Admission
Admission to the PA profession has become increasingly competitive over the years. EVMS evaluates applicants through four lenses: cognitive/academic, personal/non-cognitive, healthcare experience and community service.
Detailed information about admissions criteria for a competitive application can be found in our Admissions Guidebook. It is a comprehensive guide about our application requirements and the admissions process.
Admission Requirements
Applicants to the program must be U.S. citizens or U.S. permanent residents and have:
- A bachelor’s degree (or higher graduate degree) completed no later than July 1.
- Official transcripts from the awarding institution must specify the date upon which the degree was issued.
- If the bachelor’s degree was issued by a U.S. college or university, as a general rule it should be from a regionally accredited institution. However, the PA program may grant exceptions on a case-by-case basis.
- Applicants with foreign degrees may be considered on a case-by-case basis.
- Specifics regarding foreign degree requirements, prerequisite expectations and eligibility are detailed in the Admissions Guidebook.
- A qualifying grade point average of 3.00 or better (on a 4.0 scale).
- All prerequisite coursework satisfactorily* completed prior to March 1.
- Required courses include:
- Anatomy+
- Physiology+
- General Chemistry
- Organic Chemistry or Biochemistry+
- Microbiology or Cell Biology+
- Intro to Psychology
- Additional Psychology+
- Math, Statistics or Physics
*Requires 3 semester credits minimum with a B- or better grade
+Must be completed within 10 years of application deadline
- Completed the CASPA application by March 1.
- Application requirements include:
- CASPA application fee
- Official transcript(s) from each university or college ever attended
- TOEFL scores (if applicable)
- 3 letters of reference
- Other documents as directed by CASPA
- Completed the EVMS supplemental application online by March 1.
- This may only be submitted once all 8 prerequisites have been satisfactorily completed.
- Official transcripts for any outstanding prerequisites completed after CASPA verification must be submitted directly to EVMS:
EVMS Physician Assistant Program
School of Health Professions
ATTN: Admissions & Enrollment
700 West Olney Road, Suite 1155
Norfolk, VA 23501
- Taken the CASPer test online by March 1.
Application Deadline
A complete application file includes a completed CASPA application, EVMS supplemental application, and CASPer test by March 1, 2019
If an application is not complete by the March 1 deadline, it will not be considered, regardless of the original CASPA submission date.
A CASPA application is considered complete when the following actions occur:
- All official transcripts are listed, each with a date received in your Status Menu under “Transcripts.”
- At least two of your references are listed as “completed” with a date completed in your Status Menu under “Evaluations.”
- Your payment is marked as received with a date received in your Status Menu.
- You have received email confirmation that you submitted the application.
- Your application Status Menu reads as “Materials Received > Verifying” for the PA programs to which you submitted.
CASPer Test
The Computer-Based Assessment for Sampling Personal Characteristics (CASPer) Test is an online assessment for non-cognitive skills and interpersonal characteristics that we believe are important for successful students and graduates of our program as well as professional healthcare providers. This test is intended to complement the other tools that we use for applicant screening. In implementing CASPer, we are trying to further enhance fairness and objectivity in our selection process.
All applicants to the EVMS PA program are required to complete the online assessment to assist with our selection process. Successful completion of CASPer is mandatory in order to maintain admission eligibility.
In order to take CASPer, you will be responsible for securing access to a computer with audio capabilities, a webcam and a reliable internet connection on your selected test date. CASPer can be taken practically anywhere so long as you can satisfy the aforementioned requirements. No exceptions will be provided for applicants unable to take CASPer online due to being located at sites where internet is not dependable due to technical or political factors.
Please sign up and reserve a test using your CASPA ID and a piece of government-issued photo ID. You will be provided with a limited number of testing dates and times. Please note that these are the only testing dates available for your CASPer test. There will be no additional tests scheduled. Please use an email address that you check regularly; there may be updates to the test schedule.
The CASPer test is comprised of 12 sections of video and written scenarios. Following each scenario, you will be required to answer a set of probing questions within a specified time limit. The test typically takes between 75-90 minutes to complete. Each response is graded by a different rater, giving a very robust and reliable view of personal and professional characteristics important to our program and profession. No studying is required for CASPer, although you may want to familiarize yourself with the test structure and ensure you have a quiet environment to take the test.
CASPer test results are valid for one admission cycle. Applicants who have already taken the test in previous years will therefore be expected to retake it.
Early Assurance Program
The Early Assurance Program (EAP) exists to offer outstanding and qualified undergraduate students with firm interests in a career as a physician assistant and in attending EVMS the opportunity to gain early assurance of acceptance into the PA program at EVMS before beginning their final year of college.
By granting early assurance of acceptance into the program, students will be able to broaden their academic focus, engage in extracurricular leadership activities and pursue first-hand, direct patient care experience.
Partner Institutions
- Christopher Newport University
- College of William & Mary
- Norfolk State University
- Randolph-Macon College
- Regent University
- Virginia Wesleyan College
Application & Admission
Each January, early assurance program advisers at each partner institution will forward names of eligible students who are interested in applying to the PA program through the Early Assurance Program to EVMS. Students interested in the program are required to maintain regular contact with the EAP adviser during their college career. Eligible students will receive an email containing the necessary links and instructions to apply.
