Tracey DelNero, Department Chair
Program Offered
Master of Physician Assistant Studies
Physician Assistants (PAs) are healthcare professionals licensed to practice medicine with physician collaboration. Each January, the program admits 45 students. Our program offers a comprehensive curriculum, diverse interprofessional educational experiences, integration of innovative educational modalities, advanced technical skill instruction, and specialty elective tracks. The MPAS degree program is a full-time graduate level program with an integrated curriculum that contains both didactic and clinical educational experiences. The program is 27 months (7 academic semesters), starting with a year of didactic instruction followed by clinical application educational experiences and summative evaluation. Per national requirements, upon graduation, PA students are required to pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE) to enter clinical practice. Pacific PA alumni are poised for collaborative practice with physicians and other healthcare team members.
ARC-PA Accreditation Statement
The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status to the University of the Pacific Physician Assistant Program sponsored by the University of the Pacific. Accreditation-Continued is an accreditation status granted when a currently accredited program is in compliance with the ARC-PA Standards.
Accreditation remains in effect until the program closes or withdraws from the accreditation process or until accreditation is withdrawn for failure to comply with the Standards. The approximate date for the next validation review of the program by the ARC-PA will be March 2031. The review date is contingent upon continued compliance with the Accreditation Standards and ARC-PA policy.
The program’s accreditation history can be viewed on the ARC-PA website at http://www.arc-pa.org/accreditation-history-university-of-the-pacific/.
Admission Requirements
Completion of the following admission requirements prior to submission of an application is required. Applicants must submit an application to the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA). Refer to the Program Website for deadline and prerequisite course information.
- Bachelor’s degree *
- All prerequisite coursework **
- Minimum overall GPA of 3.0 (on 4.0 scale)
- Minimum overall science GPA of 3.0 (on 4.0 scale)
- Minimum of 1,000 hours of health care experience
* Degree conferral date must appear on the transcript for a CASPA application to be complete.
** Grades for all prerequisite courses must be posted and appear on transcript (i.e. no "planned" or "in progress" notations on transcript).
Prerequisite Health Care Experience
We do not consider one type of clinical experience greater than another (i.e. experience as an RN is not more valued than that of a medical assistant). Experience may be paid or unpaid. There is not a published list of health care professions the program considers suitable for clinical experience. At a minimum, the applicant's clinical experience should include one of the following:
- Collecting of, and/or reporting in the patient's chart, data necessary to establish a diagnosis or evaluate the progress of the patient's treatment plan;
- Assisting a health care worker in the performance of diagnostic, therapeutic, or surgical procedures;
- Under the supervision of a health care provider administering or dispensing medications;
- Other work involving direct patient contact and interaction.
Prerequisite Coursework
- All prerequisite coursework must be completed at an accredited US institution.
- A single course cannot be used to meet multiple requirements.
- No preference is given for coursework completed at 4-year institutions versus 2-year institutions.
Prerequisite Science Courses
Important! Pacific will NOT accept AP/CLEP courses to fulfill science prerequisites.
General Chemistry: Two courses with a minimum of 1 lab. Total of 8 semester units or 12 quarter units. Should be a course sequence designed for chemistry majors.
Biological Sciences: Two courses with a minimum of 1 lab. Total of 6 semester or 9 quarter units. Should be a course sequence designed for biology majors.
Human Anatomy: One course with lab is required. Total of 4 semester or 5 quarter units with lab (or combined Anatomy & Physiology).
Human Physiology: One course is required. Total of 4 semester or 5 quarter units (or combined Anatomy & Physiology). Lab recommended, but not required.
Microbiology: One course is required. Total of 3 semester units or 4 quarter units. Lab recommended, but not required.
Prerequisite Non-Science Courses
Math: One course in Statistics is required. Total of 3 semester or 4 quarter units.
Psychology: One course in General or Abnormal Psychology is required. Total of 3 semester or 4 quarter units.
English Composition: Two courses are required. Total of 6 semester or 9 quarter units. Minimum of 1 composition course; 2nd course can be composition, literature, or writing intensive course. English as a Second Language courses will not fulfill this requirement.
