Home / Academics / Find a Program / Master of Medical Science (MMSc) Physician Assistant / Admission Requirements | Ursuline - Liberal Arts College in OH
To be eligible for consideration for admission in the Ursuline College Master of Medical Science (MMSc) program, applicants will need to create an account with the Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA)
Application and admission into PA programs are competitive; not all applicants who meet Ursuline College minimum criteria will receive an interview invitation.
The program does not require students, prospective or enrolled to provide or solicit clinical sites or preceptors.
Students may make requests regarding a potential clinical site or preceptor, however the program with the guidance of the Coordinator of Clinical Education are responsible for vetting all locations and preceptors and making final decisions on approval or denial of each site according to program policies.
Any student who graduates from Ursuline College who meets the criteria for admissions will be granted an interview. However, granting of an interview does not equate to acceptance into the program.
1. Completion of an application for admission to the Ursuline College Physician Program and all required supplemental material through CASPA.
2. All official transcript(s) for baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution and any additional undergraduate or graduate academic coursework whether credit was earned, the program was completed, or the credit appears as transfer credit on another transcript. Transcript(s) must be forwarded directly to CASPA. Baccalaureate degree must be conferred prior to beginning the program.
3. Three letters of recommendation: one from a current MD, one from a current PA, and one from a professor. These must utilize the required recommendation form or standard recommendation letter format.
4. An interview is required prior to admission to the program. Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee granting of an interview.
5. Resume or CV highlighting work experience along with any educational, leadership or professional organization activities, including publications, presentations, research, honors and/or awards.
Applicants to the UCPA Program will be considered for admission from a holistic perspective.
1. 3.2 overall GPA and 3.2 sciences GPA shown on applicant’s transcript(s).
2. Foundational course completion with a grade of “B” or better prior to matriculation into the PA program, with the exception of organic chemistry which requires a “C” or better.
Academic Courses that must be completed within 7 years of application to the program:
Academic Courses that must be completed within 10 years of application to the program:
No Time Limit:
Those offered a seat in the program will have 14 days after an admission offer to respond and provide a non-refundable deposit of $750 to secure a seat in the class.
The Ursuline College Physician Assistant Program does not offer advanced placement. All coursework in the Ursuline College Physician Assistant Program must be completed in sequence.
The Ursuline College Master of Medical Science (MMSc) Physician Assistant Program requires that all students demonstrate the technical skills needed to complete both the didactic and clinical phases of the program. The following skills are necessary to effectively evaluate and treat patients: critical thinking, effective communication, utilizing technology and intact visual, auditory and motor skills.
Students who are unable to demonstrate the required technical standards needed to complete the PA curriculum may be dismissed from the program. As required by the Federal Disabilities Act, the PA program will make every attempt to provide students necessary accommodations.
Candidate must acquire information as presented through demonstrations and experiences in lectures and laboratories. Candidates must be able to evaluate patients accurately and assess their relevant health, behavioral, and medical information. Candidates must be able to obtain and interpret information through a comprehensive assessment of patients, correctly interpret clinical data, accurately evaluate patients’ conditions and responses, as well as develop a diagnostic and treatment plan. Vision, hearing and touch or the functional equivalent is required.
Candidates must exhibit interpersonal skills to enable effective caregiving of patients, including the ability to communicate effectively and sensitively in English, with all members of a multidisciplinary health care team, patients, and those supporting patients, in person and in writing. Candidates must be able to clearly and accurately record information and accurately interpret verbal and nonverbal communications.
Candidates must have adequate physical endurance, motor function and sensory ability to be able to provide and/or direct the:
- Provision of general care and emergency treatment to patients.
- Performance of routine physical examination and diagnostic maneuvers.
- Performance of treatment maneuvers, which may include lifting, transferring of patients, and assisting during. ambulation while assuring their own safety as well as the safety of the patient.
- Elicitation of information from patients by palpation, auscultation, percussion, and movement of limbs.
- Candidates must meet applicable relevant safety standards for the environment and follow universal precaution procedures.
Candidates must effectively interpret, assimilate, and understand the complex information required to function within the health professional programs of the SOM. Problem solving is a critical skill that requires conceptual integrative and quantitative thinking abilities. Candidates must also be able to comprehend three-dimensional relationships, the spatial and functional relationships of structures, and to analyze and apply this information for problem-solving and decision-making. Candidates must be able to effectively participate in educational activities either online or in person, individually and in small groups in all learning environments. They must have the ability to organize, prioritize, analyze, and evaluate detailed and complex information individually, in small groups, in clinical settings and within a limited time frame both in person and via remote technology. Candidates must be able to learn, participate, collaborate, and contribute as part of a team.
