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- What is the deadline to apply to the program?
- What
type of academic background and/or degree is likely to optimize my potential
for success in your program?
- Can
I apply with outstanding courses and/or health care experience?
- How
many classes does the program accept each year? How many students?
- Do
I need to meet all of the program’s admissions prerequisites or
can some be waived on the basis of prior work experience in health
care?
- Does
the Stony Brook PA program offer a part-time option/distance learning
courses?
- Why
do you require health care experience as an admission prerequisite?
- Do
you have any suggestions on how I can obtain the required 1000 hours of
patient care experience?
- Can
you connect me with a PA I can shadow?
- Can
I waive/challenge out of program course requirements based on prior coursework
or clinical experience?
- Do
Stony Brook undergraduates get preferential admission to the program?
- Do
I get to choose where I complete my clinical clerkships?
- What
credentials will I have upon graduation from your program? Where can I
practice?
- Can
you provide me with information about on-campus and off-campus housing
opportunities?
- Do you give preference to New York State residents?
- Where
can I get information about financial aid?
- What about physician assistant program “ranking” systems?
- Can I transfer into your program?
- What are your guidelines on TOEFL?
- Do you have a placement service for graduates?
- Will
I be able to work during the time I am a student?
- What
are the employment and salary outlooks for PAs?
- Does the Stony Brook PA program require a deposit to secure admission?
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| Question
#1: What is the deadline to apply to the program? |
Answer: October 1st for early decision with a deadline of December 1st for the program to receive your application to CASPA.
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#2: What
type of academic background and/or degree is likely to optimize
my potential for success in your program? |
Answer: Strong
preparation in biology, chemistry, and math (especially statistics)
is highly valued. The number of courses, the level of those courses,
and performance are important considerations. Applicants should demonstrate
their ability to handle social science and humanities coursework
in psychology, sociology and logic/critical thinking/ethics. Degrees
in related majors will help to insure success in the program.
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#3: Can
I apply with outstanding courses and/or health care experience? |
Answer: Yes.
However, only one natural science course of the biology, chemistry,
or math requirements may be outstanding at the time of application.You
must document that you are enrolled to complete the outstanding biology,
chemistry or math requirement. Five-hundred (500) hours of the1000-hour
health care experience requirement must be completed by time of application
and you must document that you will complete the remaining 500 hours
prior to starting the program. Failure to complete any outstanding
requirements will result in termination of the program’s offer
of admission.
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#4: How
many classes does the program accept each year? How many students? |
Answer: There
is one entering class of 40 students each year. The starting date
for each class is late June or early July of the year of admission.
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| Question
#5: Do
I need to meet all of the program’s admissions prerequisites
or can some be waived on the basis of prior work experience in health
care? |
Answer: Prior
health care experience will be applied to the program’s health
care experience requirement. No other prerequisites for admission
are waived on the basis of prior health care/life experience.
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| Question
#6: Does
the Stony Brook PA program offer a part-time option/distance learning
courses? |
Answer: Our
program does not offer a part-time option or distance learning courses.
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| Question
#7: Why
do you require health care experience as an admission prerequisite? |
Answer: The
experience of working with patients is invaluable to anyone considering
a career in medicine as a PA. It grounds your career choice in the
realities of the profession and offers a unique perspective on how
our health care system works. The reality is that whether or not
a given PA program has a requirement for health care experience,
this type of experience is valued in considering the admission qualifications
of any given applicant.
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#8: Do
you have any suggestions on how I can obtain the required 1000 hours
of patient care experience? |
Answer: Many
applicants begin working in the health care field in the summer between
high school and college. By working in health care each summer through
their undergraduate education they accrue the necessary hours. Potential
entry-level positions (paid and unpaid) include EMT, phlebotomist,
nursing aide, home health care aide, and volunteers for community
mental health or family planning agencies.
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| Question
#9: Can
you connect me with a PA I can shadow? |
Answer: Because
of HIPPA regulations and patient privacy issues we do not make arrangements
for PA shadowing. You may want to try to contact hospitals in your
local area (some use their volunteer office to make such arrangements)
to establish shadowing experiences or for help in meeting a PA.
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| Question
#10: Can
I waive/challenge out of program course requirements based on prior
coursework or clinical experience? |
Answer: There
are a limited number of course waivers/challenge exams available
and these are handled on a case-by-case basis. No student may waive
out of the masters project or clinical clerkships on the basis of
prior coursework or clinical experience.
