Admission Requirements & Procedures

The Bay Shore Campus Physician Assistant Program and the Winthrop Extension Center participate in the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA). Applicants must complete the online application at https://portal.caspaonline.org.

A new class of students is admitted to the program at the Bay Shore campus and enrolled each fall, and a new class begins at the Winthrop Extension Center each spring. Decisions on admission are made by a committee of PA Program faculty, and are based on an assessment of the applicant's past academic performance, potential for success in the program, as well as his/her understanding of and commitment to the PA profession. Classes in the BS/MS program at the Bay Shore campus begin in late August; classes in the BS/MS program at the Winthrop Extension Center in Mineola begin in January.

Deadlines for receipt of the application and all accompanying documentation:

Spring 2014 entering class at the Winthrop Extension Center - November 1, 2013
Fall 2014 entering class at the Bay Shore campus - March 1, 2014

The following are required for consideration for admission:

• Completed CASPA application
• Completed Supplemental Application including submission of a $25 supplemental fee
• A written personal statement (see CASPA application for guidelines)
• 3 letters of recommendation (one must be from a physician assistant)
• A minimum of 200 hours of direct patient contact health care experience, either volunteer or paid, documented on the Patient Contact Form found in the Supplemental Application.
• A minimum of 20 additional hours "shadowing" a physician assistant, documented on the Physician Assistant Shadowing Form found in the Supplemental Application.
• Official transcript(s) indicating (1) a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0, (2) a minimum GPA of 3.0 in science courses, and (3) successful completion of 90 transferable credits – 60 of which must be in general liberal arts and sciences and specifically include 52 credits of prerequisites listed below – with grades of “C” or better* at an accredited college, university, or its equivalent. Please note: An applicant may apply to the program with prerequisite coursework in progress, but all prerequisite coursework must be completed a full semester prior to the start of the program. Pending coursework may, however, delay review of the candidate’s application.

  Distribution of 52 credits of specific prerequisites:

  General Biology I & II (with labs)	8 credits
  General Chemistry I & II (with labs)	8 credits
  Organic Chemistry or Biochemistry	4 credits
  Anatomy & Physiology**	8 credits
  Behavioral Sciences (e.g., Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology)	6 credits
  English Composition and/or English Literature+	6 credits
  Humanities (e.g., History, Philosophy, Languages, Literature, Art)	6 credits
  Mathematics (pre-calculus level or above)	3 credits
  Statistics	3 credits

  *  Advanced Placement courses taken in high school must have scores of 4 or 5 to transfer.
  ** Applicants who completed two Anatomy & Physiology courses for less than a total of 8 credits must satisfy the credit requirement by completing an additional elective in Biology or Chemistry.
  +  Applicants must provide catalog descriptions for English courses not taught by an English department (e.g. through a core curriculum or honors program).

• For applicants who do not hold a degree from an accredited college, university, or its equivalent, an official high school transcript or proof of GED is required.
• For applicants whose native language is not English, or who did not attend college in the U.S. or other English-speaking country, the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) examination with a score of at least 560 (paper-based), 220 (computer-based), or 83 (Internet-based) (Note: the TOEFL exam does not fulfill or substitute for the 6-credit English prerequisite requirement).
• Foreign credentials must be evaluated by a Touro-approved agency such as the International Education Research Foundation, Inc. (IERF) or World Education Services, Inc. (WES). A list of approved agencies can be found by visiting www.naces.org/members.htm.

Please note:

• All prerequisite science courses must be designed for science majors. Transfer of science courses designed for non-science majors, e.g., liberal arts, nursing, respiratory therapy, is at the discretion of the Admissions Committee.
• Applicants whose sciences prerequisites are more than 10 years old may be required to take refresher courses unless exempted by the PA Program Admissions Committee.
• All prerequisite courses are offered by the School of Health Sciences' Undergraduate Studies department at the Bay Shore campus, as well as by Touro College's Lander Colleges of Arts and Sciences and New York School of Career and Applied Studies.
• The PA program does not award academic credit for experiential learning.
• Meeting the minimum requirements listed above does not guarantee an interview or admission to the program.

The program Admissions Committee evaluates an applicant's completed application and considers the following factors:

• Quality and content of the personal statement
• Strength of the recommendations made in the three letters
• Cumulative GPA
• Science GPA
• Nature and extent of health care experiences

Based on this evaluation, selected applicants are invited for a personal interview, at which time they are assessed with regard to their understanding of the PA role, their motivation, maturity, intellectual qualities, insights, and interpersonal skills.

The Admissions Committee makes final decisions on admission to the program.

Admissions Appeals

Students who do not meet established grade point standards or other established admission requirements detailed above may petition the PA Admissions Committee in writing for consideration. The petition must accompany the application. It should clearly explain extenuating circumstances that have prevented the student from meeting existing grade point standards or other requirements, and describe elements of the applicant's background that would indicate the potential for success in the program. The Admissions Committee may choose to admit students who have not met established admission requirements, based on the student's petition, application, interview and other supporting documents required as part of the application process. For applicants who already hold a B.A. or B.S. degree, prerequisite courses of certain types may be waived at the discretion of the PA Program Director.

Applicants who miss the CASPA deadline and are still interested in applying should contact the Office of Admissions for further information.

For applications and information, please contact:

Physician Assistant Program/ Office of Admissions
Touro College School of Health Sciences
1700 Union Boulevard
Bay Shore, N.Y. 11706
Phone: 866-TOURO-4-U
enrollhealth@touro.edu

Preferred Admission for School of Health Sciences Undergraduate Studies Students

Touro College students who have completed 34 or more undergraduate credits in the School of Health Sciences’ Undergraduate Studies department may qualify for “preferred admission” status to the Bay Shore Campus or Winthrop Extension Physician Assistant programs. The School of Health Sciences holds open a certain number of places in each entering class for students with "preferred" status.

Following are the criteria for consideration for preferred admission:

• Successful completion of all prerequisite courses (see listing above)
• Submission of a completed CASPA application and Supplemental Application
• Submission of the personal statement (see CASPA application for guidelines)
• Submission of verification of a minimum of 200 hours of direct patient contact including a minimum of 20 hours shadowing a PA (documentation forms can be found in the Supplemental Application)
• Submission of three letters of reference, including one from a Physician Assistant
• A 3.0 minimum cumulative GPA at Touro College
• A 3.0 minimum cumulative science/math GPA (excluding Physics) from all colleges attended

Unlike applicants who attended other institution, Undergraduate Studies students applying for admission to a given PA class who meet the above criteria and whose cumulative science/math GPA falls in the upper 80% qualify for preferred admission and are assured of an interview. The PA Admissions Committee, as with other applicants, makes final decisions on admission.

School of Health Sciences’ Undergraduate Studies applicants who do not meet the established grade point standards or other established admission requirements may petition the PA Admissions Committee in writing for consideration. Please refer to the "Admissions Appeals" section above for further details.