Daemen College : Academics & Research : Division of Health & Human Services : Physician Assistant

Physician Assistant

Career Focus

Physician assistants are health care professionals licensed to provide medical services with physician supervision. As part of their comprehensive responsibilities, PAs conduct physical exams, diagnose and treat illnesses, order and interpret tests, counsel on preventive health care, assist in surgery, and write prescriptions. Within the physician-PA relationship, physician assistants exercise autonomy in medical decision making and provide a broad range of diagnostic and therapeutic services.

Nationally, the average annual salary for PAs was more than $90,000 in 2008. And, the profession is growing in terms of practitioners, with an estimated 60 percent increase expected over the next decade.

Contact Us

Marcy Moore, Director of PA Graduate Admissions
mmoore@daemen.edu
716.839.8383 (office number)

716.839.8252 (fax number for the Department)

For a list of our prerequisites and requirements, please read the FAQs section (see link on the left menu).

What Makes It Great

• Daemen’s physician assistant program, one of only 149 in the country to be accredited, accepts traditional freshmen, transfers, and graduate students.
• Courses are taught by board certified physicians and highly experienced physician assistants.
• Our fifth-year on-the-job experience translates to 2,000 hours of professional experience on your resume.
• New York State is home to more than 8,000 of the nation's 80,000+ PA's

Minors and More

• Enroll in Daemen’s physician assistant program, and you won’t have to reapply for the upper division program – you’re guaranteed admission as long as you meet the academic requirements.
• The rigor of our program is evident in our high (approximately 97%) 1st attempt pass rate on the NCCPA Certification Exam. (Nationally 89%-92%).  Since our program’s inception, over 99.7% of Daemen College PA graduates successfully acquired board certification.

Extra Opportunities

• Pursue a variety of clinical experiences – including partnerships with hundreds of sites throughout New York State.
• Participate in a wide range of service-learning opportunities, including an annual trip to the Dominican Republic providing health-care services to local villagers.

Faculty

• Innovative, skilled and proficient faculty, many of whom are board certified and fellowship trained.
• Daemen College PA Department faculty members received the New York State Society of Physician Assistants’ PA Educator of the Year award in 2005, 2006, and 2007.

Career Options

Deliver medical services in doctor’s offices, hospital, correctional facilities, and more in a variety of specialties including surgery, family practice, psychiatry, obstetrics and gynecology, emergency medicine and others.

Recent Graduates’ Jobs

E.J. Noble Hospital, Dent Neurological Institute, Rochester General Hospital, Strong Health Geriatric Group, Park Ridge Hospital, WCA Hospital, Beth Israel Hospital, Northtown Orthopedics, Excelsior Orthopedics, Erie County Medical Center, Veterans Administration, Buffalo Medical Group, and a variety of other hospitals and private practices.

All freshmen students would apply directly to the Admissions Dept. at Daemen College. Anyone other than a freshmen, would apply through CASPA, www.caspaonline.org and begin an application electronically. The deadline for CASPA is Dec. 1st of each year.

Successful applicants must demonstrate evidence of strong math and science preparation, knowledge of the profession, and superior interpersonal communication skills.

Majors & Programs