APPLICANTS ENTERING AS FRESHMEN

APPLICANTS ENTERING AS FRESHMEN
5 YEAR BS/MS PROGRAM

The five-year BS/MS program is intended only for those entering as freshmen. No student may transfer into the program from another major at King's nor from another institution.

The 5 year program is composed of two parts:

A three-year pre-professional phase.

A two-year professional phase.

Upon successful completion of the first four years of the program, students receive:

A Bachelor Science Degree in Medical Studies.

A Minor in Biology.

Upon successful completion of the two-year professional phase, students:

Receive a Master of Science Degree in Physician Assistant Studies (M.S.P.A.S.).

     ·   Are eligible to take the Physician Assistant National Certification Examination (PANCE) as   required by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA).



THE PROFESSIONAL PROGRAM

                              This phase is 24 months in duration, beginning with ten and one half months of didactic instruction in all areas of general medicine. Direct patient encounters begin early and become the core of instruction during the final thirteen and one half months of clinical rotations and final preceptorship. In addition, students are mentored as they develop and complete a master’s research project. The program faculty, along with clinical adjunct faculty, including physicians, physician assistants, pharmacists, and other health care professionals, present the curriculum and coordinate and monitor the clinical experiences. The professional phase of the PA Program is awarded continued accreditation by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for Physician Assistants, Inc. (ARC-PA). The pre-professional phase is not part of this accreditation status. Students entering as freshmen submit an application to the King’s College admissions  department. Once accepted they follow a prescribed academic sequence for the first three years. These courses consist of liberal arts and preparatory science prerequisites for the later professional phase. During these first three years, students must fulfill all of the core requirements.

The pre-professional phase Courses consist of:

·     Liberal arts

·     Preparatory science prerequisites for the later professional phase

Students fulfill all of the core requirements for the Bachelor of Science degree, including:

·     Anatomy and Physiology I and II with Laboratory (8 credits)

·     Microbiology with Laboratory (4 credits)

·     23 Additional assigned, sequenced Biology credits (23 credits)

·     General Chemistry I and II with Laboratory (8 credits)

·     Organic Chemistry I with Laboratory (4 credits)

·     Neuroscience I (3 credits)

·     Drugs and Behavior (3 credits)

·     Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis (3 credits)

**All courses must be completed by the end of the spring semester of the junior year, and documentation must be forwarded by the end of May.

Clinical Experience Hours:

·     Students must complete a minimum of 500 clinical experience hours.

·     75% of these hours (375) must be complete by the end of the spring semester of the Junior Pre-professional year.

·     Please refer to document entitled, “Clinical Experience Hours.”

Students must complete all requirements by the end of the spring semester of their junior year before entering the professional phase of the program.

Progression Criteria for the 5 year BS/MS program for students entering fall 2011 or later.

General Information

The 5 year BS/MS Program is intended only for students entering King’s College as a first semester freshman and courses must be completed as outlined on the academic planner, carrying the designated credit load. The only exceptions are:

Advanced Placement Courses: Students will receive transfer credit for AP science and core courses if they achieve a grade of “3” or above.

College Discovery Courses: Students will receive transfer credit for college science and core courses taken during their Junior and Senior high school years if they achieve a grade of “C” or above.

Every student in the 5 year BS/MS program must meet all of the Progression Criteria to remain in the Program and progress to the professional phase.

Every student in the 5 year BS/MS program must take all prerequisite science courses at King’s College in the sequence outlined on the academic planner. The only exceptions are Advanced Placement and College Discovery Courses. For the purpose of the Progression Criteria and the calculation of grade point averages (GPAs) for the 5 year BS/MS Program, grades for Advance Placement and College Discovery courses will be included in the calculation of the student’s overall and science GPA although they may not appear on the student’s official college transcript.

Advanced Placement Courses: Students will receive transfer credit for AP science courses if they achieve a grade of “3” or above. These courses will be assigned the following grades:

AP score of 3 will receive a grade of B (3.0)

AP score of 4 will receive a grade of B+ (3.5)

AP score of 5 will receive a grade of A (4.0)

For a solid foundation in the sciences, students are not required but are encouraged to retake or audit these courses at King’s College as we cannot guarantee similarity of course content.

College Discovery Courses: Students will receive transfer credit for college science courses taken during their Junior and Senior high school years if they achieve a grade of “C” or above.

