PA Program Overview
What are Physician Assistants (PAs)?
Physician Assistants are health professionals licensed to practice medicine with physician supervision. Physician Assistants work in a variety of medical settings, ranging from family medicine and primary care to sub-specialty surgery. PAs practice in-patient, out-patient, and emergency medicine. The CUNY School of Medicine Physician Assistant Program is a mission-driven program, attracting students with a commitment to providing primary care to residents in healthcare professional shortage areas. One of the oldest PA Programs in the country, over 900 physician assistants have graduated from the PA Program.
Our mission-driven program trains students to become collaborative, culturally competent practitioners who are equipped to meet the primary healthcare needs in provider shortage areas throughout New York City. With a curriculum that emphasizes clinical excellence, service, and health equity, students are immersed in real-world settings early and often—developing the skills and sensitivity needed to make a meaningful difference.
As demand for accessible primary care continues to grow, particularly in communities experiencing provider shortages, our PA graduates emerge not only as skilled clinicians, but also as stewards of high-quality care and navigators in the evolving landscape of healthcare.
History
Explore the origins and evolution of our PA Program, designed to address physician shortages and expand access to care.
Qualifications
Review the academic prerequisites and qualities we seek in applicants who are committed to strengthening healthcare, improving fairness in care delivery, and prepared to meet the demands of a dynamic medical profession.
Curriculum
Take a closer look at our structured curriculum, combining foundational medical knowledge with hands-on training across a range of clinical settings.
How to Apply
Ready to begin? Learn about our application process, deadlines, and tips for submitting a strong and complete application.
Holistic Admissions Procedure
Our holistic admissions process considers each applicant’s life experiences, resilience, commitment to service, and passion for medicine—alongside academic achievement.
Tuition & Fees
Understand the cost of attendance and explore how CUNY’s commitment to affordable, high-quality education makes our PA Program a smart investment in your future.
You’ve started college. Or maybe you already have your B.S. degree. You may even already work in the medical field. Now you want to step it up and take on the responsibilities that move you to the next level. You want a career that enriches both your life and the lives of those you help.
Our Physician Assistant Program is a direct, hands-on way to becoming a healthcare professional in just two and a half years—one with the flexibility to move between specialties. By the end of the program, you’ll earn a M.S. degree and certification as a Physician Assistant.
What makes our Program Unique
We’re one of the first baccalaureate degree-granting physician assistant programs in the country, and one of the most affordable ones as well–and our annual success rate on the Physician Assistant National Certification Examination exceeds the national average. Our program is designed to prepare highly qualified and compassionate healthcare professionals to work alongside physicians in a variety of medical settings. We are committed to broadening participation and perspectives within the medical profession, while emphasizing academic excellence, community service, and interprofessional collaboration.
- Our program is 28 months long, with a curriculum that includes classroom instruction, laboratory experience, and clinical rotations
- Our clinical rotations are in a variety of settings, including primary care, emergency medicine, surgery, and more
- Our faculty is made up of experienced and passionate healthcare professionals, who are committed to providing our students with the knowledge and skills necessary to excel in their careers
- Our program is accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA)
MS in Physician Studies Curriculum
The program requires 28 continuous months of instruction divided into three phases and leads to a Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies, starting in August and ending approximately 2 ½ years later in December.
Phase I, the Didactic Phase
Consists of 12 months of basic medical sciences, pre-clinical sciences, and professional studies course work. The basic medical and pre-clinical science courses introduce students to the fundamentals of scientific and clinical medicine. The professional studies courses are designed to provide an understanding of professionalism, legal aspects of practice, medical ethics, practice-based learning and improvement, and systems-based practice.
Phase II, the Research Phase
Consists of 4 months of required courses and completion of a capstone project.
Phase III, the Clinical Education Phase
Consists of 12 months of required clerkships and an elective clerkship. Each clinical rotation is 5 weeks in duration.
The required clerkships are in specific areas of clinical medicine, designed to provide a broad foundation for primary care clinical practice. The elective clerkship may be selected from specialty or primary care areas.
Curriculum FAQs
What are the grading standards at the P.A. Program?
The P.A. Program follows the grading standards used by The CUNY School of Medicine. Only letter grades are recorded on the transcript.
CUNY School of Medicine Physician Assistant Program, MPAS Degree
| Symbol | Explanation | Points |
| A | Excellent | 4.00 |
| B | Good | 3.00 |
| C | Satisfactory | 2.00 |
| F | Failure | 0.00 |
| INC | Incomplete | —– |
| FIN | INC converted to F | 0.00 |
| W | Withdrew | —– |
| WU | Withdrew Unofficially | 0.00 |
Transfer Credits: Courses taken at other campus or universities are not accepted for credit toward the degree in MPAS and are excluded from GPA.
Method of GPA Calculations: The GPA is calculated only from credits earned at The CUNY School of Medicine Physician Assistant Program. This average is obtained by dividing the total number of quality points by the respective total of graduate credits completed at The CUNY School of Medicine PA Program.
Good Standing: Students must obtain a minimum cumulative grade point average GPA of 3.0 for eligibility for conferral of a Masters in Physician Assistant.
Can I waive out of or challenge a course?
No. All Students must successfully complete all published required courses, even if the course has been taken in another P.A. Program or in medical school.
What are some examples of elective rotations offered to students?
Some examples of elective rotations include: Orthopedic Surgery, Trauma, Burn Center, Breast Surgery, Transplant Surgery, Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU), Interventional Cardiology and Oncological Surgery.
General FAQs
At the conclusion of training what credentials will I have?
What is a regular P.A. student schedule like?
Will I be able to work while in school?