Below are the main steps necessary to apply through the Early Assurance Program at EVMS.
- Meet with the EAP adviser at your institution as soon as possible.
- Establish a plan to complete prerequisites, certification and patient care experience prior to application deadline.
- Complete the EVMS EAP application by May 30 during the spring semester of your junior year.
- Complete the Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) application by June 15 of your junior year.
- Interview with the PA program admissions committee in July.
- Complete the undergraduate degree requirements and maintain EAP eligibility.
Eligibility
To be eligible to apply for the Early Assurance Program, a student must meet the following criteria:
- Be an enrolled “career student” at a partner institution since your freshman year of college
- This program is not available to students transferring into the institution.
- Be in their junior year at a partner institution
- Applicants should have no more than 1 additional academic year to complete at the time of their interview session.
- Meet all institutional and degree requirements to continue as a student in good standing
- Have no academic or conduct code violations
- Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
- Maintaining an overall (cumulative) GPA of 3.25 or better (on a 4.0 scale) with consistent academic performance.
- NOTE: The CASPA-calculated baccalaureate GPA reflects the cumulative undergraduate GPA we will be evaluating. CASPA uses a 4.0 scale when calculating their GPAs. More information, including a GPA calculator, is available online.
- Satisfactorily complete at least 7 of the 8 prerequisite courses
- Be able to accumulate 500 hours of patient care experience before acceptance into the program
Maintaining Eligibility
Continuation in the EAP will require evidence of general academic progress consistent with past performance. It will also require significant progress toward achieving individually specified goals outlined in the application.
In addition, the following criteria must be maintained by the student to continue eligibility:
- Meet with EAP adviser each semester and maintain contact with the PA program after graduation (Advisor Meeting & Progress Form)
- Carry sufficient credit load during the remaining regular academic semesters to fulfill undergraduate degree requirements
- Maintaining an overall (cumulative) GPA of 3.25 or better (on a 4.0 scale) with consistent academic performance.
- NOTE: The CASPA-calculated baccalaureate GPA reflects the cumulative undergraduate GPA we will be evaluating. CASPA uses a 4.0 scale when calculating their GPAs. More information, including a GPA calculator, is available online.
- Make significant progress toward achieving the individually-specified goals outlined on the Healthcare Experience Plan of Completion:
- To obtain strong, direct patient care experience, students should consider obtaining a certification as a healthcare provider (e.g., certified nursing assistant, emergency medical technician, paramedic, phlebotomist, etc.)
- The goal is for the applicant to have at least 1,000 hours of patient care experience before matriculating in the PA program.
- Fulfill all institution and degree requirements to maintain status as a student in good standing (no academic or conduct code violations) and earn a bachelor’s degree prior to matriculating in the PA program
- Complete the additional specific conditions set by the PA program at the time of acceptance notification (e.g., official transcripts confirming date of degree completion, a criminal background check, indication of ability to independently meet the and submission of all health requirements)
- Remain free of any actions or conduct that would cause the admissions committee to question a student’s suitability to pursue a career in medicine.
- These include, but are not limited to, misdemeanor or felony convictions, academic dishonesty, other code of conduct violations and/or unprofessional conduct in a healthcare or educational setting.
Failure to meet or maintain these eligibility standards will constitute grounds for dismissal from the program. However, dismissal from the EAP does not affect the student’s ability to apply to the PA program through the conventional application process.
Technical Standards
The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) requires all Physician Assistant (PA) programs to publish technical standards for admission. These are defined as “physical, cognitive and behavioral abilities required for satisfactory completion of all aspects of the curriculum and for entry into the profession.”
The technical standards for admission establish the expectations and abilities considered essential for students admitted to the EVMS PA program in order to achieve the level of competency required for graduation and the practice of medicine. Applicants to the program must possess independent ability, aptitude and skills in the following areas:
- Observation
- Communication
- Critical reasoning (intellectual)
- Motor and sensory functions
- Behavioral and social attributes
It is expected in this age of technology that students also have sufficient computer skills and are comfortable with electronic communication and media to successfully and professionally function as a student physician assistant.
These standards will serve as prerequisites for entrance, continuation, promotion and graduation from the PA program; students must be prepared to indicate their ability to meet these standards as a condition of acceptance and during registration for each semester.
Note: The use of an intermediary (a person trained to perform essential skills on behalf of the student) is not permitted.
EVMS must maintain the integrity of the curriculum and preserve those elements deemed essential to the education of a physician assistant and cannot compromise the health and safety of other students or patients. PA program applicants must be prepared to meet the technical standards, with or without reasonable accommodation, in order to complete the program and indicate possession of such ability prior to their matriculation into the program.