Students are not permitted to take/transfer more than 2 core equivalent courses (6 credits) during the summer sessions for the entire duration of the pre-professional phase. If the student has already achieved 6 credits or greater via Advanced Placement and College Discovery, all of the credits will be allowed to transfer however the student will not be allowed to take any summer courses for core equivalent. For the purpose of the Progression Criteria and the calculation of grade point averages for the 5 year BS/MS Program, grades for these courses will be included in the calculation of the student’s overall and science GPA although they may not appear on the student’s official college transcript.

Advanced Placement Courses: Students will receive transfer credit for AP core equivalent courses if they achieve a grade of “3” or above. Grade assignments are as listed above.

College Discovery Courses: Students will receive transfer credit for college core equivalent courses taken during their Junior and Senior high school years if they achieve a grade of “C” or above.

A student who has achieved a grade of less than a C- in any course will not be allowed to continue in the 5 year BS/MS Program.

A student who is no longer in the 5 year BS/MS program may not return to this Program at any time. The student is encouraged to remain at the College and choose another major provided they meet the general College academic standards listed in the King’s College Catalog.

Students must complete a minimum of 500 clinical experience hours prior to the completion of Year 3 of the 5 year BS/MS Program. 75% of these hours (375) must be complete by the end of the fall semester of the junior year (year 3). Of the 500 hours, a minimum of 300 must be direct patient care while the remainder can be indirect. In addition, a minimum of 20 hours must be spent shadowing a Physician Assistant. Please read the document fully describing clinical hour requirements.

Undergraduate/Pre-Professional Year 1 Requirements

At the completion of the fall semester of Year 1, a student’s cumulative overall and cumulative science GPA will be calculated and reviewed.

For the purpose of the Progression Criteria and the calculation of GPAs for the 5 year BS/MS Program, grades for College Discovery and Advance Placement courses will be included in the calculation of the student’s cumulative overall and cumulative science GPA.

A student in jeopardy of not meeting the spring requirements, as set forth below, will receive a warning letter.

At this point, a student in good standing is considered one having cumulative overall and science GPAs of 2.85 or greater.

·         Students must have a cumulative overall GPA of 2.90 or above upon completion of the spring semester of Year 1.

·         Students must have a cumulative science GPA of 2.90 or above in the Prerequisite Science Courses upon completion of the spring semester of Year 1.

·         Students must meet with their academic advisor at least one time per semester. It is the responsibility of the student to initiate this meeting.

·         Students are not permitted to repeat prerequisite science or core classes except for Advance Placement courses. (See bullet #3 under General Information)

Students who do not meet the above minimum requirements for progression will be required to change their major.

Undergraduate/Pre-Professional Year 2 Requirements

·         Students must submit their clinical experience log at the beginning of the fall semester of year 2. It will be reviewed and returned for further documentation of hours.

·         Students must have a cumulative overall GPA of 3.0 or above upon completion of the fall semester of Year 2.

·         Students must have a cumulative science GPA of 3.0 or above in the Prerequisite Science Courses upon completion of the fall semester of Year 2.

·         Students must have a cumulative overall GPA of 3.2 or above upon completion of the spring semester of Year 2.

·         Students must have a cumulative science GPA of 3.2 or above in the Prerequisite Science Courses upon completion of the spring semester of Year 2.

·         Students must have completed all Prerequisite Science courses for Years 1 and 2, as per the curriculum planner, by the end of the Spring Semester of Year 2.

·         Students must meet with their academic advisor at least one time per semester. It is the responsibility of the student to initiate this meeting.

·         Students are not permitted to repeat prerequisite science or core classes except for Advance Placement courses. (See bullet #3 under General Information)

·         Students must submit a form to the program secretary by the end of classes of the spring semester of their 2^nd year. These forms will be given to students during the advisement period in the spring.

Students who do not meet the above minimum requirements for progression will be required to change their major.

Undergraduate/Pre-Professional Year 3 Requirements

·         Students must submit their clinical experience log at the beginning of the fall semester of year 3. It will be reviewed and returned for further documentation of hours. 75% of these hours (375) must be complete by the end of the fall semester of the junior year (year 3).

·         Students must maintain a minimum cumulative overall GPA of 3.2 throughout Year 3. Their cumulative overall GPA may not fall below 3.2 at the completion of the fall semester of Year 3

·         Students must maintain a minimum cumulative Prerequisite Science GPA of 3.2 throughout Year 3. Their cumulative Prerequisite Science GPA may not fall below 3.2 at the completion of the fall semester of Year 3.