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#11: Do
Stony Brook undergraduates get preferential admission to the program? |
Answer: While
the rigor of undergraduate education at Stony Brook is well recognized,
all applicants to the program are given equal consideration with
respect to admission to the program.
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#12: Do
I get to choose where I complete my clinical clerkships? |
Answer: Students
are offered a choice in selecting their clinical clerkship track
and medical and pediatric preceptorships sites. Academic performance
while in the program and prior clinical experience are taken into
consideration in all placements.
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#13: What
credentials will I have upon graduation from your program? Where
can I practice? |
Answer: Students
are granted a Master of Science (MS) degree upon graduation and are
eligible to sit for the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination
(PANCE) offered by the National Commission
on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA). Graduates of the Stony Brook Physician Assistant
Program who are certified by the NCCPA, i.e., pass the PANCE, are
eligible to practice in all 50 states and other national or international
jurisdictions that license/utilize PAs.
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#14: Can
you provide me with information about on-campus and off-campus housing
opportunities? |
Answer: The
campus has a housing
website that includes housing information. Students
who are planning to live on-campus are strongly encouraged to live
at the
West
Apartments which are brand new, observes "quiet life-style" rules,
have single rooms, and are air conditioned. Married students
may want to consider the Chapin
Apartments which are directly across the street from
University Hospital.
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#15: Do
you give preference to New York State residents? |
Answer: Admission
preference is not given to New York State residents. However, tuition
for New York State residents is lower than that for that for out-of-state
residents. Out-of-state tuition is very reasonable and cost effective in comparison to that of most other programs.
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#16: Where
can I get information about financial aid? |
Answer: The
Office of Student Services at Stony Brook University retains financial
aid officers who are expert in this area and make every attempt
to assist students seeking financial aid.
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| Question
#17: What about physician assistant program “ranking” systems? |
Answer: Objective ranking systems for PA programs do not exist. To date, any publications that has offered “rankings” has not used objective criteria, such as accreditation performance, PANCE first- taker pass rates, or student retention rates, in developing their “rankings”. As a result, belief in such “rankings” may be doing potential applicants a disservice in that they dissuade applicants from doing the kind of intensive program exploration that insures that the match between a given applicant and a given program is the right one for the applicant.
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#18: Can
I transfer into your program? |
Answer: No.
Every student accepted to our program must apply for admission through
CASPA.
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#19: What
are your guidelines on TOEFL? |
Answer: All
applicants whose native or first language is not English must achieve
at least a 550 paper-based or 213 computer-based score on the TOEFL
within two years prior to the date of admission.
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#20: Do
you have a placement service for graduates? |
Answer: Many
Stony Brook students are offered employment during their clinical
rotations. The program e-mails job opportunities to second year students
and maintains a listing of job opportunities, a data base of all
program graduates who often share information on job opportunities with the program, and
a file on organizations that service the PA employment market.
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#21: Will
I be able to work during the time I am a student? |
Answer: Most
students find it impossible to work due to the intensive nature of
the PA curriculum and the class and study hours involved in the first
year. During clinical clerkships students note that their patient
management responsibilities and the time required to prepare for
rounds, conferences and presentations do not allow them to both work
and attend the program.
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#22: What
are the employment and salary outlooks for PAs? |
Answer: The
employment outlook for PAs is positive. The US
Department of Labor has identified the physician assistant profession as one of the 10
fastest growing occupations, 2002-12. Stony Brook PA graduates are
highly rated and sought after by employers. For the past several
years over 25% of each graduating class has had at least one job
offer prior to graduation and over 90% of recent classes have been
employed within 12 weeks of graduation. Salary information is available
through the AAPA.
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#23: Does the Stony Brook PA program require a deposit to secure admission? |
Answer: Applicants who are accepted to graduate programs at Stony Brook University (including professional graduate programs like the PA Program) are not required to pay a deposit to secure their seat. As a matter of principle, our belief is that prospective students should not be financially pressured into making such an important decision without first being sure that the program match is right. Once a student has made a decision to accept our offer of admission it is expected that s/he will honor that commitment. Our goal is to insure that the process is fair to both those who have already been offered a seat and those who are on our alternate list.
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