Other Admissions Requirements
Technical Standards
Students must be able to achieve and maintain certain technical standards of knowledge and skill in order to successfully complete the PA Program. The technical standards in this document apply to satisfactory performance in all academic and clinical course work, as well as fulfillment of non-academic essential functions of the curriculum involving physical, cognitive, and behavior factors that are essential to a professional clinical practitioner. Students must attest to their ability to meet these technical standards prior to matriculation.
Health and Communicable Disease Clearance
Students must provide documentation of general health and the ability to meet technical standards. Additionally, students are required to provide documentation demonstrating communicable disease clearance. Additional information regarding clearance requirements may be found on Pacific's student health website.
Background Clearance
The Program requires students to undergo background screenings prior to matriculation and periodically throughout enrollment. Students have a fiduciary responsibility for the costs associated with the background screening. Background screening will be completed on all students at matriculation and prior to placement on clinical rotations. Applicants are required to be truthful when completing their application in the CASPA system. Discrepancies noted on the pre-matriculation background screening will be investigated and may result in denial of matriculation. Some clinical rotation sites require an additional background screening immediately prior to the start of the rotation, therefore students may be required to complete multiple background screenings throughout enrollment. Facts uncovered as a result of the background screening which could preclude licensure and/or practice in the profession may impact the student’s ability to begin or continue in the program.
Pending Criminal Action Decisions
Applicants offered admission who have pending criminal charges must have adjudication of the offense(s) completed prior to matriculation. Applicants offered admission who fail to complete adjudication of the offense(s) prior to matriculation, or are convicted of a misdemeanor or higher crime, will have their offer of acceptance withdrawn. Persons currently under the command of the criminal justice system will not be accepted for admission.
Toxicology Clearance
The Program requires students to undergo toxicology screenings prior to matriculation and periodically throughout enrollment. Students have a fiduciary responsibility for the costs associated with toxicology screening. Toxicology screening will be completed on all students prior to matriculation, randomly throughout enrollment and prior to placement on clinical rotations. Toxicology screening may be via urine or serum. Some clinical rotation sites require an additional toxicology screens immediately prior to the start of the rotation, therefore students may be required to complete multiple screens throughout enrollment. The Program requires the authorization by each student for a urine toxicology screen prior to matriculation into the Program. Abnormalities noted on the pre-matriculation toxicology screening will be investigated and may result in denial of matriculation.
International Applicants
- All prerequisite course work must be completed at an accredited US institution.
- Baccalaureate degrees will be accepted from foreign institutions only if accompanied by a World Education Services (WES) evaluation of foreign training. CASPA also accepts the WES evaluation of transcripts.
- Note: WES does not evaluate all Caribbean medical schools. If you attended a school that World Education Services (WES) will not evaluate, your transcripts will not be considered as part of your application. Applicants will still be required to demonstrate that all prerequisites have been met with the exclusion of the affected transcripts.
- The entire curriculum is taught in the English language. If English is not your first language, you may be required to take the TOEFL/ IELTS and should submit your score with your CASPA application. The program will not accept applications with a TOEFL score less than 100 or IELTS score less than 7.0. TOEFL scores are valid for two years after the test date per ETS website. View the TOEFL Flowchart to see if it is required for you.
Physician Assistant Studies Faculty
Tracey DelNero, DMSc, PA-C, Department Chair/Program Director, Associate Clinical Professor, 2015, BA, California State University, Sacramento, 1994; PA, Western University of Health Sciences, 1999; MSPAS, Touro College, 2014; DMSc; University of Lynchburg, 2020
Jed Grant, DMSc, PA-C, Vice Chair, Associate Clinical Professor, 2015, BS, University of Nebraska, 1999; MPAS, University of Nebraska, 2008. DMSc, University of Lynchburg, 2020.
Brian Goldsmith, MD, Medical Director, 2022, BS, University of Maryland, 1985; MD, Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, F. Edward Herbert School of Medicine, 1989.
Jessica Garner, DMSc, PA-C, Clinical Director, Assistant Clinical Professor, 2015, BA, California State University, Fresno, 2007; PA, San Joaquin Valley College, 2012; MMS, Saint Francis University, 2012. DMSc, University of Lynchburg, 2021.
