About the PA Program

Bethel's Physician Assistant program offers the opportunity to work towards not only a degree, but a career that allows you to both lead and serve.

Mission

The mission of the 丝瓜视频 Physician Assistant program is to create opportunities for members of the learning community to become exceptional and compassionate healthcare professionals, who will practice medicine within an ethical framework of Christian principles.

Educational Philosophy

The 丝瓜视频 Physician Assistant Program understands that the field of medicine is constantly evolving. Our educational philosophy strives towards training and educating PA students to become life-long learners adept at critical thinking and able to work within a collaborative environment. It assures that we provide a creative and supportive educational environment for individual learning and growth within a structured curriculum. The role of the instructor is to guide and collaborate with the student, objectively evaluate the student, select and present important material, and model the professional behavior based upon the competencies of the PA Profession. The education of the PA student is a reciprocal interaction among faculty and students. The PA Program seeks continuous quality improvement and welcomes the ideas of all who participate in the program.

Goals

BUPAP has established the following encompassing goals to continue the educational development of physician assistants for future practice in the field of medicine. The 聽shows BUPAPs evaluation of the goals listed below.

Maintain continuous accreditation with the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc.
Recruit and admit highly qualified applicants from diverse backgrounds.
Attract and graduate students who exhibit a servant鈥檚 heart.
Maintain a level of first-time PANCE pass rates at or above the national average.

Curriculum

Bethel's PA Program聽is designed to deliver the essential academic and clinical education necessary to prepare students for their professional roles and to satisfy the eligibility requirements to sit for the PA certification examination (PANCE).聽Didactic courses are conducted聽in person.聽Clinical courses are conducted primarily in person, with possible telemedicine experiences in which preceptors are present in the room.

Didactic Year

Study is divided into three didactic semesters over a 12-month period and four聽clinical semesters over a 15-month period. All students will complete 147 credit hours during the 27 month聽program, as outlined in their Didactic Handbook. The student will complete 86 credit hours during the聽Didactic Year. Course placement within the didactic year is subject to change.聽

Clinical Year

The clinical phase of the program consists of eleven rotations that must be completed to satisfy degree聽requirements. The eight core rotations consist of seven (7) directed rotations from the Accreditation聽Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA), with a second Family Medicine聽rotation. The remaining 3 rotations are electives that can be completed in disciplines of the core rotations聽or subspecialties of Internal Medicine or Surgery. Rotations are scheduled by the clinical department聽at qualified locations with an available clinical site. Elective rotations may be completed in a student鈥檚聽hometown or hub area as available.

Students may complete the core rotations near Bethel鈥檚 PA Program or may be placed in another hub area聽to complete core rotation requirements. A 鈥渉ub鈥� is an area where BUPAP has established preceptors who聽are willing to take PA students every year. If we are unable to place a student at a rotation in the assigned聽hub due to the lack of availability of preceptors, the student may be relocated to another hub to complete聽that rotation. BUPAP realizes this is an inconvenience, so we strive to keep students in their assigned hub.聽However, occasionally students may have to relocate, so the PA Clinical Department asks that they please聽be prepared for that possibility. Please note that the PA Clinical Department attempts to keep relocations聽to a minimum.

Clinical year students will complete a 鈥淩eturn to Campus鈥� event at the end of each rotation. These events聽are held either virtually or in-person as scheduled. Return to Campus events include end of rotation exams,聽case presentations, reviews, lectures, and clinical skills practice. PA Faculty Advisors will meet with each聽individual student to discuss the rotations and any encountered issues or concerns.

For more information聽on curriculum view the聽聽and the聽.

To view past catalog editions see the 丝瓜视频 Archived Catalogs page.

Tuition & Fees

For more information on costs:

Frequently Asked Questions

If you're searching for additional information quickly, we've compiled the most helpful frequently asked questions below.

How many students to you accept in each PA Program class?
Can I be employed while enrolled in the PA Program?
Students are not prohibited, but are strongly discouraged from working during the Didactic Year. Students are prohibited from working during the Clinical Year.

Students are not allowed to work for the PA Program. They are also not to receive nor accept compensation for any work performed within the preceptor's clinical site or practice. They may only render services as part of the clinical phase of their education. Students must not substitute for or function as instructional faculty at the PA Program.

If a student chooses to work and is unable to fulfill academic requirements due to a work conflict, he or she will be dismissed from BUPAP."
What is the GRE code for the Physician Assistant Program?
Are any students guaranteed an interview with the Physician Assistant Program?
BUPAP maintains a Guaranteed Interview Agreement/Articulation Agreement with:
- Austin Peay State University
- Baptist Health Sciences University
- 丝瓜视频 (TN)
- Murray State University
- University of Tennessee-Martin.
The student must meet the Terms and Conditions set forth in the Articulation Agreement. The interview is not a guarantee of selection for admission, but will enable students to be considered for admission. Please see the "PA Program Application/Acceptance" page for complete details.
Is previous healthcare experience required to apply to the Physician Assistant Program?
Am I responsible for arranging my clinical rotations?
Clinical Site management is the responsibility of the Clinical Department in the PA Program. Students in the PA Program are not required to provide or solicit clinical sites or preceptors. Solicitation is defined as, "the act of asking for or trying to obtain something from someone." If a student becomes knowledgeable about a practitioner that is willing to become a preceptor, the student may pass along the individual's point of contact information to the Clinical Department. For elective rotations, students may pass along points of contact for known or affiliated practitioners who are willing to become a preceptor as well. This information may be passed along via email or phone. The Clinical Director, who is responsible for monitoring the supervised clinical practice experiences of the students, will assign the information to members of the Clinical Department to initiate the Clinical Site/Preceptor Qualification process.
Are PA Shadowing Hours required?

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