May I attend the CUNY School of Medicine Physician Assistant Program part-time? Are classes held on the weekend?
Learning Outcomes and Goals
Program Learning Outcomes
Integrate behavioral, social, and medical knowledge established from the evolving biomedical and clinical sciences in recognizing, evaluating and managing patient disease states across the lifespan during acute, chronic, preventative, and emergent encounters with diverse populations.
Demonstrate the interpersonal and communication skills required to sustain effective, multi-directional information exchange within a broad population of patients, their caregivers, and members of the healthcare team.
Demonstrate the ability to elicit an accurate patient history, perform an appropriate physical examination, and perform appropriate clinical procedures using essential clinical and technical skills to provide quality patient care.
Collaborate effectively as part of an interdisciplinary healthcare team through clinical reasoning and problem-solving skills to formulate a logical differential diagnosis, select and interpret appropriate diagnostic studies, and synthesize a comprehensive, patient-centered management plan for the promotion of wellness and disease prevention.
Demonstrate the ability to interpret and integrate an evidence-based approach to clinical and professional practice through clinical reasoning, problem-solving, and decision-making processes to improve patient care practices within diverse populations.
Demonstrate professionalism through personal behaviors, sensitivity, and accountability essential to patients, society, and the profession.
Promote health and wellness in health workforce shortage communities and with patient populations out of the mainstream of health care delivery.
Goals, Benchmarks, and Outcomes
The CUNY School of Medicine PA Program goals align with program mission and are supported by the Competencies for the PA Profession delineated, updated and revised in 2020 by the four leadership organizations of the PA Profession (AAPA, ARC-PA, PAEA and NCCPA).
Goal 1:
Graduate qualified and competent Physician Assistants
Benchmark:
85% of graduates are successful on PANCE first time takers attempt.
Outcomes:
Benchmark:
100% of all cohorts are exposed to (a) didactic instruction and (b) supervised clinical practice experiences (SCPEs) that include patient care in communities with limited access to healthcare, as evidenced by Case Log Totals.
Outcomes:
Cohort 2021: 100% pass rate
Cohort 2022: 100% pass rate
Cohort 2023: 100% pass rate
Cohort 2024: 100% pass rate
GOAL 2:
Provide exposure to diverse and in communities with healthcare provider shortages within the curriculum
Benchmark:
100% of all cohorts are exposed to a) didactic instruction and b) SCPE patient care in communities with healthcare provider shortages as evidenced by Case Log Totals.
Outcomes:
Cohort 2021:
a) Didactic phase course grades for Cross-Cultural Competencies in Counseling -PA5023. 100% pass rate
(b) 56% of patients were logged in community-based settings with limited access to healthcare.
Cohort 2022:
a) Didactic phase course grades for Cross-Cultural Competencies in Counseling -PA5023. 100% pass rate
b) 23% patients logged in communities with healthcare provider shortages
Cohort 2023:
a) Didactic phase course grades for Cross-Cultural Competencies in Counseling -PA5023. 100% pass rate
b) 50% patients logged in communities with healthcare provider shortages
Cohort 2024:
a) Didactic phase course grades for Cross-Cultural Competencies in Counseling -PA5023. 100% pass rate
b) 50% patients logged in communities with healthcare provider shortages
GOAL 3:
Provide leadership opportunities to both students and faculty
Benchmark:
a) 100% of students have leadership opportunities nationally, regionally, locally and within the institution (AAPA, NYSSPA, CUNY School of Medicine PA Program Society PA Club leaders, etc)
b) 100% of Faculty participate in leadership opportunities nationally, regionally, locally and within the institution (PAEA, AAPA, NYSSPA, CUNY School of Medicine and other professional organizations, etc)
Outcomes:
a) Status of student leadership enrollment during 2022-2024:
- Cohort 2022: 57% students enrolled in NYSSPA; 51% students enrolled in AAPA
- Cohort 2023: 74% students enrolled in NYSSPA; 60% students enrolled in AAPA
- Cohort 2024: 71% students enrolled in NYSSPA; 68% students enrolled in AAPA
b) 100% of principal faculty met the goals for 2022-2024
GOAL 4:
Graduates demonstrate professionalism in interpersonal and communication skills
Benchmark:
100% of graduates demonstrate professionalism and interpersonal skills as evidence by:
a) Student Professionalism Behavior Evaluation at the end of each didactic phase course AND
b) Preceptor Evaluation of Student AND
c) Clinical Coordinator Evaluation of Student
Outcomes:
Cohort 2022:
100% of enrolled students met benchmarks in Professionalism and Interpersonal skills in all 3 areas.
Cohort 2023:
100% of enrolled students met benchmarks in Professionalism and Interpersonal skills in all 3 areas.
Cohort 2024:
100% of enrolled students met benchmarks in Professionalism and Interpersonal skills in all 3 areas.
Performance and Statistics
Achievements
Research Topic & Award Recipients:
2023
Topic: A Review of the Scholarly Literature on the COVID-19 Pandemic Impact on Substance Overdose in the United States
Authors: Lynette Alcaraz, Ramy Massoud, Bertin Moreno Rodriguez, Kyle Peterson
2022
Topic: A Literature Review: The Inflammatory Role of Poor Oral Health in Association with Cardiovascular Disease Risk
Authors: Brooke Avellino, Obed Flores, Morgan Froelich, Rezve Karim, Faradis
Lindblom, Rutvik Patel, Mohamed Salama
2021
Topic: Exploration of the Association between Body Mass Index, Physical Activity, and a Sedentary Lifestyle with Female Fertility
Authors: Stefanie Campos, Jasmeet Chawla, Joelle Etienne, Jessica Goez, Lisa Lopez, Lucy Lopez, Christina P
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