but not limited to:
   1. Conduct that constitutes harassment, threats or abuse of, or discrimination against peers, faculty, patients or others.
   2. Provision of services at any point in the Physician Assistant Studies program while under the influence of an illegal substance and/or alcohol.
   3. Breach of patient/client confidentiality.
   4. Failure, during a clinical experience, to comply with the policies and procedures of the clinical facility.
   5. Failure to comply with the Physician Assistant Studies program departmental Policies and Procedures outlined in the student handbooks.
4. Failure to complete their undergraduate degree by the end of the first spring term in the professional phase of the Physician Assistant program. Completion of the undergraduate degree is required before students proceed to the final Physician Assistant clinical year (fall, spring, summer).

A violation of the professional integrity requirements results in a hearing before the Progress and Promotion Committee. Findings of misconduct to self, faculty, the program, the university, clinical placements, and/or patients may result in failure in the assignment, failure in the course, or dismissal from the program. For instances of dismissal from the program, a notation of “Required to Withdraw for Professional Integrity Reasons” appears on the permanent academic record and transcript.

Academic Dismissal – Academic Misconduct

Dismissal for academic misconduct (RWAM) is determined per the Academic Misconduct policy found in the Health Sciences Professional policies. Once this determination has been made, students are dismissed from the university. This action results in ineligibility to register at Marquette. Reinstatement criteria for students who are dismissed, if applicable, are outlined in the dismissal notice. If students are allowed to return to the university, a permanent notation of ‘Reinstated to the University’ appears on the academic record and Marquette’s official transcript.

Temporary Withdrawal from Program

Students who feel compelled to request a temporary withdrawal from the PA program must submit a written request to the program director. Students may request temporary withdrawal for medical or nonmedical reasons. Please see the PA program handbook for a full description of processes.

The Progress and Promotion Committee may recommend, and must approve, the temporary withdrawal. The temporary withdrawal may be indicated under circumstances unique to specific students; however, the temporary withdrawal shall extend no longer than a single calendar year.

Students are readmitted to the program at the end of their leave if the Progress and Promotion Committee believes the purpose of the temporary withdrawal has been successfully achieved. The committee may require students to repeat coursework before reentry after a prolonged absence.

The Physician Assistant program must be completed within 3 years and 3 months. Therefore, if a second temporary withdrawal is requested, students may be dismissed from the program or required to reapply to the program.

Re-entry Policy for deceleration

Students who take a temporary withdrawal from the Physician Assistant program may reenter at that level only with the concurrence of the P&P Committee and the Program Director, on a case-by-case basis. A formal letter to the Program petitioning to return to the PA program is required.

Tuition/Financial Aid for Physician Assistant Studies program

Students enrolled in the Physician Assistant Studies program upon completion of their baccalaureate degree are moved into the professional division of Health Sciences and are no longer eligible for undergraduate financial aid.

University Policies