St. Catherine's Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS) Program is accredited by the ARC-PA The program is located on the Saint Paul, Minnesota campus of St. Catherine University . The program is one of the three accredited Master of Physician Assistant Studies programs in the state of Minnesota. The other two programs are located at Bethel University and Augsburg College. St .Catherine's MPAS program aims to educate and prepare its students to become successful Physician Assistants.
Their mission statement is: "Influenced by Catholic intellectual tradition, the MPAS program is committed to preparing competent and compassionate Physician Assistant scholar practitioners who possess the knowledge, clinical acumen and critical thinking skills necessary to practice exemplary, ethical, patient-centered care, and who will lead and influence with grace emphasizing global responsibility, social justice and the preservation of human dignity."
The MPAS Program is full-time, containing 110 credits of in-classroom study and over 2,000 clinical hours over the span of 28 months. Each term follows a model that contains a specific sequence of courses. The first 14 months consist of classroom instruction/learning, and the following 14 months, clinical education. Students then finish the program with a senior seminar. During the 14 months of clinical clerkship, students complete nine clinical clerkships at various locations and medical specialties. Two of the nine clerkships are considered electives, and students are able to customize their education by choosing an area of interest.
There are particular prerequisite courses and steps for admission into the program, which are outlined and can be found on the St. Catherine MPAS website. Applicants should have a Bachelor's degree , a minimum GPA of 3.2, and experience in the healthcare field. This includes a minimum of 250 logged hours in a healthcare setting, although most successful applicants have about 500 hours. In addition, students must meet the technical standards provided by St.Catherine University. Admission to Physician Assistant programs is highly competitive.
Fall 2013 Admission Facts
After completing the 28-month program, students must take the PANCE certification test. The PANCE is five hours long, containing 300 multiple choice questions. The pass rate, mean score, and national mean score of the St. Catherine's MPAS program will be posted when available. The inaugural Master of Physician Assistant Studies graduated from St. Catherine University in December 2014.
Heather Bidinger is the program director. Bidinger was hired in 2009 to form the curriculum for the program. A faculty directory can be found on the St. Catherine MPAS website.