Physician Assistant Entry Level Masters Program: General Information for Prospective Students

Tuition, Fees, and Other Expenses:

2008 Estimated Student Costs

Tuition Rates are calculated at $525/credit. Quarterly rates for full-time and part-time status are:

Full-time Status

	Fall Quarter	Winter Quarter	Spring Quarter	Summer Quarter
Year 1	$7875	$7875	$8400	$7875
Year 2	$5250	$6825	$5250	$6825
Year 3	$5250

Total Tuition: $61,425

Part-time Status

Total Tuition: $61,425

Additional Costs

Financial Aid:
The University does not provide direct stipends or scholarships to Physician Assistant students. The Financial Aid Office acts as an intermediary for agencies providing scholarship and loan assistance through traditional sources. Students should apply for traditional financial assistance as soon as possible. Students are also encouraged to investigate lesser known sources of aid such as fraternal organizations, employer’s educational funds, etc.

Useful information is available from Drexel University online at:
http://www.drexel.edu/financialaid/

Housing:
Some students reside in university housing adjacent to the Health Sciences campus while many are commuter students. More information concerning housing may be obtained at:
http://www.drexel.edu/housing/uh.asp

While the didactic- year phase of training is conducted in Philadelphia, students will be assigned to sites outside of commuting distance of the Philadelphia regions for some or all of their clinical training. Students should take relocation into account when signing or extending lease commitments.

Students are responsible for their own relocation and living expenses when assigned to clinical rotation and practica sites during the clinical phases of training.

Health Insurance:
The University requires all students to be enrolled in the University-sponsored health insurance program or annually to provide required documentation of comparable private coverage. More information about required health insurance may be obtained at: http://www.drexel.edu/studentlife/ch/II_Main.html

Physical Examinations and Immunizations:
Entrance and annual physical examinations and proof of current immunization status is required by the University, the PA Program, and many clinical sites to which students are assigned. More detailed information may be viewed at:
http://www.drexel.edu/studentlife/ch/II_Main.html

CPR Certification:
All students must provide evidence of current basic CPR certification by the American Heart Association or the American Red Cross upon entering and throughout the completion of training.

Computer Requirements:
PA Program students must have a laptop or notebook computer throughout training. Many didactic courses utilize online components. The PA Program’s primary, official method of communication with students is through the students’ official e-mail accounts. General class information, individual course announcements and scheduling notification, confidential, unofficial grade postings, and sundry other communications are all accomplished on line.

Since communication and research requirements are continuous throughout both the didactic and clinical phases of training, the notebook computer, due to its portability while students are assigned to distant clinical sites, is the only practical solution to the student’s computer needs.

More information about recommended computer configurations, University provided software, and student purchase discounts from major vendors may be viewed at:
http://www.drexel.edu/irt/services/comp_mark/index.html

Upon entering the PA Program, students are expected to know basic utilization skills in word processing, “PowerPoint” presentations, and internet browsing and searching techniques.

Student Employment:
Professional training as a physician assistant is a major undertaking, and students are expected to make studies their first priority. Full time students are discouraged from seeking employment; and, while many part-time students do work, all students will be required to subordinate work schedules to accommodate the educational requirements of the professional curriculum.

1. Full-time student is strongly discouraged from seeking employment
2. While some part-time students do work, all students are required to subordinate work schedules to accommodate the educational and scheduling requirements of the professional curriculum.
3. PA training emphasizes patient contact and immediate application of classroom experiences. To provide the proper learning environment, students are assigned to the emergency room or “on-call” services during evening hours or on the weekends in addition to regularly schedule classroom work.
4. If the program’s faculty deems that a student’s employment is interfering with the student’s ability to maintain satisfactory academic and clinical performance:
1. The student may be counseled to  cease employment
2. Failure to resolve to the faculty’s satisfaction any employment-related conflicts cam result in the student’s dismissal from the program
5. No PA student may be employed by the PA Program directly or through any work-study position for reasons of confidentiality and potential conflict of interest.
6. No PA student may act as administrative, clerical, or clinical substitutes for paid employees while at clinical training sites.
   

Convictions of Crimes:
An applicant considering a career in the health care professions, including as a physician assistant, must be aware of the potential implications that convictions for previous crimes may have upon one’s ability to practice as a health care professional. Some types of criminal convictions, professional malfeasance, or professional misconduct may effectively preclude licensure to practice as a physician assistant. Each state or commonwealth regulates the practice of health care within the confines of its own jurisdiction. Graduation from an accredited training program such as Drexel University does not supervene the individual state’s policies or rights in matters of regulating health care practitioners; hence, every applicant is cautioned that it is his or her sole responsibility to know the policies relating to criminal convictions, malfeasance, or professional misconduct that may bar or restrict practice as a physician assistant in any and all states where the applicant desires to practice. That information is usually available from a state’s or commonwealth’s attorney general’s office.