·         Students must complete any of the outstanding 500 clinical experience hours by the end of the Spring semester of Year 3. Documentation of such must be received by the student advisor no later than the last day of the Spring semester of Year 3.

·         All 5 year BSMS students are guaranteed a seat in the professional phase of the program as long as they meet the Progression Criteria and undergo an interview. These interviews will be conducted in late January/early February of their junior year (year 3).

     During this interview, students will be informed about the professional phase of the program. Details regarding both the didactic and clinical phases will be provided.

     Following this interview, students who meet all the criteria will receive a letter of provisional acceptance and will be expected to submit a deposit to hold their seat in the Professional Phase. This nonrefundable deposit is due no later than the last day of the spring semester and will be applied to their tuition for the Professional Phase.

Students who do not meet the above requirements for progression will be required to change their major.

YEARS FOUR AND FIVE: Professional Phase of the PA Program.

Enrollment Disclaimer

Enrollment in the professional phase is limited by the number of seats available. Therefore, in the unlikely event that the number of qualified BS/MS students exceeds the number of seats available in the professional phase, students with the highest overall and science GPA’s will be granted seats in the class. Those qualified students who were not offered seats will be deferred until the next year.

Additional requirements for entrance into the Professional Phase:

Students must submit an annual physical exam verifying that they have met the Program’s technical standards and immunization requirement (see below). Students must also maintain current health insurance while enrolled in the Program.

Clinical experience hours
Immunization requirements
Technical Standard requirements
FBI Background Checks and Child Abuse Security Clearance

All PA students are required to have a federal background check prior to starting the program. All Physician Assistant students must be fingerprinted for FBI Background Clearance, at the student's expense, prior to the first day of classes. This Federal Criminal History Record Check (FCHR) must be completed annually at an approved Cogent site.

Students must complete and submit, at the student's expense, a Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance Form prior to starting the program. The program will supply the student with this form which must be filed and cleared with the Childline and Abuse Registry, Department of Public Welfare, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Students are required to have a PA state background check to be completed by the Program. Social Security numbers and the student’s payment for this background check must be submitted to the Program Coordinator in the main PA Program Office prior to the start of rotations.

A student who does not have a clear check may be denied access to hospitals and/ or clinical rotations. This may affect their ability to complete the Program. A check which is not clear may also affect one’s ability to sit for the PANCE exam, obtain professional licenses or institutional privileges. The Federal Criminal History Record Check (FCHR), PA state background check and The Child Abuse History Clearance Form check must be maintained on an annual basis. In an attempt to schedule clinical rotations, any information found on these checks will be disclosed to clinical facilities and preceptors. Background checks which reveal a felony offense may result in denial of admission and/ or dismissal from the Program.
King’s College Physician Assistant Drug and Alcohol Policy

The King’s College Department of Physician Assistant Studies follows the policies outlined in the King’s College Student Handbook. The use of drugs or alcohol prior to or during any activities pertaining to the program is strictly prohibited. If there is reasonable suspicion of impairment, the student will be removed from that activity/class/rotation immediately. An institution, clinical site or the PA Program may request or require drug and/or alcohol testing, and/or referral for counseling and treatment. Prior to the start of the professional phase of the program, students will be required to undergo a 10 panel urine drug and/or alcohol test performed at a licensed laboratory. Students are required to have this testing done annually and in some cases, testing will be done randomly upon request. Students will sign a consent form with a waiver of liability releasing this information to the Program and any Clinical Site that may require the reported results. The student is responsible for all associated costs incurred. If the student refuses they may be unable to complete the requirements of the program. Specific disciplinary actions and/or dismissals will be handled on an individual basis.

*A copy of the Progression Criteria is provided and explained to each student who enters the professional phase.

For tuition information click here.

For information about what is included in the tuition fee and miscellaneous fees that are not included in tuition click here.

Employment during the professional phase of the PA Program

Due to the rigorous nature of the PA program during both the didactic and the clinical phases of training, it is inadvisable for students to hold a job during their professional training. Employment demands will not justify an excused absence from any academic or clinical requirements of the program nor will any special accommodations be made.

Students accepted into the professional phase of the PA program will be eligible to apply for the $44,000 Federal tuition assistance grant program.