Alicia Gordon, MMS, PA-C, Assistant Clinical Professor, 2017, BS, UCLA, 2002; PA, San Joaquin Valley College, 2012; MMS, Saint Francis University, 2012
Curtis Fowler; DMSc, PA-C, Assistant Clinical Professor, 2016, BS, Sacramento State University, 1991; MPT, College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific, 1994; PA, University of California at Davis, 2002; DMSc, Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions, 2021
Jacie Touart, MPA, PA-C, Assistant Clinical Professor, 2016, BHS, Duquesne University, 2001; MPA, Duquesne University,2002
Michael Morley, MSPAS, PA-C, Assistant Clinical Professor, 2022, BA, Psychology UCLA, 1992; MSPAS, Samuel Merritt University; 2010
Nancy Hamler, DMSc, RDN, PA-C, Assistant Clinical Professor, 2020
Program Goals
The University of the Pacific’s PA program holds four goals for graduates consistent with the Program Mission. Program goals and competencies are integrally linked to support goal achievement. Performance measures assess the program’s ability to promote our graduates’ ability to achieve the goals.
Goal 1: Apply medical knowledge & clinical skills in patient centered practice
Goal 2: Apply system-based practice principles to patient care
Goal 3: Model professionalism and leadership
Goal 4: Model commitment to lifelong learning
Program Competencies: https://healthsciences.pacific.edu/sites/default/files/users/user815/MPAS%20Program%20Competencies.pdf
Goals & Outcomes Satisfaction: https://healthsciences.pacific.edu/sites/default/files/users/user242/pa-goals-outcomes-satisfaction.pdf
Master of Physician Assistant Studies
Students must complete a minimum of 114 units with a Pacific cumulative grade point average of 2.75 in order to earn a master of physician assistant studies degree.
First Year | ||
---|---|---|
Trimester 1 | Units | |
MPAS 200 | Clinical Medicine I - Foundations (Anatomy) | 4 |
MPAS 201 | Clinical Medicine I - Foundations (Pathophysiology) | 4 |
MPAS 211 | Pharmacology and Therapeutics I | 3 |
MPAS 221 | Behavioral and Health Sciences | 2 |
MPAS 231 | Professional Practice and the Health System I | 1 |
MPAS 241 | Clinical Skills I | 4 |
Term Units | 18 | |
Total Unit: 18 |
First Year | ||
---|---|---|
Trimester 2 | Units | |
MPAS 202A | Clinical Medicine II | 4 |
MPAS 202B | Clinical Medicine III | 4 |
MPAS 212 | Pharmacology and Therapeutics II | 3 |
MPAS 207 | Population Based Care | 2 |
MPAS 232 | Professional Practice and the Health System II | 1 |
MPAS 242 | Clinical Skills II | 4 |
Term Units | 18 | |
Total Unit: 18 |
First Year | ||
---|---|---|
Trimester 3 | Units | |
MPAS 203A | Clinical Medicine IV | 4 |
MPAS 203B | Clinical Medicine V | 4 |
MPAS 213 | Pharmacology and Therapeutics III | 3 |
MPAS 223 | Mental and Behavioral Health | 2 |
MPAS 233 | Professional Practice and the Health System III | 1 |
MPAS 243 | Clinical Skills III | 4 |
Term Units | 18 | |
Total Unit: 18 |
Second Year | ||
---|---|---|
Trimester 4 | Units | |
MPAS 205 | Preparation for Clinical Practice | 4 |
MPAS 206 | Professional Aspects of Healthcare | 4 |
MPAS 219A | Advanced Clinical Skills I | 2 |
Rotation 1 (one of the following) | 4 | |
Primary Care I | ||
Primary Care II | ||
Primary Care/Pediatrics | ||
Primary Care/Women's Health | ||
Primary Care/Behavioral and Mental Health | ||
Internal Medicine | ||
Surgery | ||
Emergency Medicine | ||
General Elective I | ||
General Elective II | ||
General Elective III | ||
Term Units | 14 | |
Total Unit: 14 |
Second Year | ||
---|---|---|
Trimester 5 | Units | |
MPAS 219B | Advanced Clinical Skills II | 1 |
Rotations 2, 3 & 4 (three of the following) | 12 | |
Primary Care I | ||
Primary Care II | ||
Primary Care/Pediatrics | ||
Primary Care/Women's Health | ||
Primary Care/Behavioral and Mental Health | ||
Internal Medicine | ||
Surgery | ||
Emergency Medicine | ||
General Elective I | ||
General Elective II | ||
General Elective III | ||
Term Units | 13 | |
Total Unit: 13 |
Second Year | ||
---|---|---|
Trimester 6 | Units | |
MPAS 219C | Advanced Clinical Skills III | 1 |
Rotations 5, 6, 7 & 8 (four of the following) | 16 | |
Primary Care I | ||
Primary Care II | ||
Primary Care/Pediatrics | ||
Primary Care/Women's Health | ||
Primary Care/Behavioral and Mental Health | ||
Internal Medicine | ||
Surgery | ||
Emergency Medicine | ||
General Elective I | ||
General Elective II | ||
General Elective III | ||
