Navigating the Path to Physician Assistant Education at UCLA: A Comprehensive Guide
The Atkinson Physician Assistant Education Program at UCLA is a highly competitive program dedicated to the advancement of physician assistant education, and emphasizes service to the medically underserved. This article provides a detailed overview of the requirements, application process, and key considerations for prospective applicants.
Application Process and General Requirements
Applicants to the Atkinson Physician Assistant Education Program must complete an online application using the Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA), and a program Secondary Application. Applicants must satisfy both the minimum and prerequisite coursework requirements by the application deadlines. Admission is highly competitive.
Entrance Exams
Entrance exams are not required, e.g. GRE, PA-CAT, MCAT, etc.
Bachelor's Degree
Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree or higher may apply to the program provided all minimum and prerequisite coursework requirements are met. Equivalency must be submitted to CASPA for verification.
English-Language Proficiency
English-language proficiency may be required for international degree-holding applicants.
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Criminal Background Check
The Atkinson UC San Diego Physician Assistant Education Program does not require a criminal background check prior to matriculating into the program and will not have access to criminal background data submitted to CASPA for programs outside the state of California. However, supervised clinical practice experiences (SCPE) are a critical part of the program’s requirements for graduation. Many clinical sites will not place a learner on a clinical rotation unless they have successfully passed a criminal background check. As a part of the licensing process, many states require that graduates undergo a comprehensive background investigation.
DACA Recipients
DACA recipients are eligible to apply for and obtain a license to practice as a physician assistant in California. Prospective applicants should consult the requirements of the licensing authority in any state in which they consider practicing to determine qualifications for licensure.
Prerequisite Coursework
Applicants must complete specific prerequisite coursework to be eligible for admission. A combined Human Anatomy and Physiology (A&P) series with lab can be used to fulfill the Human Anatomy and Human Physiology prerequisites.
AP/IB Credit
Generally, AP/IB credit are not considered college-level work by pre-health programs to fulfill requirements. While some programs/schools may accept AP/IB credit towards the pre-requisites, it is still highly recommended that you complete the total number of courses for the requirement (e.g. 3 courses for the Math requirement).
Pass/No Pass Grades
Because the grade you earn in your pre-health courses are factored into your pre-health grade point average, any course a student completes for their pre-health requirements must be taken for a letter grade.
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Community College Courses
Yes, any student can complete some and/or all of the pre-health requirements at a community college. The only exceptions are if the requirement is considered an “upper division course” (e.g., Biochemistry), in which case it would need to be taken at a four-year institution (i.e. With this in mind, it is recommended that if a student plans to complete a series of courses at one institution that they plan to finish it there - rather than starting some at one institution and attempting to complete it at another. The reason for this is because institutions operate on different academic calendars (quarter vs. semester) and there may be difficulty assessing which courses would need to be completed.
Study Abroad Courses
Yes, certain courses taken through study abroad programs may be applied towards pre-health requirements. For example, students have the option to complete the Physics requirement (1 year) via a UCEAP program. With this in mind, we highly recommend students reach out to the Schools they will be applying to prior to completing the requirement in a study abroad program.
Completing Requirements After Graduation
Yes, many students complete all and/or the remainder of their pre-health requirements after they complete their studies at UCLA - this might be done through a post-baccalaureate program, a special master’s program (SMP) or by taking courses at a local community college or Extension program.
Alternative Ways to Register for Required Classes
Yes, you can take classes at another institution if you are unable to complete them while at UCLA. However, please consult with your major department and College Counseling unit if the course you are taking for pre-health requirements is also fulfilling a requirement for your UCLA degree (i.e. With this in mind, it is recommended that if a student plans to complete a series of courses at one institution that they plan to finish it there - rather than starting some at one institution and attempting to complete it at another. The reason for this is because institutions operate on different academic calendars (quarter vs. semester) and there may be difficulty assessing which courses would need to be completed.
It is recommended that if a student plans to complete a series of courses at one institution that they plan to finish it there - rather than starting some at one institution and attempting to complete it at another. The reason for this is because institutions operate on different academic calendars (quarter vs. semester) and there may be difficulty assessing which courses would need to be completed.
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Writing Requirements
As listed on the UCLA Pre-Health Course Requirement Worksheet, one full year of coursework is required (3 courses in total)-Writing I and Writing II will apply towards the required number of courses. If you came into UCLA with Writing I credit (AP credit), we recommend taking three Writing II classes total to fulfill this requirement for your pre-health program-you may even consider completing a course that fulfills both a GE requirement and is a Writing II course.