Inquiry by the program faculty and staff regarding disability is strictly prohibited. The PA program, in accordance with EVMS policy and as delineated by federal and Virginia law, does not discriminate in admissions, educational programs or employment against any individual on the basis of that individual’s disability. The PA program will make good faith efforts at providing reasonable accommodation as required. However, the program reserves the right not to admit or register students who cannot meet the technical standards or who would constitute a direct threat to the health and safety or others.
PA program applicants or students who may have questions regarding these technical standards or who believe they may need to request reasonable accommodation in order to meet the standards are encouraged to contact EVMS Disability Officer, at 757.446.7443.
Revealing a disability is voluntary; however, such disclosure is necessary before any accommodations may be made in the learning environment or in the program’s procedures. Information regarding disabilities is handled in a confidential manner.
- Observational Skills
- Demonstrate sufficient attention and accuracy in observation skills (visual, auditory and tactile) in the lecture hall and laboratory as well as at the patient’s bedside and in outpatient settings.
- Indicators include, but are not limited to, the following examples:
- Accurate observation and participation in the lecture hall, laboratory and clinic with patients at a distance and close at hand including non-verbal and verbal signals.
- Accurate identification of changes in color of fluids, skin and diagnostic media examinations.
- Accurate visualization and discrimination of text, numbers, patterns, graphic illustrations and findings on X-ray and other imaging tests.
- Communication Skills
- Demonstrate effective verbal and nonverbal communication skills with other students, faculty, patients and healthcare providers from different social and cultural backgrounds, varying degrees and types of infirmities as well as varying cultures and personalities.
- Indicators include but are not limited to the following examples:
- Clear, efficient and intelligible articulation of English language.
- Legible, efficient and intelligible written English language.
- Ability to prepare and communicate concise oral and written summaries of patient encounters
- Ability to provide appropriate patient counseling and instruction to patients.
- Record examination and diagnostic results clearly, accurately and efficiently.
- Critical Reasoning Skills
- Demonstrate critical reasoning skills required to undertake the full curriculum, achieve the level of competency required by the faculty and meet the demands of total patient care. These skills include, but are not limited to, intellectual, conceptual, integrative and quantitative abilities.
- Indicators include, but are not limited to, these examples:
- Accurate and efficient reading skills (English language).
- Demonstrate ability to measure, calculate, reason, analyze, integrate and synthesize information.
- Comprehend the spatial relationships of structures (e.g. three-dimensional relationships).
- Demonstrate ability to acquire, retain, assimilate and apply large amounts of complex, technical and detailed information.
- Demonstrate ability to synthesize and apply concepts and information from various disciplines in order to formulate diagnostic and therapeutic plans.
- Demonstrate appropriate judgment in patient assessment, diagnosis, monitoring, evaluation and intervention, including planning, time management and use of resources.
- Motor and Sensory Function
- Demonstrate sufficient motor and sensory function to perform typical functions of physician assistants including, but not limited to, physical examinations, treatment interventions and general care of patients.
- Indicators include, but are not limited to, the following examples:
- Functional and sufficient sensory capacity (visual, auditory and tactile) to adequately perform a complete physical examination and elicit information gained from proper use of examination tools and maneuvers (inspection, palpation, percussion and auscultation).
- Execute fine and gross motor movements with sufficient coordination, postural control, equilibrium and hand-eye coordination to safely participate in laboratory sessions, use standard medical/surgical instruments, assess patients, provide patient care and participate in basic diagnostic and therapeutic maneuvers and procedures.
- Execute motor movements that demonstrate safety and efficiency in the various learning settings (i.e., classroom, laboratories and clinical settings, including appropriate negotiation of self and patients in various patient care environments).
- Accurately discern and evaluate various components of the spoken voice (pitch, intensity and timbre), percussive notes and auscultatory findings.
- Physical stamina sufficient to complete the rigorous course of didactic and clinical study, which may include prolonged periods of sitting, standing and/or rapid ambulation.
- Coordination of motor skills necessary to respond to emergency situations quickly and appropriately.
- Behavioral and Social Attributes
- Demonstrate the behavioral and social attributes vital to participation in a professional program and service as a practicing professional physician assistant.
- Indicators include, but are not limited to, the following examples:
- Possess personal qualities that facilitate effective therapeutic interactions (e.g., compassion, empathy, integrity, honesty, benevolence, confidentiality).
- Possess the emotional health required for full use of mental faculties (including judgment, orientation, affect and cognition).
- Ability to establish rapport and develop mature and effective professional relationships with faculty, patients, the public and other members of the healthcare team.
- Demonstrate impartial motives, attitudes and values in roles, functions and relationships. Communicate and care for, in a nonjudgmental way, persons who differ from oneself and one’s beliefs in a variety of ways, including but not limited to gender, age, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, culture, creed, military status, sexual orientation and identity and religious or spiritual beliefs.
- Ability to monitor and react appropriately to one’s own emotional needs and responses.
- Display appropriate flexibility, adaptability, composure and emotional stability during periods of high stress or uncertainty associated with didactic and clinical encounters and environments.
- Ability to accurately follow oral and written directions with prompt completion of all responsibilities in the classroom and clinical setting.
- Compliance with standards, policies and practices set forth in the program handbook.