Term Units | 17 | |
Total Unit: 17 |
Third Year | ||
---|---|---|
Trimester 7 | Units | |
MPAS 218 | Periodic and Summative Evaluations/Capstone | 4 |
Rotations 9, 10 & 11 (three of the following) | 12 | |
Primary Care II | ||
Primary Care/Pediatrics | ||
Primary Care/Women's Health | ||
Primary Care/Behavioral and Mental Health | ||
Internal Medicine | ||
Surgery | ||
Emergency Medicine | ||
General Elective I | ||
General Elective II | ||
General Elective III | ||
Term Units | 16 | |
Total Unit: 16 |
Tracey DelNero, Department Chair
Program Offered
Master of Physician Assistant Studies
Physician Assistants (PAs) are healthcare professionals licensed to practice medicine with physician collaboration. Each January, the program admits 45 students. Our program offers a comprehensive curriculum, diverse interprofessional educational experiences, integration of innovative educational modalities, advanced technical skill instruction, and specialty elective tracks. The MPAS degree program is a full-time graduate level program with an integrated curriculum that contains both didactic and clinical educational experiences. The program is 27 months (7 academic semesters), starting with 15-months of didactic instruction followed by clinical application educational experiences and summative evaluation. Per national requirements, upon graduation, PA students are required to pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE) to enter clinical practice. Pacific PA alumni are poised for collaborative practice with physicians and other healthcare team members.
ARC-PA Accreditation Statement
The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status to the University of the Pacific Physician Assistant Program sponsored by the University of the Pacific. Accreditation-Continued is an accreditation status granted when a currently accredited program is in compliance with the ARC-PA Standards.
Accreditation remains in effect until the program closes or withdraws from the accreditation process or until accreditation is withdrawn for failure to comply with the Standards. The approximate date for the next validation review of the program by the ARC-PA will be March 2031. The review date is contingent upon continued compliance with the Accreditation Standards and ARC-PA policy.
The program’s accreditation history can be viewed on the ARC-PA website at http://www.arc-pa.org/accreditation-history-university-of-the-pacific/.
Admission Requirements
Completion of the following admission requirements prior to submission of an application is required. Applicants must submit an application to the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA). Refer to the Program Website for deadline and prerequisite course information.
- Bachelor’s degree *
- All prerequisite coursework **
- Minimum overall GPA of 3.0 (on 4.0 scale)
- Minimum overall science GPA of 3.0 (on 4.0 scale)
- Minimum of 1,000 hours of health care experience
* Degree conferral date must appear on the transcript for a CASPA application to be complete.
** Grades for all prerequisite courses must be posted and appear on transcript (i.e. no "planned" or "in progress" notations on transcript).
Prerequisite Health Care Experience
We do not consider one type of clinical experience greater than another (i.e. experience as an RN is not more valued than that of a medical assistant). Experience may be paid or unpaid. There is not a published list of health care professions the program considers suitable for clinical experience. At a minimum, the applicant's clinical experience should include one of the following:
- Collecting of, and/or reporting in the patient's chart, data necessary to establish a diagnosis or evaluate the progress of the patient's treatment plan;
- Assisting a health care worker in the performance of diagnostic, therapeutic, or surgical procedures;
- Under the supervision of a health care provider administering or dispensing medications;
- Other work involving direct patient contact and interaction.
Prerequisite Coursework
- All prerequisite coursework must be completed at an accredited US institution.
- A single course cannot be used to meet multiple requirements.
- No preference is given for coursework completed at 4-year institutions versus 2-year institutions.
Prerequisite Science Courses
Important! Pacific will NOT accept AP/CLEP courses to fulfill science prerequisites.
