Welcome to the PA Department website. The Gannon University Physician Assistant Program is a five-year, entry-level Master's degree program.
Our
graduates become health professionals who are nationally certified and state
licensed to practice medicine as a member of a team with other healthcare
professionals. They provide a broad range of diagnostic and therapeutic
services, in primary and specialty care in medical and surgical practice
settings.
Program Structure
"Entry level" students come into Gannon University as freshmen, complete the five year curriculum, and earn both a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences degree and a Master of Physician Assistant Science degree.
- The rigorous curriculum is comprised of core/liberal studies curriculum requirements and pre-requisites for the accredited phase.
- Pre-requisite courses provide the strong science background necessary for academic success during the accredited professional phase of the program.
- PA students meet with PA program faculty on a regular basis and have numerous opportunities to learn more about the program and the PA profession.
Employment Outlook
PA Employment is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations. Job opportunities for Physician Assistants (PAs) should be good, particularly in rural and inner-city healthcare facilities.
Employment of PAs is expected to grow by 28% from 2021 to 2031, much faster than the average for all occupations. Projected rapid job growth reflects the expansion of healthcare industries and an emphasis on cost containment, which results in increasing use of PAs by healthcare establishments.
PAs are cost-effective and productive members of the healthcare team.
Besides working in traditional office-based settings, PAs should find a growing number of jobs in institutional settings such as hospitals, academic medical centers, public clinics, and prisons.
Job opportunities for PAs should be good, particularly in rural and inner-city clinics because those settings have difficulty attracting physicians. Job openings will result both from employment growth and from the need to replace PAs who retire or leave the occupation permanently. Opportunities will be best in states that allow PAs a wider scope of practice.
Bureau
of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook,
Physician Assistants, on the Internet at
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/physician-assistants.htm (visited December
5, 2022).