Admission Process
Overview
Admissions begin in the Spring with the program starting the following January. All applications must be processed through the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA). GRE Scores must be sent directly to the CASPA website. Any unsolicited information or letters of recommendation will not be added to any application. The LSUHSC-NO Master of Physician Assistant Studies Program will then review applications for accuracy and compliance with published prerequisites. Applications not meeting minimum criteria will not be considered for an interview. PA Program faculty will screen and rank all eligible candidates against pre-determined criteria. The final stage of the process involves face-to-face interviews with PA Program faculty. Invitation to interview does not imply acceptance to the program. For detailed information regarding this process and increasing competiveness, please see the Admissions Guidelines handbook.
Louisiana Residence Status
Residents of the State of Louisiana are given preference in the admissions processes of all LSU Health Sciences Center certificate and degree programs. For certain highly competitive applicant pools, non-resident applications will not be accepted.
Residence status is determined by the Office of the Registrar and is based upon guidelines established by The LSU System in Permanent Memoranda 31.
http://www.lsuhsc.edu/administration/pm/pm-31.pdf
Interview
After review of all application materials, the Admission Committee will invite qualified applicants to interview on campus. This interview may include interviews based on the Multiple Mini Interview technique or may include a panel interview and the performance of an onsite writing example. All invitations for interviews are generated and communicated to qualified applicants through CASPA and the LSUHSC-NO Master of Physician Assistant Studies Program. This occurs via email within one week of generating the Invitation Rank Score. The dates for interviews are decided by the PA Program. Invitees are required to acknowledge their acceptance of the offer for interview to the program within two business days..
Acceptance
The Program Director, the Admissions Committee will then review all materials and recommend one of the following:
- Acceptance (for those who have completed all prerequisites and are highly recommended for admission)
- Conditional acceptance (for those who need to complete prerequisites)
- Wait list (applicants who meet the minimum requirement and who may be offered acceptance if the best qualified candidates do not fill all available seats)
- Non-admission (applicants who do not meet the minimum requirements or who are not competitive within the applicant pool)
Accepted Applicants Requirements
Accepted applicants will be required to pass a criminal history background check and a drug screening prior to enrolling in the program.
Immunization Requirements
The State of Louisiana requires students in health care related fields to have been immunized against certain diseases. The specific immunization requirements are based on Louisiana Department of State Health Services, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and Centers for Disease Control recommendations. Once at the LSUHSC-NO SAHP homepage select “Incoming Students” for information about the documents used to indicate immunization completion, and “Student Immunization Requirements” for a list of those immunizations required of all entering students.
NOTE: Effective Sept. 1, 2011, all students enrolling in LSUHSC-NO health-related training programs, to include the PA Program, are required to have undergone meningitis vaccination within the last 5 years and no later than 10 days before their date of enrollment.