Admissions

Admission into East Carolina University's PA Program is very competitive. We select up to 35 applicants to become students in each class. Our process of submission, review and interview ensures a fair selection of students to join our program. 

ECU's PA program has several requirements necessary for applicants to meet, as listed below. In addition to our requirements, applicants must also meet the standards of the Graduate School (http://www.ecu.edu/gradschool).  

Accepted applicants for the Fall of 2012 averaged the following scores: 

• Cumulative GPA: 3.58
• Science GPA: 3.54
• Prerequisite GPA: 3.75
• GRE Score (combined verbal and quantitative): 1175
• GRE Analytical Writing Score: 4.25  

**RECENT CHANGES**

1. No prerequisite course can be older than 7 years. 
2. No AP courses will be considered for fulfilling pre-requisite coursework.  
3. All Clinical hours must be completed by September 1st 
4. All prerequisite courses must be completed by September 1st. 
5. GRE scores must be submitted by September 1st.
6. No Exceptions will be made.

Admission Requirements

Residency Status

Applicants must be residents of one of the following states; with preference given to residents of North Carolina:

• North Carolina
• South Carolina
• Virginia
• Tennessee
• Georgia

Education

Applicants must currently have a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university. The undergraduate degree must be completed by the Spring semester prior to admission.  

Prerequisites Courses

• All prerequisite courses must be completed by September 1.
• Applicants are required to have completed the prerequisite classes in the table below.
• No prerequisite course can be more than 7 years old. We encourage students to have taken anatomy and physiology within 2 years of the program application date; however, this is not a requirement.
• Courses can be taken at any regionally accredited institution, including community colleges.
• All courses must be assigned a letter grade; courses with pass/fail will not be accepted.
• No AP courses will be considered for fulfilling pre-requisite coursework.   
• Applicants must have  at least a 3.0 GPA in their prerequisite coursework to be considered for the program. A grade of B or higher in each course is recommended.

 
Taking Courses at a North Carolina Community College?

Colleges within the North Carolina community college system use the same course name and number designations regardless of which location you choose to attend.  Use the chart below to plan and register for your prerequisite course of study.

North Carolina Community College Equivalent Courses

*ATEP can be taken to fulfill the medical terminology prerequisite requirement and is offered online. HIMA 3000 is often reserved for ECU majors in specific allied health fields.

** Students must take BOTH of these courses to fulfill the 2 hr credit for ECU.

Patient Contact Hours

We require that applicants have at least 250 documented healthcare exposure hours.  All hours must be completed by September 1. These hours can be obtained through paid, volunteer or shadowing experiences.

Acceptable forms of clinical experience include:

• Shadowing of PA, NP, MD/OD
• Emergency Medical Technician
• Military Medic/Clinical Specialist
• Corpsman
• Surgical Technician
• Radiological Technician
• Certified Nursing Assistant
• Laboratory Technician with phlebotomy experience
• Phlebotomist
• Athletic Trainer
• Scribe
• Nurse
• Orderly
• Certified Physical/Occupational Therapist
• PT/OT Assistant
• Home health with verification of job duties
• Hospital volunteer

Unacceptable forms of clinical experience include:

• Veterinarian Assistant
• Secretary for Physician's Office
• Dental Assistant
• Massage Therapist 

GRE

Applicants must take the GRE. The GRE can taken several times; however, we will combine the top verbal and quantitative scores to determine the overall score.  GRE scores must be submitted by September 1.

Criminal Background Checks and Drug Screens

ECU and the PA program are not responsible for reviewing background checks or paying for them.  Some rotation sites require these background checks. If a student can not complete a clinical portion of the PA program because negative items contained in a criminal background check or failure to pass a drug screening, the student will not be able to graduate. Neither ECU nor the PA program will be held liable for the student's failure to obtain state licensing. Students will be subject to institutional and ECU policies regarding alcohol and drug use.

Immunizations

The Department of Physician Assistant Studies complies with the immunization recommendations for healthcare personnel set forth by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

The following immunizations are required for Physician Assistant students and are based on CDC guidelines:

• Tetanus (Td or Tdap) (within last 10 years)
• Hepatitis B Series OR Hepatitis A/B series  AND Proof of Hepatitis B Titer (this can take up to 6 months to complete)
• Varicella Titer (chickenpox)
• MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella)-----2 doses or titer of immunization
• Date of completion of primary tetanus series, (DPT, DPT,DTaP or Tdap)
• Date of completion of polio series
• PPD (Tuberculosis skin test)-----completed within the previous 6 months of 1st day of class
• Influenza – each fall

Each student must update their PPD status and statement of good health every 12 months or more frequently if required by a clinical site to which the student is assigned. Students should maintain a personal pocket file of current immunization status and CPR, ACLS, PALS certifications that may be easily accessed, if requested while participating in hospital ward visits and/or clinical rotations.

Students are advised that the information above may be released to third parties to facilitate their clinical placements.

All students accepted for admission must document with the program no later than July 1 that all immunizations or appropriate titers under Sections A and B of the Student Health Application have been completed or are in progress if immunization requires a series of injections. The Student Health Service web site is at: http://www.ecu.edu/cs-studentlife/studenthealth/index.cfm

Basic Life Support

All accepted applicants into the Physician Assistant Studies program are required to complete basic life support for health practitioners. Please contact your local American Red Cross on training courses available. 

Technical Standards  

A student admitted into the East Carolina Physician Assistant program must meet basic and essential requirements that are necessary for obtaining employment and performing as a Physician Assistant. The technical standards each student must master include cognitive, physical and behavioral characteristics. Reasonable accommodation for persons with documented disabilities will be considered on an individual basis, but a candidate must be able to perform in an independent manner. All students must possess the intellectual, ethical, physical and emotional capabilities required to undertake the full curriculum and to achieve the levels of competence required by the faculty. The following skills are required, with or without accommodation. 

Critical Thinking:   Students must possess the intellectual, ethical, physical and emotional capabilities required to undertake the full curriculum and to achieve the levels of competence required by the faculty. The ability to solve problems, a skill that is critical to the practice of medicine, requires the intellectual abilities of measurement, calculation, reasoning, analysis, and synthesis. Candidates for the program must be able to perform demonstrations and experiments in the basic sciences.  

Communication Skills:   A candidate should also be able to converse with patients as well as hear and observe them on order to elicit information, describe changes in mood, activity, and posture, and perceived nonverbal communications. The candidate must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently in oral and written forms.   Visual Ability: Candidates must be able to observe a patient accurately, both at a distance and close at hand. This ability requires functional use of vision and somatic sensation.  

Hearing and Tactile Abilities: Candidates should be able to execute movements reasonably required to move from area to area, maneuver in small spaces, calibrate and use large and small equipment, position and move patients, and provide patients with general and emergency treatment.  

Interpersonal Abilities: A candidate for the PA program must possess the emotional health required for full utilization of his or her intellectual abilities, the exercise of good judgment, the prompt completion of responsibilities required for diagnosis and care of patients, and the development of mature sensitive, and effective relationships with patients, families and colleagues.

Admission Process

We review applications on a rolling basis as they are received from the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA). The completed application deadline for CASPA is September 1.  Please note: applicants should not apply to the ECU Graduate School until they are offered a seat in the PA program. Preference for interviews is given to applicants who apply early.  

Application Timeline

Admission Checklist