Physician Associate Program Admissions

Applicant must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. legal permanent resident to qualify for admission to the program.

The PA Program does not offer or permit advanced placement or waive any program prerequisite or course requirement.

• A bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution will be required prior to matriculation. This degree can be from any field and does not need to be a specific science degree or pre-professional degree.
• Applicants who completed coursework from a college or university outside of the U.S. must submit a transcript evaluation from the World Education Services (WES) to the Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA).

• All courses must be completed at a regionally accredited college or university.
• To ensure standardization and fairness among applicants, we are unable to waive any prerequisite course requirement for any applicant.
• Prerequisite courses must be completed within ten years of application with a minimum grade of C per course.
• At the time of application, only two prerequisites may be outstanding.
• If admitted to the program on a conditional basis, the student must earn a minimum of C in the outstanding prerequisites and earn the minimum GPA requirements for entry into the program. If both requirements are not met, the conditional applicant will forfeit their acceptance and not be permitted to matriculate. The student may reapply during the next cycle.
• NOTE: Higher individual course grades will result in higher weighting on the Berry PA Program admissions rubric. Meaning As are weighted higher than Bs, and Bs are weighted higher than Cs.

• Prerequisite Course Grade and GPA Requirement
  All prerequisite courses must be completed with a grade of 'C' or higher, and all applicants must have a cumulative Prerequisite Course Grade Point Average (as calculated by CASPA) of 3.0 or higher.
• BCP Science GPA Requirement (Biology, Chemistry, Physics or BCP courses)
  All applicants must have a cumulative overall BCP Course Grade Point Average (as calculated by CASPA) of 3.0 or higher.
• Cumulative Overall GPA Requirement
  All applicants must have a cumulative overall Grade Point Average (calculated by CASPA) of 3.0 or higher for all undergraduate and graduate courses.
• NOTE: Higher GPA will result in higher weighting on the Berry PA Program admissions rubric.

For additional clarity, the BCP GPA is not the overall science GPA.

• Applicants must be fully proficient in the use of the English language.
• If English is not your primary (i.e., native) language, the Program may require you to complete the Test of English as a Foreign Language Test (TOEFL). If required, the minimum total score needed is 90.

Healthcare-related experience is required.

Patient contact and/or clinical experiences may include health-related, patient care, shadowing, and volunteer experiences as defined by CASPA. Experiences – Liaison (liaisonedu.com).

There is no minimum number of hours required. Generally, competitive applicants should have at least 1000 accrued patient contact and/or clinical experience hours at the time of application submission. This requirement will be reviewed comprehensively with the candidate's application and compared to the applicant pool at the time of application.

• Applicants must provide three letters of reference at the time of their application, with valid contact information for the reference.
• It is important that the letters of reference be completed by individuals who have first-hand knowledge of your skills, strengths, and weaknesses.
• References from friends, family members, relatives, and personal healthcare providers are not appropriate and will not be accepted.
• One letter must be from a nationally certified and state-licensed Physician Assistant.
• One letter must be from a professor with whom the student completed one or more college-level courses, or from a supervisor who has worked with the applicant for six months or more.
• One letter must be from a healthcare professional (i.e., physician, nurse, healthcare supervisor).
• NOTE: References without reservations will receive a point on the Berry PA Program admissions rubric. References with reservations will receive no point.

The following preferences are in keeping with the mission and values of the Berry PA Program. Meeting any/all of the preferences does not guarantee an invitation for an interview or acceptance to the program.

• Berry student in good standing and graduates: confirmed with transcripts. 
• Veterans with honorable discharge: confirmed with DD214 discharge papers. 
• Applicants from a medically underserved area: confirm with the applicant's home address and compare to the posted federal website link https://data.hrsa.gov/tools/shortage-area/mua-find.  
• Applicants from Appalachia: confirm with the applicant's home address and compare to the posted federal website link https://www.arc.gov/appalachian-counties-served-by-arc/.  
• NOTE: For each confirmed preference (applicants are required to submit proof to the PA program through CASPA), applicants will receive one additional point on the Berry PA Program admissions rubric.

Applicants are required to submit a personal statement in CASPA at the time of application. Personal statements will be reviewed comprehensively and compared to the applicant pool. AI-generated personal statements will not be accepted, whether in part or whole. Please know that if invited for an in-person interview, a handwritten essay will be required on-site. For more information, please contact the PA Program Manager.

• Prior to matriculation, students must hold current certification in American Heart Association Basic Life Support (AHA BLS).
• Students must maintain continuous certification throughout the Program.

