Detailed Information
Program of Study
Physician assistants (PAs) are well-recognized and valued members of the modern health-care team–professionals licensed to practice medicine under the direction and responsible supervision of a physician. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that more than 18,000 new PAs will be needed during the decade ending in 2016.
PAs provide a broad range of diagnostic and therapeutic services. They take patient histories, conduct physical exams, diagnose and treat illnesses, counsel on preventive care, order and interpret tests, and assist in surgery. In most states, including West Virginia, physician assistants can write prescriptions.
PAs are educated in the medical model. They take many of the same core courses as medical students, but their overall formal education path is much shorter. At Mountain State University (MSU), physician assistants receive two years of didactic education in medicine, starting with classroom and laboratory instruction in the basic medical and behavioral sciences. In the third year, clinical rotations in internal medicine, family medicine, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, emergency medicine, geriatric medicine, rural medicine, and psychology offer practical training and experience to the PA student. Upon completion of the program, students are prepared to take the PANCE (Physician Assistant National Certification Exam).
Unlike most master’s degree programs, the MSU PA program does not require students to have a bachelor’s degree to gain admission to the program. It is an entry-level master’s program that includes both prerequisite studies at the undergraduate level and graduate-level professional studies. The physician assistant program is offered through MSU’s School of Health Sciences. The program is offered at the Beckley campus; undergraduate prerequisite studies may be completed through distance learning.
Mountain State University’s physician assistant program maintains continuing accreditation by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA).
Research Facilities
Learning resources for graduate and undergraduate students include multimedia classrooms, computer laboratories, computer-assisted instruction, and laboratories for basic sciences and health sciences. The Robert C. Byrd Learning Resource Center includes a student-centered library and media center. The collection comprises more than 95,000 titles, supplemented both by interlibrary loan and by extensive electronic resources, including ProQuest, CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), Social Issues Resources Series (SIRS), EBSCOhost, Westlaw, Wilson Web, Newsbank, and Medline. Technology resources include state-of-the-art telecommunication links, technology equipment, high-speed access and software, and a 3-D immersion module.
Financial Aid
Eligible graduate students may qualify for Federal Stafford Student Loans. Prospective students must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for determination of eligibility. Most graduate students receive some sort of financial assistance.
Cost of Study
Tuition for 2009–10 is $410 per credit hour. Payment plans are available. Additional fees are charged for graduation, thesis review, and thesis binding.
Living and Housing Costs
Many affordable housing opportunities are available in the neighborhoods surrounding the campus and in other nearby areas, which range from suburban to rural. Graduate students may also live in the residence hall on campus. Residence hall fees for 2009–10 are $1500 per semester for double occupancy and $2150 per semester for a private room (subject to availability). Students living on campus are required to purchase one of the University’s meal plans.
Student Group
Mountain State University serves more than 8,000 students a year. Graduate enrollment and programming have grown steadily since the University’s first graduate program was launched in 1998.
Student Outcomes
Recent program graduates report starting salaries between $85,710 and $89,897. Most graduates are working in West Virginia as primary-care-health providers, although MSU PA graduates can be found throughout the U.S. working in family practice, surgery, orthopedics, psychiatry, emergency medicine, nephrology, pediatrics, internal medicine, cardiology, and dermatology.
Location
Mountain State University’s main campus is located near downtown Beckley, West Virginia, a small city that serves as a regional center for business, health care, education, and tourism in the heart of the southern West Virginia mountains. The Beckley area offers the quiet of a small town with a wealth of recreational and cultural opportunities. Nearby recreation includes white-water rafting on the famed New and Gauley Rivers, skiing, hiking, biking, climbing and rappelling, and other outdoor pursuits. Beckley is an hour’s drive from the state capital of Charleston and just a few hours from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Washington, D.C.; and other eastern metropolitan areas.
The University
For more than seventy-five years, Mountain State University has been a leader in overcoming barriers to higher education and in offering academic programs that combine a liberal arts foundation with career-oriented studies. The University features innovative programming, flexible learning arrangements, well-qualified and deeply committed faculty members, and outstanding student services, all in a relaxed atmosphere.
Applying
Admission to the professional program is limited and competitive, with class capacities mandated by accreditation guidelines. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Unlike most master’s degree programs, the MSU PA program does not require applicants to have a bachelor’s degree to gain admission to the program, although application requirements are extensive and include 66 credit hours of undergraduate prerequisites as well as 300 hours of hands-on, direct patient care, 20 hours of PA shadowing, and letters of recommendation.
The Full-Time Graduate Faculty
- For information about faculty members, students should visit http://www.mountainstate.edu/majors/whystudy/phy_assis/default.aspx.
Correspondence and Information
Mountain State University
Mountain State University
Box 9003
Beckley, West Virginia 25802-9003
Telephone:
304-929-INFO (4636)
866-FOR-MSU1 (866-367-6781) (toll-free)
Email:
gomsu@mountainstate.edu
