Pre-Physician Assistant
Physician assistants are an integral part of patient care. Under the supervision of physicians, they provide direct care to patients and are involved in diagnosing illnesses, developing and managing treatment plans, prescribing medicine and more. You can jumpstart your future in this in-demand career through Wheaton’s pre-physician assistant academic track. Be part of Wheaton’s thriving liberal arts environment while deepening your knowledge and clinical skills in biology, chemistry, statistics, psychology and more in preparation for a post-graduate physician assistant program.
The below courses are meant to serve as a guide for most schools but may lack some specific requirements as they are updated by the professions and individual schools. A listing of all PA schools and their requirements can be found at: directory.paeaonline.org.
Minimum number of courses: 9
Two general Biology courses
Bio 114: Introduction to Biological Sciences
One other Biology lab course
Three Biology courses
Bio 203: Human Anatomy & Physiology I
Bio 204: Human Anatomy & Physiology II
Bio 221: Microbiology
One general Chemistry course
Chem 153: Chemical Principles (equivalent of “General Chemistry I”)
One other Chemistry course (minimum)
Chem 232: Aqueous Equilibria (if a “General Chemistry II” course if required)
and/or
Chem 253: Organic Chemistry I (if an “Organic Chemistry I”/one semester of Organic Chemistry is required)
One Statistics course from:
Math 141: Statistics
Psy 141: Statistics for the Social Sciences
Soc 141: Statistics for the Social Sciences
One Psychology course
Psy 101: Introductory Psychology
Other Psychology courses to consider
Psy 203: Child Development
Psy 233: Lifespan Development
Psy 247: Abnormal Psychology
Note: English – many PA schools require a semester of English above Wheaton’s Eng 101: Writing course.
Physician Assistant (PA) Curricular Path (pdf)
Pre-Health Faculty Advising
Working with a dedicated Pre-Health Faculty Advisor, students interested in pre-health can expect individualized curricular sequencing guidance, career advice and coaching, and pre-application support for graduate and medical schools. Pre-health career students can also access a wide array of internship and shadowing opportunities that are regularly shared by the Pre-Health Faculty Advisor.
Students applying to pre-health graduate programs receive graduate school selection guidance and support, personal statement guidance, interview preparation, feedback on application materials, and testing guidance and testing preparation for GRE/MCAT/DAT/PCAT.
Medical school applicants are supported at Wheaton College through the Pre-Health Advisor and the work of an interdisciplinary committee of staff and faculty. Wheaton College’s Pre-Health Advisor is Hilary Gaudet, Ph.D.