Graduate Program

Degree Offered

  • Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies (M.S.)

The Physician Assistant Studies program mission is to educate Physician Assistants to be competent providers of primary care medicine with a special focus on the medically underserved and/or rural populations of New Mexico.

This program is housed in the Department of Family and Community Medicine within the School of Medicine. Instruction is provided by various departments and faculties of the Health Sciences Center. Small group tutorials are actively used in the professional curriculum. The 27-month program consists of didactic and clinical instruction. Students can expect to have several clinical clerkships in rural and underserved areas of New Mexico. Upon successful completion of the curriculum, a Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies degree is awarded.

Program Accreditation Status

The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status to the University of New Mexico Physician Assistant Program sponsored by the University of New Mexico. Accreditation-Continued is an accreditation status granted when a currently accredited program is in compliance with the ARC-PA Standards.

Accreditation remains in effect until the program closes or withdraws from the accreditation process or until accreditation is withdrawn for failure to comply with the Standards. The approximate date for the next validation review of the program by the ARC-PA will be September 2024. The review date is contingent upon continued compliance with the Accreditation Standards and ARC-PA policy.

Specific questions regarding the program and its plans should be directed to the program director and/or the appropriate institutional official(s).


Pre-Professional Curriculum

Applicants must have a B.A./B.S. degree or higher and the Graduate Record Exam by the August 1 application deadline. They must complete all prerequisites prior to the application deadline and receive a grade of C or higher. A minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale is calculated based on the most recent 60 college credit hours. Also, a required science/math grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale is calculated using the science prerequisites and statistics course grade. Course numbers listed below refer to the University of New Mexico courses.

Credit
Hours
Science
BIOL 123/124L Biology for Health Related Sciences and Non-Majors / Lab 4
BIOL 237/247L Human Anatomy and Physiology I for the Health Sciences / Lab 4
BIOL 238/248L Human Anatomy and Physiology II for the Health Sciences / Lab 4
CHEM 121/123L
-and-
CHEM 122/124L
General Chemistry I / Lab

General Chemistry II / Lab
8
-or-
CHEM 131/123L
-and-
CHEM 132/124L

Principles of Chemistry / Lab

Principles of Chemistry / Lab
PSY Psychology 
Mathematics
PSY 200
-or-
STAT 145
Statistical Principles

Introduction to Statistics
3
Communication Skills
ENGL English - writing or literature. All English courses must be taken in the U.S. 6


Highly Recommended for All:

(Additional points can be earned by completing these courses with a grade of B- or higher)

  • Regional language (Spanish, Native Language, Vietnamese and/or Sign)
  • Biochemistry
  • Organic Chemistry
  • Integrated Organic and Biochemistry
  • Nutrition
  • Microbiology
  • Genetics
  • Molecular Genetics
  • Molecular and Cell Biology
  • Virology
  • Immunology
  • Biological Chemistry

Clinical/Community Experience

We require a minimum of 500 contact hours of direct patient care experience in either a patient care setting or a significant community care environment, either as a paid position or as a volunteer. Hands-on patient care experience is preferred.

Application for admission is made through the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants Web site (CASPA). The CASPA application, payment, official college transcripts and three letters of reference must be received at CASPA by the August 1 application deadline each year for the class starting the following June. Applicants are encouraged to check the status of their CASPA application on a weekly basis. 

For questions or technical assistance call CASPA at (617) 612-2080, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. eastern time, or email to caspainfo@caspaonline.org. The University of New Mexico Physician Assistant Program sends a supplemental application to qualified applicants after the CASPA application is submitted, if all requirements are met. A separate application to The University of New Mexico is required upon acceptance into the program, if not currently enrolled. Admission to the Physician Assistant Program is based on evaluation of those applicant qualities and experiences which advance the program’s mission. For this reason residents of New Mexico are given primary consideration for admission. The criteria for evaluation also include academic and personal record, letters of recommendation and, if selected, a personal interview.