Health Care Experience
A minimum of 500 hours of health care experience must be accrued at the time of application and recorded as part of the official CASPA application. Health care experience is required and is an indication to the admissions committee of an applicant’s awareness of and commitment to a career in health care. Either paid or un-paid experience is accepted. Experiences in positions requiring autonomous, high-level, medical decision-making are scored highest. Hours obtained observing, volunteering, shadowing, or as part of an educational program will be counted towards the 500 hours experiences. Applicants should seek experiences that expose them to the patient provider relationship. Health care hours/experiences are subject to verification.
Shadowing Experience
The program values and encourages but does not require PA shadowing experience. Shadowing hours with PA, MD/DO, and NP providers will count toward the 500 health care experience hours. Shadowing PAs is preferred in the admissions application process. Shadowing is defined as observing a physician assistant in the care of patients. Working with a PA is not considered shadowing, but can be counted towards health care experience. The average applicant has 1-2 shadowing experiences.
Clinical Experience
Clinical experience is a broad term but typically entails 1) direct patient exposure (i.e. you can see, hear, touch the patients) and/or 2) clinical volunteering, which is work in a clinical setting without necessarily having direct patient contact (e.g. volunteering at a hospital floor’s directory/information desk). A common activity that falls in the grey area is working as a clinical scribe. Scribing is more active than shadowing but is less active than other experiences, such as an emergency medical technician (EMT), where you have direct patient experiences.
Recommended Hours for Clinical vs. Shadowing
There is no specific ‘number’ to hit for both clinical and shadowing exposure, but aim to earn as many clinical hours as you can (100+ hours is an average benchmark) and around 50-100 hours total of shadowing 2-4 physicians acros…
Letters of Recommendation
A minimum of 3 letters of recommendation are required. Letters must be submitted through the CASPA portal and should come from professional and reputable sources. Careful consideration should be given to clear conflicts-of-interest; i.e., personal, familial/kin, and marital relationships. Applicants will be scored on tabular/numerical reference entries. If an applicant has submitted more than three letters, a mean score of all letters submitted will be calculated.
Personal Statement
Applicant personal statements must be submitted via the CASPA portal. Narrative entries should be clear, concise, well-written, and free of grammatical and spelling errors. Questions are designed to collect information such as an applicant’s career aspirations, academic successes and challenges, and commitment to the program’s mission. Question prompts may be labeled either required or optional. Applicants are encouraged to submit narrative responses to optional prompts when applicable.
Additional Considerations
Community Service/Volunteerism
Evidence of community service/volunteerism with local programs or outreach initiatives in collaboration with community organizations is desirable but not required. When applicable, applicants will be scored on quantity of service.
Graduate Studies
The program values and encourages graduate studies. Some applicants may benefit from coursework beyond a bachelor's degree to demonstrate academic rigor and maturity. Applicants with less competitive GPAs may also want to opt for post-baccalaureate (graduate level) courses.
Major
No, PA programs do not give preference to any major. Pre-Med students need not study a particular major; they only have to complete the necessary pre-requisite courses, which makes Life Sciences majors the most efficient and, therefore, popular. In our opinion, the best major is one that you’re interested in and perform well in. This interest carries over into your performance in all courses and will do wonders in maintaining a high GPA. Yes, you’ll have to take extra courses outside your major to fulfill your prerequisites so it may elongate your degree or (in some cases) require that you take some of the pre-requisite courses after graduation through an Extension program, community college, or post-baccalaureate program.
"Pre-Health"
Pre-health is an all-encompassing term that describes students who are on track to pursue a career in patient-associated healthcare (i.e. not business side of healthcare including healthcare management or healthcare consulting). These include fields such as: medicine, nursing, pharmacy, optometry, veterinary, physical therapy, physician’s assistant and nurse practitioner. It does not refer to a specific major or academic track at UCLA.
Is it Too Late to Become a Pre-Health Student?
It’s never too late to become a pre-health student! Even if you’re a 4th-year student who has taken nothing but music courses, there are a variety of post-baccalaureate programs to help get you up to speed with all the pre-health course requirements. Many healthcare practitioners made the decision to pursue a health career later in life, after graduating from college or even having a different career for years. Even after you graduate from college you can still achieve the extracurricular experiences expected of pre-health students such as volunteering in hospitals, clinics, and engaging in research activities.
GPA Competitiveness
This is a difficult question with no straight answer given that the admissions process is a holistic one and GPA - although it plays a major role - isn’t everything. Our best advice here is to match both your total GPA and science GPA with that of the median applicant to that particular institution.
