The Health Sciences Major may be used as a pre-professional curriculum for students wishing to apply to a Physicians Associate program. The OU Health Sciences Center offers a 30 month program divided into basic science and clinical clerkship phases.
The program considers applicants who have earned a bachelor's degree prior to matriculation. A Minimum GPA of 3.0 is required. The list of Pre-requisites must be completed (if accepted) before the program starts in June. Service and/or experience in health care is recommended. The average number of Science courses of those persons accepted, above what is required - not counting the Pre-requisites listed.. is eight. Science courses are courses that are NOT GE's, and have a MATH, BIOL, CHEM or PHYS prefix.
Profession
The Physician Associate (Assistant) is academically and clinically prepared to practice medicine with the supervision of a licensed Doctor of Medicine or Osteopathy. Within this relationship, Physician Associates provide a broad range of diagnostic and therapeutic services. Physician Associates practice is centered on patient care and may include educational, research, and administrative activities
Employment
The majority of Physician Associates practice in ambulatory care settings as well as hospitals, managed care organizations, rural and urban clinics, correctional facilities and other settings.
Curriculum/Accreditation
The Physician Associate course work in the OU College of Medicine is 30 months in duration divided into basic science and clinical clerkship phases. The basic science phase is 18 months in length. The remaining 12 months are devoted to clinical clerkships. In Oklahoma, the Physician Associate must be certified to practice by the Oklahoma State Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision, the same agency that licenses physicians. There is also a national certifying examination that has been developed by the National Board of Medical Examiners and is administered by the National Commission of the Certification of Physician Assistants. Successful completion of the examination is required to practice in Oklahoma. To maintain national certification, the Physician Associate must complete 100 hours of Continuing Medical Education every two years and be reexamined every six years.