Physician Assistant Studies FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have questions about Ohio Dominican University's Physician Assistant Studies Program? Look below to see answers to some of the most commonly asked questions we receive.
Application Questions
The program begins in August of each year.
Applications must be submitted electronically to CASPA by October 1 of each year.
Yes! The PA program provides several opportunities for prospective students to learn more about the program and connect with faculty and staff.
- Open House: We host an annual Open House in late spring/early summer. This is a great opportunity to explore the program, meet faculty, and ask questions about admissions, curriculum, and student life.
- Group Visits: Pre-PA clubs and other undergraduate student organizations are welcome to request a visit or information session. These can be tailored to your group’s interests. To coordinate a visit, please reach out to our Program Coordinator, Shannon Walker.
- Graduate Admissions Zoom Sessions: Graduate Admissions offers virtual Zoom meetings through their website to answer general admissions questions. Any PA-specific inquiries or requests are forwarded directly to our Program Coordinator, Shannon Walker, for follow-up.
We encourage anyone interested in the program to take advantage of these opportunities to get a closer look at what we offer!
Ohio Dominican accepts 50 qualified applicants per cohort.
The minimum grade point average (GPA) is 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, especially the science
GPA.
We also require recent (within 5 years) scores from the Graduate Record Examination
(GRE). We do accept the MCAT in lieu of the GRE. There is no minimum requirement for
the GRE or MCAT. All test scores are examined on an individual basis in light of the
applicant’s complete portfolio.
Please note a GPA of 3.0 or higher is no guarantee of admission.
View Admission Requirements
No. You may have prerequisite courses still in progress prior to apply. They must
be successfully completed with a grade of "C" or higher prior to matriculation if
accepted into program.
Preference is given to applicants with the majority of academic work be completed
prior to application.
View Prerequisites
All applicants are held to the same admissions standards. However, preference for interview will be given to current Ohio residents, EAP students, graduates of Ohio Dominican University, and those who have served in our nation's armed forces. For more information regarding admission and applicant details, see Admission & Prerequisites page.
Advanced Placement (AP) is accepted for prerequisite coursework only. The AP credit must be reflected on the official undergraduate transcript to be accepted to count towards prerequisite coursework.
Waiver of Courses and Advanced Standing: Students may not waive any course within the PA Program curriculum, nor does it accept students for advanced standing. This includes graduates from foreign medical schools. All enrolled students must successfully complete all required ODU PA program curriculum components.
Students who have been dismissed or withdrawn from the program and readmitted can
be granted credit for courses they completed successfully. This is subject to review by
the appropriate faculty committee.
The program curriculum is subject to change to best meet the needs of the Physician
Assistant profession and our students.
General Program Questions
The program takes 27 months to complete. The first 15 months are spent on didactic and laboratory coursework and the following 12 months are spent in clinical rotations.
Clinical Rotation Site Locations and Placement
The ODU PA Program maintains affiliation agreements with clinical rotation sites and
preceptors throughout the country and is responsible for acquiring and matching all
students to rotations; there are no required rotations outside the United States.
While many sites are available in the Columbus area, students should be prepared to
complete rotations elsewhere in the state, as the program's primary commitment is
to provide quality clinical educational experiences and ensure compliance with ARC-PA
standards — not to guarantee proximity to a student's home base. Students may suggest
a preferred geographic location, clinical site, or preceptor, but the Clinical Coordinator
verifies, coordinates, and makes all final assignments, and site availability may
sometimes require a student to travel farther than typical. The Clinical Coordinator
monitors placements across all students to promote equity in geographic distribution
and site assignment.
Clinical Year Travel and Housing
Travel to assigned clinical sites is a required and standard part of clinical education and professional responsibility. Most rotations occur within Ohio, with the majority concentrated in Central Ohio; out-of-state rotations are limited to situations meeting NCSARA guidelines and are generally reserved for students with existing housing or rotation connections in that location.
Students should expect placements up to 90 miles from campus or their primary city of residence (where housing has been secured), with occasional exceptions beyond that distance to meet program requirements. Assignments within the 90-mile radius are not grounds for reassignment based on distance alone. Students are responsible for securing their own housing (unless provided by the clinical site) and for arranging reliable transportation to and from all assigned sites, along with managing the associated time and costs. Inability or unwillingness to drive long distances, lack of a working vehicle, or financial impact are not considered acceptable reasons to decline a program-assigned site.
No. Students are responsible for obtaining their own housing for the clinical year unless housing is provided by the clinical site.
ODU's PA Studies Program is housed in St. Albert Hall on Ohio Dominican's main campus
in Columbus.
View Facilities
ODU is located just 10 minutes from downtown Columbus, home to four national recognized
health care systems.
View Life in Columbus
The minimum amount of patient care experience is 250 hours and is experience that
involves contact with patients. It may be paid or volunteer work. Lab experience and
work in a pharmacy is NOT considered patient care experience.
The PA program also likes to see applicants who have shadowed PAs; however, shadowing
hours are not included in total patient care experience hours. These hours are self-reported
and subject to audit at the program’s discretion.
Examples of patience experience include:
- Certified Nurse Aide (CNA)
- Patient Care Associate
- Phlebotomist
- Nursing Assistant
- Medical Assistant
- Dietician/Nutritionist
- EMT
- Medical Mission Trips
- Medical Scribe
- Dental Assistant
- Respiratory Therapist
- Athletic Trainer
- Other experiences that require taking vitals, evaluating/triaging patients, bed side care, drawing blood, obtaining EKGs, etc.
Yes. Students are provided Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy and Security Rules, and Bloodborne Pathogens training and certification.
ODU's Physician Assistant Studies Program is a full-time program and is academically rigorous and challenging. Students are strongly discouraged from working during the program.
Our inaugural class began July of 2012.
Ohio Dominican University (ODU) is committed to supporting students if an academic program or the institution closes.
ODU is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). Its degrees are authorized by the Ohio Department of Higher Education, and its academic credits are acceptable for transfer to other colleges and universities.
In the event that the institution or a program loses accreditation, the university will comply with the US Department of Education teach-out requirements overseen by the Higher Learning Commission.