Candidates must exercise good judgement and promptly complete all responsibilities attendant to the diagnosis and care of patients. A candidate must have the emotional health to fully use their intellectual ability, exercise good judgement, and to complete all responsibilities attendant to the evaluation and treatment of patients. They must be honest, able to self-assess own mistakes, respond constructively to feedback and assume responsibility for maintaining professional behavior. The skills required include the ability to effectively handle and manage heavy workloads, function-effectively under stress, adapt to changing environments, display flexibility, and learn to function in the face of the uncertainties inherent in the practice of their profession.
A candidate must be able to develop mature, sensitive, and effective relationships with faculty, patients, families, caregivers and colleagues. A candidate must be able to tolerate physical and emotional stress, maintain alertness and wakefulness, and continue to function effectively. They must have a high level of compassion for others, motivation to serve and integrity. They must behave in an ethical and moral manner consistent with professional values and standards. A candidate must possess sufficient interpersonal skills to interact positively and sensitively with all people.
Prior to entering the program, all students are required to have a health surveillance/physical examination form completed by a healthcare provider.
The Ursuline College Physician Assistant Program is committed to providing a safe environment for the education of its students. Students, faculty, and staff in the healthcare setting are vulnerable to communicable diseases such as tuberculosis, measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, and polio.
The PA program requires the following vaccines consistent with current Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Recommendations:
About Hepatitis B Vaccination | CDC
If you don’t have documented evidence of a complete hepB vaccine series, or if you don’t have a blood test that shows you are immune to hepatitis B (i.e., no serologic evidence of immunity or prior vaccination) then you should
Get a 3-dose series of Recombivax HB or Engerix-B (dose #1 now, #2 in 1 month, #3 approximately 5 months after #2) or a 2-dose series of Heplisav-B, with the doses separated by at least 4 weeks.
Get an anti-HBs serologic test 1-2 months after the final dose.
See Prevention of Hepatitis B Virus Infection in the United States: Recommendations of the ACIP.
About Seasonal Flu Vaccination and Preventable Disease | CDC
Get 1 dose of influenza vaccine annually.
About Measles Vaccination | CDC
If you were born in 1957 or later and have not had the MMR vaccine, or if you don’t have a blood test that shows you are immune to measles or mumps (i.e., no serologic evidence of immunity or prior vaccination), get 2 doses of MMR (1 dose now and the 2nd dose at least 28 days later).
If you were born in 1957 or later and have not had the MMR vaccine, or if you don’t have a blood test that shows you are immune to rubella, only 1 dose of MMR is recommended. However, you may end up receiving 2 doses, because the rubella component is in the combination vaccine with measles and mumps. For HCWs born before 1957, see the MMR ACIP vaccine recommendations.
About Chickenpox Vaccination | CDC
If you have not had chickenpox (varicella), if you haven’t had varicella vaccine, or if you don’t have a blood test that shows you are immune to varicella (i.e., no serologic evidence of immunity or prior vaccination) get 2 doses of varicella vaccine, 4 weeks apart.
About Pertussis Vaccination | CDC
Get a one-time dose of Tdap as soon as possible if you have not received Tdap previously (regardless of when previous dose of Td was received).
Get either a Td or Tdap booster shot every 10 years thereafter.
Pregnant HCWs need to get a dose of Tdap during each pregnancy.
About Meningococcal Vaccination | CDC
Microbiologists who are routinely exposed to Neisseria meningitidis should get meningococcal conjugate vaccine and serogroup B meningococcal vaccine.
To learn more about these diseases and the benefits and potential risks associated with the vaccines, read the Vaccine Information Statements (VIS)
Covid-19 vaccination is strongly recommended. While not a CDC requirement at this time, healthcare facilities may require healthcare students to be vaccinated prior to their clinical rotation. As a result, unvaccinated students may be at risk for delayed graduation pending the ability to acquire appropriate clinical sites.
All U.S. health care personnel should be screened for TB upon hire (i.e., preplacement). TB screening is a process that includes:
• A baseline individual TB risk assessment.
• TB symptom evaluation
• A TB test (e.g., TB blood test or a TB skin test)
• Additional evaluation for TB disease as needed
For More Information:
Recommended Vaccines for Healthcare Workers | CDC
Testing & Diagnosis | TB | CDC
Health information is maintained by CastleBranch, the PA program only has access to confirmation of completion.
1. Prior to registration, all students entering the Ursuline College Physician Assistant Program must provide proof of prior immunization for influenza, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella (chicken pox), tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, meningococcal, polio, and hepatitis B consistent with the most current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations for healthcare professionals. Documentation of the results of tuberculosis screening (PPD) within 6 months of matriculation is also required.
2. Students who cannot provide adequate documentation of prior immunization or physician-diagnosed diseases (as indicated by serologic evidence) by the start of the Ursuline College PA program must initiate immunization to these diseases prior to matriculation and complete all immunization prior to the start of clinical rotations.
3. Tuberculin skin testing, and influenza (flu) vaccination is required annually for all students enrolled in the Ursuline College PA Program. Any student who has not been appropriately immunized or who fails to receive annual screening may be delayed entering the clinical phase of the program.
