Physician Assistant Studies

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 PacificAccreditation-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remains in effect until the program closes or withdraws from the accreditation process or until accreditation is withdrawn for failure to comply with the Standards.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. 

Technical Standards

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 1Units
MPAS 200Clinical Medicine I - Foundations (Anatomy)4
MPAS 201Clinical Medicine I - Foundations (Pathophysiology)4
MPAS 211Pharmacology and Therapeutics I3
MPAS 221Behavioral and Health Sciences2
MPAS 231Professional Practice and the Health System I1
MPAS 241Clinical Skills I4
 Term Units18
Total Unit: 18
First Year
Trimester 2Units
MPAS 202AClinical Medicine II4
MPAS 202BClinical Medicine III4
MPAS 212Pharmacology and Therapeutics II3
MPAS 207Population Based Care2
MPAS 232Professional Practice and the Health System II1
MPAS 242Clinical Skills II4
 Term Units18
Total Unit: 18
First Year
Trimester 3Units
MPAS 203AClinical Medicine IV4
MPAS 203BClinical Medicine V4
MPAS 213Pharmacology and Therapeutics III3
MPAS 223Mental and Behavioral Health2
MPAS 233Professional Practice and the Health System III1
MPAS 243Clinical Skills III4
 Term Units18
Total Unit: 18
Second Year
Trimester 4Units
MPAS 205Preparation for Clinical Practice4
MPAS 206Professional Aspects of Healthcare4
MPAS 219AAdvanced Clinical Skills I2
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 Units14
Total Unit: 14
Second Year
Trimester 5Units
MPAS 219BAdvanced Clinical Skills II1
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 Units13
Total Unit: 13
Second Year
Trimester 6Units
MPAS 219CAdvanced Clinical Skills III1
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 Units17
Total Unit: 17
Third Year
Trimester 7Units
MPAS 218Periodic and Summative Evaluations/Capstone4
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 Units16
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. 

Technical Standards

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.