Physician Assistant, MS

Successful physician assistants (PA) enjoy direct patient contact, have a passion for medicine, and embrace challenges. They are highly qualified licensed healthcare professionals who practice medicine under physician supervision. It is one of the fastest-growing professions in the United States today.

What Does a Physician Assistant Do?

PAs participate in a demanding academic and clinical curriculum. This prepares them for the complexities of their career. Some of the daily tasks that Physician assistants are trained to complete are:

Elicit medical histories
Perform physical exams
Order and interpret diagnostic studies
Perform clinical procedures
Formulate patient treatment and management plans

Physician assistants can be found in all areas of medicine and surgery. However, the PA program at SUNY Upstate has a focus on primary care in medically underserved and rural areas of Upstate New York.

Program Details

Why Choose the Physician Assistant MS Program?

8 Reasons To Choose the Physician Assistant MS Program at SUNY Upstate College of Health Professions:

State-of-the-art simulation equipment in the classroom and access to the Upstate University Simulation Center.
As part of a large medical university, which includes one of New York State’s premier research hospitals, students are exposed to interprofessional educational experiences not readily available at conventional universities.
22.6% of graduates originate from rural communities.*
92.2% Pass Rate taking NCCPA Boards for the first time.*
Diverse Student Body – 56.5% of currently enrolled students.
Clinical settings throughout New York State and in medically underserved communities.
The highest quality PA education for a fraction of the cost of tuition at a private institution.
Strong national and local reputation.

*Average for 2019-2023

Degree Outcomes

Graduation from an accredited PA program and passage of the national certification exam are required for state licensure. The certification exam, developed by the National Commission on Certification of PAs, is usually taken by students within the first few weeks of graduation. To maintain their national certification, PAs must log 100 hours of continuing medical education credits every two years and pass the national recertification exam every ten years.