Professional Curriculum

Credit
Hours
Summer
PAST 501 FMS I Population Health 1
PAST 502 FMS I Foundations of Research Methodology 1
PAST 535 Clinical Seminar I 1
PAST 540 ICM I Dermatology 2
PAST 541 ICM I Orthopedics 2
Subtotal 7
Fall  
PAST 510 FMS I Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine I 2
PAST 515 FMS I Adult and Geriatric Medicine I 2
PAST 520 FMS I Pharmacology I 2
PAST 530 FMS I Clinical Skills I 2
PAST 536 Clinical Seminar II 1
PAST 542 Musculoskeletal Connective Tissue (MSCT) 4
PAST 570 Foundations of Medical Science 4
   Subtotal 17
Spring
PAST 513 FMS II Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine II 1
PAST 514 FMS III Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine III 1
PAST 518 FMS II Adult and Geriatric Medicine II 1
PAST 519 FMS III Adult and Geriatric Medicine III 1
PAST 523 FMS II Pharmacology II 1
PAST 524 FMS III Pharmacology III 1
PAST 531 FMS II Clinical Skills II 1
PAST 537 Clinical Seminar III 1
PAST 545 ICM II Neurosciences 4
PAST 547 ICM II CV-Pulmonary-Renal 4
Subtotal 16
Summer
PAST 560 Supervised Clinical Practice Experience Family Medicine 3
PAST 562 Supervised Clinical Practice Experience Pediatrics 3
  Subtotal 6
Fall  
PAST 525 FMS IV Emergency Medicine 3
PAST 527 FMS IV Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine IV 1
PAST 529 FMS IV Adult and Geriatric Medicine IV 1
PAST 532 FMS III Clinical Skills III 1
PAST 533 FMS IV Pharmacology IV 1
PAST 548 ICM III Infectious Disease 4
PAST 549 ICM III Sexuality and Reproduction 2
PAST 550 GI-Nutrition-Metabolism-Endocrinology (GINME) 4
  Subtotal 17
Spring
PAST 561 Supervised Clinical Practice Experience Women's Health and Prenatal Care 3
PAST 563 Supervised Clinical Practice Experience Behavioral Medicine - Psychiatry 3
PAST 564 Supervised Clinical Practice Experience Emergency Medicine 3
PAST 565 Supervised Clinical Practice Experience General Internal Medicine 3
PAST 566 Supervised Clinical Practice Experience Elective 1
PAST 600 Program to Practice 2
  Subtotal 15
Summer
PAST 568 Supervised Clinical Practice Experience General Surgery 3
PAST 575 Supervised Clinical Practice Experience Primary Care 5
Subtotal 8
PAST 610 Independent Study 1-14
  Clerkship and preceptorship total 27
  Professional curriculum total 59
  Total credit hours 86

Courses

PAST 501. Foundations of Medical Science I- Population Health. (1)



PAST 502. Foundations of Medical Science I- Foundations of Research Methodology. (1)



PAST 510. Foundations of Medical Science I- Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine I. (2)



PAST 513. Foundations of Medical Science II- Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine II. (1)



PAST 514. Foundations of Medical Science III- Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine III. (1)



PAST 515. Foundations of Medical Science I- Adult and Geriatric Medicine I. (2)



PAST 518. Foundations of Medical Science II- Adult and Geriatric Medicine II. (1)



PAST 519. Foundations of Medical Science III- Adult and Geriatric Medicine III. (1)



PAST 520. Foundations of Medical Science I- Pharmacology I. (2)



PAST 523. Foundations of Medical Science II- Pharmacology II. (1)



PAST 524. Foundations of Medical Science III- Pharmacology III. (1)



PAST 525. Foundations of Medical Science IV- Emergency Medicine. (3 [2])



PAST 527. Foundations of Medical Science IV- Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine IV. (1)



PAST 529. Foundations of Medical Science IV- Adult and Geriatric Medicine IV. (1)



PAST 530. Foundations of Medical Science I- Clinical Skills I. (2)



PAST 531. Foundations of Medical Science II- Clinical Skills II. (1)



PAST 532. Foundations of Medical Science III- Clinical Skills III. (1)



PAST 533. Foundations of Medical Science IV- Pharmacology IV. (1)



PAST 535. Clinical Seminar I. (1)



PAST 536. Clinical Seminar II. (1)



PAST 537. Clinical Seminar III. (1)



PAST 540. Introduction to Clinical Medicine I- Dermatology. (2)



PAST 541. Introduction to Clinical Medicine I- Orthopedics. (2)



PAST 542. Musculoskeletal Connective Tissue (MSCT) [Introduction to Clinical Medicine I- Human Structure, Function and Development]. (4)



PAST 545. Introduction to Clinical Medicine II- Neurosciences. (4)



PAST 547. Introduction to Clinical Medicine II- CV-Pulmonary-Renal. (4)



PAST 548. Introduction to Clinical Medicine III Mechanisms of Disease - Infectious Disease. (4 [3])



PAST 549. Introduction to Clinical Medicine III Human Sexuality and Reproduction. (2)



PAST 550. GI-Nutrition-Metabolism-Endocrinology (GINME) [Introduction to Clinical Medicine III- GI-Nutrition-Metabolism]. (4)



PAST 560. Supervised Clinical Practice Experience Family Medicine. (3)



PAST 561. Supervised Clinical Practice Experience Women's Health and Prenatal Care. (3)



PAST 562. Supervised Clinical Practice Experience Pediatrics. (3)



PAST 563. Supervised Clinical Practice Experience Behavioral Medicine - Psychiatry. (3)



PAST 564. Supervised Clinical Practice Experience Emergency Medicine. (3)



PAST 565. Supervised Clinical Practice Experience General Internal Medicine. (3)



PAST 566. Supervised Clinical Practice Experience Elective. (1)



PAST 568. Supervised Clinical Practice Experience General Surgery. (3)



PAST 570. Foundations of Medical Science. (4)



PAST 575. Supervised Clinical Practice Experience Primary Care. (5)



PAST 600. Program to Practice. (2)



PAST 610. Independent Study. (1-14, may be repeated once Δ)



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Office of the Registrar

MSC 11 6325
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131

Phone: (505) 277-8900
Fax: (505) 277-6809