General Chemistry: Two courses with a minimum of 1 lab. Total of 8 semester units or 12 quarter units. Should be a course sequence designed for chemistry majors.
Biological Sciences: Two courses with a minimum of 1 lab. Total of 6 semester or 9 quarter units. Should be a course sequence designed for biology majors.
Human Anatomy: One course with lab is required. Total of 4 semester or 5 quarter units with lab (or combined Anatomy & Physiology).
Human Physiology: One course is required. Total of 4 semester or 5 quarter units (or combined Anatomy & Physiology). Lab recommended, but not required.
Microbiology: One course is required. Total of 3 semester units or 4 quarter units. Lab recommended, but not required.
Prerequisite Non-Science Courses
Math: One course in Statistics is required. Total of 3 semester or 4 quarter units.
Psychology: One course in General or Abnormal Psychology is required. Total of 3 semester or 4 quarter units.
English Composition: Two courses are required. Total of 6 semester or 9 quarter units. Minimum of 1 composition course; 2nd course can be composition, literature, or writing intensive course. English as a Second Language courses will not fulfill this requirement.
Other Admissions Requirements
Technical Standards
Students must be able to achieve and maintain certain technical standards of knowledge and skill in order to successfully complete the PA Program. The technical standards in this document apply to satisfactory performance in all academic and clinical course work, as well as fulfillment of non-academic essential functions of the curriculum involving physical, cognitive, and behavior factors that are essential to a professional clinical practitioner. Students must attest to their ability to meet these technical standards prior to matriculation.
Health and Communicable Disease Clearance
Students must provide documentation of general health and the ability to meet technical standards. Additionally, students are required to provide documentation demonstrating communicable disease clearance. Additional information regarding clearance requirements may be found on Pacific's student health website.
Background Clearance
The Program requires students to undergo background screenings prior to matriculation and periodically throughout enrollment. Students have a fiduciary responsibility for the costs associated with the background screening. Background screening will be completed on all students at matriculation and prior to placement on clinical rotations. Applicants are required to be truthful when completing their application in the CASPA system. Discrepancies noted on the pre-matriculation background screening will be investigated and may result in denial of matriculation. Some clinical rotation sites require an additional background screening immediately prior to the start of the rotation, therefore students may be required to complete multiple background screenings throughout enrollment. Facts uncovered as a result of the background screening which could preclude licensure and/or practice in the profession may impact the student’s ability to begin or continue in the program.
Pending Criminal Action Decisions
Applicants offered admission who have pending criminal charges must have adjudication of the offense(s) completed prior to matriculation. Applicants offered admission who fail to complete adjudication of the offense(s) prior to matriculation, or are convicted of a misdemeanor or higher crime, will have their offer of acceptance withdrawn. Persons currently under the command of the criminal justice system will not be accepted for admission.
Toxicology Clearance
The Program requires students to undergo toxicology screenings prior to matriculation and periodically throughout enrollment. Students have a fiduciary responsibility for the costs associated with toxicology screening. Toxicology screening will be completed on all students prior to matriculation, randomly throughout enrollment and prior to placement on clinical rotations. Toxicology screening may be via urine or serum. Some clinical rotation sites require an additional toxicology screens immediately prior to the start of the rotation, therefore students may be required to complete multiple screens throughout enrollment. The Program requires the authorization by each student for a urine toxicology screen prior to matriculation into the Program. Abnormalities noted on the pre-matriculation toxicology screening will be investigated and may result in denial of matriculation.
International Applicants
- All prerequisite course work must be completed at an accredited US institution.
- Baccalaureate degrees will be accepted from foreign institutions only if accompanied by a World Education Services (WES) evaluation of foreign training. CASPA also accepts the WES evaluation of transcripts.
- Note: WES does not evaluate all Caribbean medical schools. If you attended a school that World Education Services (WES) will not evaluate, your transcripts will not be considered as part of your application. Applicants will still be required to demonstrate that all prerequisites have been met with the exclusion of the affected transcripts.
- The entire curriculum is taught in the English language. If English is not your first language, you may be required to take the TOEFL/ IELTS and should submit your score with your CASPA application. The program will not accept applications with a TOEFL score less than 100 or IELTS score less than 7.0. TOEFL scores are valid for two years after the test date per ETS website. View the TOEFL flowchart to see if it is required for you.