Helping Veterans Become Physician Assistants

PA Programs That Train Veterans

These physician assistant education programs report that they are using enhanced, veteran-specific recruitment and retention strategies, mentoring programs and/or curricula that meet the skills and needs of veterans.

California | Nevada | Pennsylvania | Tennessee | Washington

California

San Joaquin Valley College Primary Care Physician Assistant Program
Visalia
The San Joaquin Valley College Primary Care Physician Assistant Program actively recruits veterans by inviting military medical recruiters to the campus and also provides a preference to veteran medical personnel in the PA Pipeline Program. The preference provides academic counseling, assists with application preparation including mock interviews, and disseminates financial aid information. The college maintains a National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Ambassador program, which provides students information on the NHSC, which offers scholarship and loan repayment in exchange for service at approved sites in underserved areas.

The college utilizes PA preceptors that are either prior or current military medical personnel. A majority (62.5%) of the principle core faculty are prior military medical personnel and more than a third (37.5%) of the principle core PA faculty are NHSC or Indian Health Service scholars or loan repayment recipients. On average, 12% of the entering student class are prior military personnel.

Nevada

Touro University Nevada School of Physician Assistant Studies
Henderson
The Touro University Nevada School of Physician Assistant Studies realizes the challenges veterans may have meeting admissions requirements and succeeding in school after acceptance. To help veterans meet these challenges, the school has developed, in partnership with the College of Medicine, a one-year bridge Medical Health Science program. This master-level program has all of the upper level science courses required by many PA programs. It is challenging, prepares the student for the rigors of the PA program, and is taught by the same instructors who teach PA students. Each veteran is partnered with a PA student mentor. Students enrolled in the bridge program are guaranteed an interview for Touro’s PA school.

Pennsylvania

Drexel University Hahnemann Physician Assistant Program
Philadelphia
The Drexel University Hahnemann PA Program offers a number of supports for veterans. Admissions requirements allow veterans increased flexibility during the admissions process; multi-layered student support systems include peer mentor-mentees, faculty advisors and faculty members who are or have cared for veterans; and Drexel University participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program, which helps cover costs that exceed Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits and has an Office of Veteran Student Services, a Veterans Task Force and veterans lounge.

Marywood University Physician Assistant Program
Scranton
The Marywood University PA Program has a strong history with veterans and military members. The program accepts health care hours performed while in the military as health care hours for admission. The Marywood University financial aid department has experience working with veterans to meet their specific needs.

Tennessee

Bethel University Physician Assistant Program
McKenzie
The Bethel University Physician Assistant has created the Medic to PA Bridge Program, which eliminates many of the barriers that prevent military medics from continuing their education and becoming leaders in the health care industry as physician assistants. The accelerated program, currently accepting applications, enables combat medics to earn a bachelor's degree in as few as 18 months, while still in service. Upon completion of the bachelor's degree, the applicants interview for pre-admission to the PA program and are admitted upon successful completion of the science course and GRE. The program will decrease the time of completing a graduate level PA program from the traditional 6-7 years to 4-5 years.

South College School of Physician Assistant Studies VET-UP© Program “Lifesavers then… Caregivers for the Future”
Knoxville
South College supports veteran students by providing targeted mentorship and advice and partnering veteran students with veteran faculty members for ongoing educational and career counseling. Veteran faculty members serve as a point of contact for medics and corpsmen applying to the program.
In addition, a bridge B.S. degree in health science program is available for medics and corpsmen with 4 years of military medical experience. Information sessions are held with physician, physician assistant, and other military medical leaders and at military medical facilities.
South College brings visiting professors who are senior military medical leaders to network with military personnel. Alumni also wrok with medics and corpsmen through the "Help Them Help Themselves" program.

Washington

University of Washington MEDEX Northwest Physician Assistant Program
Seattle
MEDEX supports veterans through the application process, with mentorship during PA school, deliberate clinical placement and ongoing alumni communication. Recruitment has included information sessions on military bases, or if restricted, at nearby community colleges. Several MEDEX faculty have military experience and the admissions process ensures that they have significant input into veterans’ applications and interviews.
Once enrolled, students have access to veterans on the faculty for advising and consultation, which proves beneficial if issues arise related to the transition to civilian life.
In the clinical phase, several VA and military clinic and hospital sites are available for training, although MEDEX also rotates these students through community health centers since these facilities are often ideal practice settings for veterans.
MEDEX works with all students to inform them of job opportunities upon graduation, and maintains strong ties with alumni, many of whom later recruit more veterans to apply to the program.
Recent survey results indicate that 41% were working in primary care, often in small-town or rural settings, and 18% practiced in emergency settings. Over the last 43 years, 33% of all MEDEX graduates had prior military experience; the average for the most recent 10 classes is 25%.