It is strongly recommended, but not required, that applicants successfully complete a medical terminology course or certification.

All conditionally accepted students must complete all outstanding requirements and provide official documentation as required to the PA Program prior to matriculation, or the conditional acceptance will be forfeited. The student may reapply during the next cycle.

• Health insurance is required of all students in the PA program and must be secured prior to the first day of class and must be continued throughout the program.
• Students are required to maintain proof of insurance in EXXAT.
• Students are encouraged to check for competitive insurance policies and rates via the federal government's official ACA website - healthcare.gov (you may be eligible to enroll out of the typical enrollment period) and the healthcare.org general health insurance marketplace website, as well as local healthcare insurance vendors. Additionally, students are encouraged to check with the local medical practices and urgent care facilities to see which insurance is accepted by those facilities.

The Berry College Physician Associate (PA) Program requires students to comply with all applicable immunization requirements established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Recommended Vaccines for Healthcare Workers, as well as applicable federal and state laws, regulations. Students must also comply with all requirements of affiliated clinical education sites to complete rotations required for graduation. Immunization and health screening requirements are subject to change at any time based on updates to CDC recommendations, governmental requirements, accreditation standards, or clinical site policies. Students are responsible for meeting and maintaining all required health, immunization, and screening requirements throughout their enrollment in the PA Program.

All students must provide documentation of required immunizations, tuberculosis (TB) screening [now QuantiFERON TB Gold only], and any other health-related requirements prior to matriculation and must maintain current documentation throughout the duration of the program. Students are also required to complete a health examination and submit documentation of medical clearance to participate in PA program activities. The PA Program Health Examination Clearance Form will be provided to deposited students by the PA Program.

The CDC has published differing recommendations regarding polio vaccination for healthcare personnel. The Berry College PA Program requires documentation of polio vaccination, as required by clinical education sites. Additional information is available through the CDC Polio Vaccine Information for Healthcare Providers.

Requests for medical exemptions or accommodations require appropriate documentation from a qualified healthcare provider and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Personal/religious reasons for declining immunizations will not be considered due to requirements for clinical rotation placements. Such requests should be discussed with the PA Program prior to matriculation. Approval of an exemption by the PA Program does not guarantee that a clinical education site will permit a student to participate in all required educational or clinical activities.

The Berry College PA Program does not establish, control, or influence the immunization, health screening, or infectious disease policies of its affiliated clinical education sites. Clinical sites may require immunizations, boosters, screenings, testing, or other health-related documentation that exceed CDC recommendations or institutional requirements. Additionally, clinical site requirements may change during a student's enrollment in the program.

Students who do not meet the immunization, health screening, or other clinical site requirements may be denied access to certain clinical experiences. In such cases, the PA Program may be unable to secure clinical placements that satisfy required course objectives, supervised clinical practice experience requirements, and program learning competencies. As a result, progression in the program may be delayed, and students may become ineligible to complete program requirements and graduate. The PA Program cannot guarantee alternative clinical placements, timely progression, or graduation for students who do not meet required immunization or health screening requirements.

By matriculating into the PA Program, students acknowledge their responsibility to remain compliant with all immunization, health screening, and clinical site requirements throughout their enrollment and understand that these requirements may change while they are enrolled in the program.

• Regular drug testing at many organizations is a requirement of individual institutions, state laws and regulations, and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). Individuals working in health care facilities often must consent to and be cleared to work through drug testing. Furthermore, facility privileges, licenses, and/or certifications for health care providers may be revoked, limited, suspended, or denied for habituation or addiction to alcohol or drugs or being impaired by alcohol or drugs in clinical practice.
• Criminal background checks at many organizations are a requirement of individual institutions, state laws and regulations, and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). Individuals working in health care facilities often must consent to and be cleared to work through criminal background investigations.
• Prior to matriculation, students must successfully pass a national background check and a comprehensive drug screening. Berry College PA Program will provide specific information regarding the company, deadlines, and instructions on how to complete.
• All background checks, medical screening exams, and drug screens are completed at the student’s expense.
• Students should notify the Program Director if they are convicted or may be convicted of a felony or misdemeanor while in the program or have a pending criminal case.

A PC (not Macintosh/Apple) laptop computer (not a tablet/Chromebook, etc.) with reliable internet access is required for the program. Additional medical applications may be recommended as part of individual courses. Recommendations for minimum computer requirements are provided to students prior to matriculation.