How to Become a Competitive Applicant
Applicants can expect to be evaluated holistically on matters including: GPA/test score, clinical, non-clinical and research experiences (importance of research is weighed differently by program). As such, you’ll have to be competitive across the board to ensure that you’re overall a competitive applicant.
Is Research Required to Get Into Medical School?
Technically, no, but you can find data on how many matriculants to a particular medical school actually conducted research on the AAMC’s MSAR (you’ll have to purchase access). With that being said, research is an excellent avenue to become intimately acquainted with the scientific process. Developing the critical thinking skills inherent to research will prove useful as a physician that must exercise sound clinical reasoning daily. Students who conduct research are also able to read and communicate in the language of science, which can be difficult due to extensive jargon.
Finding Mentors
Mentors come in all forms; it’ll be useful to have mentors at different stages in their careers so you get a strong sense of perspective. Undergraduate clubs will often have upperclassmen that can impart their wisdom on classes to take, extracurricular/research opportunities available and just in general, how to navigate through pre-health at UCLA. Lastly, you could also consider a mentor who is in a profession of interest. Depending on how long they’ve been practicing, they can provide significant thoughts as to the state of healthcare, life as a practitioner and perhaps even offer some clinical exposure. They will be harder to come by but most students who have mentors in the profession connect with them via their personal networks, research/scholarly endeavors, or formal organizations that can pair you with one (e.g.
Determining if Healthcare is Right for You
This is one of the most important questions any student can ask! Understanding whether healthcare is for you will take a myriad of experiences and can take different amounts of time depending on the person. Then, your best teacher will be experience. Pursue relevant volunteer and internship experiences (see ) to get a sense of what healthcare entails. Serve the patients around you and reflect on whether you can justify the time and cost of training. To supplement your own experiences, shadow practitioners in your community for 40-50 hours to ensure you understand what a typical work week entails in the field.
Psychology and Sociology Courses
The UCLA Pre-Health Requirements Worksheet, found here, outlines any additional courses, beyond the general pre-requisites, that are recommended. For example, if a course is listed under “the requirements by field” section, then it is recommended that you take these additional courses. Generally, Psychology and Sociology are recommended because they can help with your preparation for your entrance exams (e.g., MCAT, GRE, PCAT).
Getting Into Research
Clinical research opportunities won’t typically be posted on the undergraduate research portal; feel free to ask upperclassmen who are involved with clinical projects if there is an arm of the project you can help with. Otherwise, most students get engaged in clinical research by seeking out faculty physicians at UCLA Health to get a sense of what they’re working on and how they, as an undergraduate, can help.
Pre-Health Clubs at UCLA
There are hundreds of pre-health clubs offered at UCLA and there are changes and additions every year. Check out the UCLA Student Organizations Database for an accurate and up-to-date listing. Search by category such as Health & Wellness, Medical, Dental, Community Service, or anything else that aligns with your interests and passions. Be sure to choose “Undergraduate” as the Member type. If you have a niche interest area, just type it in the keyword search field.
Application Timeline
The Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) cycle opens in April and closes in April the following year (exact dates vary from year to year). This checklist provides helpful considerations to keep in mind when planning your path to PA school.
Resources at UCLA
Pre-Health Advisors
There are dozens of staff across campus who provide pre-med and pre-health advising services. UCLA has a decentralized model, which means that different departments take on different aspects of the advising process. If you are seeking advice regarding your academic preparation for health professional school, you should meet with an academic counselor (identify the appropriate department(s) here). For all other pre-health advising needs, the UCLA Career Center can help. Please visit this page for a full list of the UCLA Career Center’s pre-health services.
Course Planning Assistance
Academic counseling and advising services are available to support students with pre-health course planning. Click here to learn more about available pre-health counseling and advising services.
What if You Change Your Mind?
There are many other professions that may call for the transferable skills earned in your pre-health courses. We recommend that you consider visiting with a Career Educator to discuss other career pathways, or enrolling in Life Science 110: Career Exploration in the Life Sciences to learn about other health-related opportunities.
Gap Year Activities
Your gap year should be used to shore up weaknesses on your application and highlight strengths. If your GPA or exam scores are the biggest pain points on your application, then your gap year should be dedicated to raising those academic metrics.
Financing Medical School
Army and partnerships with rural/under served areas. There are also a variety of scholarships that will apply based on your specific demographics and interests.
Admission Statistics
While the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA) does not make public admission statistics by GPA and test scores, there is a wealth of other information available about matriculating students and programs in their PAEA Annual Program Reports.
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