Physician Assistant

Important Information

As of Fall 2022, the Physician Assistant Certificate program is suspended. No new students will be enrolled. Current students may refer to the “Grandfathering” Policy .

Disclosures

CCBC cannot confirm whether the course or program meets requirements for professional licensure in states other than Maryland. If you plan to apply for licensure in a state other than Maryland, contact that state’s licensing board to determine whether the CCBC course or program meets requirements for licensure in that state. If you need assistance finding contact information for your state, click here .

Semester Sequence

This is a full-time schedule required of all students who are accepted into the Physician Assistant Program.

Courses Needed for This Program*

Total Credits Required: 99

Note

ACDV 101 is not required, since students must already have a Bachelor’s degree to be admitted into the program.

Program Description

Physician Assistants are highly skilled, state licensed health care providers who practice medicine in a team-based model and in collaboration with a licensed physician. This collaborative program of CCBC and Towson University is designed for students who hold a bachelor’s degree or higher prior to admission and prepares individuals with strong academic science backgrounds and clinical experiences for careers as Physician Assistants. Full-time, continuous enrollment is required throughout the 26-month program. The curriculum is approved by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education of Physician Assistants (ARC-PA). Individuals who successfully complete the program are eligible for certification by the National Commission on the Certification of Physician Assistants.

Entry into the program requires admission to the Physician Assistant Program, CCBC, and the Towson University. Enrollees must successfully complete all requirements of the Physician Assistant (PA) program. The PA Professional Certificate and the M.S. degree in PA Studies will be awarded concurrently upon successful completion of all 99 program credits, which includes 39 CCBC credits and 60 Towson University credits.

Tuition and fees for 200-level courses are paid to CCBC Essex. Tuition and fees for 600, 700 and 800 level courses are paid to Towson University. Applicants will pay appropriate application fees to both institutions.

Didactic classes are taken at both the CCBC Essex and at Towson University campuses, while all laboratory classes are taken at CCBC Essex campus.  Students will register for 200 level courses with CCBC Essex and will register for 600, 700 and 800 level courses with the Towson University.

Please log on to the Towson University Website (www.towson.edu/pa) for complete PA Program and course information.

The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status to the Towson University/CCBC Essex Physician Assistant Program sponsored by Towson University. Accreditation-Continued is an accreditation status granted when a currently accredited program is in compliance with the ARC-PA Standards.

Accreditation remains in effect until the program closes or withdraws from the accreditation process or until accreditation is withdrawn for failure to comply with the Standards. The approximate date for the next validation review of the program by the ARC-PA will be September 2023. The review date is contingent upon continued compliance with the Accreditation Standards and ARC-PA policy.

School of Health Professions Policies

Students in the School of Health Professions are expected to conduct themselves according to an honor code, exhibit professional behavior, and communicate effectively in English. Participation requires that students provide proof of health insurance, immunizations, tuberculosis (TB) test, submit to drug testing and a criminal background check. Students are expected to pay these and other program specific costs.

Admission

Admission to this program is a separate process from admission to the college. Admission to the School of Health Professions programs is competitive and selective and is based on published criteria. Applications to the Physician Assistant program must be submitted to the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA), https://paeaonline.org/caspa/.

Minimum Admission Requirements:

1. Bachelor’s degree (science/biology discipline preferred)
2. Acceptance to Towson University Graduate School (Submit CASPA Application before applying to Towson University)
3. 3.0 GPA (last 60 undergraduate credits) – minimum 3.2 GPA preferred
4. Eight hundred (800) hours of patient contact or medical/health related experience or equivalent experience – 1600 hours preferred
5. Completion of specific prerequisite courses with a minimum grade of “B”:

• Human Anatomy and Physiology, 8 credits
• Microbiology, 4 credits
• Biochemistry, 3 credits
• Statistics, 3 credits
• Medical Terminology, 2 or 3 credits (non-credit courses or continuing education courses are NOT accepted)

As the program requires full-time attendance (minimum 40 hours per week) throughout the 26-month program, students are strongly encouraged to complete financial preparation so that employment is not necessary during enrollment. No special consideration will be given to students who choose to work during their time in the PA Program.

Program Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this combined Master’s Degree and Physician Assistant Certificate program, students will be able to:

1. perform, order, and interpret diagnostic studies, including radiographs, imaging studies, electrocardiograms, and those tests necessary to assess complaints common to the ambulatory, hospitalized, and emergency medicine patient;
2. demonstrate proficiency in basic clinical skills, especially those focusing on the diagnostic process and elements of clinical management, including eliciting patient history, physical assessment, recording patient data and case presentation, diagnosis and basic management plans, and performing basic clinical skills with actual patients in the clinical setting;
3. operate as highly skilled health care providers who practice medicine with the supervision of licensed physicians through experience gained in the successful completion of nine clinical rotations in family practice, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, surgery, emergency medicine, community medicine, and a general elective plus a Final Preceptorship;
4. apply principles of the practice of medicine covered throughout the program in a primary care or rural/underserved location and students will function as a full member of a medical team and be responsible for patient care from presentation through follow-up including diagnostic evaluation and patient management; and
5. incorporate the knowledge, responsibilities, and standards essential in the practice of medicine as a professional physician assistant.

Other

Physician Assistant graduates:

1. Promote the public’s interest and patient needs before any other considerations.
2. Serve as ethical health care professionals.
3. Serve as advocates for patients.
4. Provide patient education and preventive health care services.
5. Demonstrate commitment to lifelong learning.
6. Work with other health care professionals in providing coordinated health care.

Accreditation

The program is accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant Inc. (ARC-PA).

At is September 2021 meeting, the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant Inc. (ARC-PA) placed the Towson University CCBC Essex Physician Assistant Program sponsored by Towson University on Accreditation-Probation status until its next review in September 2023.

Probation accreditation is a temporary accreditation status initially of not less than two years. However, that period may be extended by the ARC-PA for up to an additional two years if the ARC-PA finds that the program is making substantial progress toward meeting all applicable standards but requires additional time to come into full compliance. Probation accreditation status is granted, at the sole discretion of the ARC-PA, when a program holding an accreditation status of Accreditation - Provisional or Accreditation - Continued does not, in the judgment of the ARC-PA, meet the Standards or when the capability of the program to provide an acceptable educational experience for its students is threatened. Once placed on probation, a program that fails to comply with accreditation requirements in a timely manner, as specif iced by the ARC-PA, may be scheduled for a focused site visit and is subject to having its accreditation withdrawn.

Specific questions regarding the Program and its plans should be directed to the Program Director and/or appropriate institution official(s).

The program’s accrediation history can be viewed on the ARC-PA website.