Program Policies of Interest to
Prospective Students
Student Handbook
The Program prepares students to become leaders in the PA profession and their professional practice environment. The role of Student Progress Committee is to ensure that students meet the Program's high standards for:
- Academic performance
- Clinical skills
- Professionalism
In Accordance with the graduate school policy, the program requires each graduate student to maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0. Students whose cumulative grade point average (GPA) falls below 3.0 will be placed on academic probation. See Handbook section entitled "Academic Standing" and FSU Registrar Graduate Academic Regulations
The successful completion of academic course work and clinical practice requirements represents the student's preparation for clinical competency and professional practice. Successful completion of each course with a passing grade of "C" or better is mandatory. Any overall course grade below this standard will considered a failure.
All courses required during the didactic period of the PA Program must be completed with a grade of "C" or higher for a student to progress tot he clinical year of his or her PA training.
A student who is on Academic Probation (cumulative GPA below 3.0) may not progress to the clerkship portion of the Program. The SPC will recommend steps for the student to take to further prepare for their clerkship experience. Options include, but are not limited to, completion of an individualized remediation plan or dismissal from the Program based on a student’s academic and professionalism history.
The work for the master's degree must be completed within five years from the student first registers for graduate credit in the FSU School of Physician Assistant Practice. If the master's degree is not completed within five years from the time the student first registers for graduate credit in the FSU School of Physician Assistant Practice, and the program and/or Department Chair does not choose to approve an Extension of Time (EOT), then the student may no longer be enrolled in the program or at Florida State University.
Selected Program policies can be found in the Student Handbook on the listed pages.
Remediation, pages 31-33, 39-40, 41
Deceleration, pages 41, 53-54
Withdrawal, pages 55-56
Dismissal, page 42
Criteria for Successful Completion of the FSU PA Program
In order to graduate from the Florida State University Physician Assistant Program, students must complete the following requirements:
- Earn a "C" or better in each required course in the curriculum,
- Have a 3.0 cumulative GPA at the time of graduation,
- Successfully completing all program required patient encounters and clinical procedural skills,
- Complete all graduate surveys
- Demonstrate successful completion of a summative evaluation, which includes:
- A Comprehensive Written Examination (knowledge)
- An Objective Structured Clinical Exam - OSCE (clinical skills and professional behavior)
- A Professional Behavior Assessment (summary of assessments of professional behavior by core faculty, professionalism assessment tool, PA competency self-assessment, clinical site visitor and clinical preceptors made throughout the curriculum)
- Complete payment of all tuition, program and campus fees.
The Florida State University Physician Assistant Program does not offer advanced placement.
Training to become a physician assistant demands a full-time commitment. Due to the rigorous nature of the curriculum, it is recommended that students do not engage in outside employment. If a student chooses to work during the academic year, the work schedule must not interfere with class performance or clinical rotation schedules. FSU PA Program Faculty, including the Clinical Education Director, will not accommodate work schedules in arranging clinical experiences.
Students may not work for the FSU PA program. Students with specific prior knowledge, experience and skills may assist faculty in didactic and laboratory sessions to share their knowledge and skills. During clinical clerkship, students must not be used to substitute for clinical or administrative staff at clinical sites.
Financial Responsibility refers to the process of managing money and other similar assets in a way that is considered productive and is also in the best interest of the individual, or family. Students in the PA Program are individually responsible for all tuition, fees, books, background checks, required medical screenings, medical equipment, required protective equipment not otherwise provided by the PA program or clinical sites, personal medical costs (including those related to exposures to infectious and environmental hazards) and living expenses while a student at Florida State University. This includes expenses related to exposures, injuries or illnesses incurred while performing clinical clerkship/rotations.
It is each student's responsibility to attend and be able to travel to and from classes and clinical assignments on time and possess the organizational skills and stamina for performing required tasks and assignments within allotted time frames.
Didactic courses will be conducted at the central campus in Tallahassee. Each PA student will be assigned to one of six Regional Campuses eleven months prior to the start of the clinical year. The six Regional Campuses are found in the following locations: Daytona Beach, Fort Pierce, Orlando, Pensacola and Sarasota. Each student will complete clinical course work at their assigned Regional Campus.
Clinical Sites are located within one hour of each Regional Campus. It is the student's responsibility to arrange for housing at their Regional Campus and for travel to clinical sites where clinical course work occurs.
The Florida State University policy on withdrawal and tuition refunds can be found at: Withdrawal/refund-of-tuition
The PA program recruits, develops, maintains and determines student placements for all supervised practice experiences (clinical sites and preceptors). Coordinating supervised clinical practice sites (SCPEs/clinicals) by the program's faculty involves identifying, contacting and evaluating sites and preceptors for suitability and student safety as a required or elective rotation experience.
Students may suggest or provide information regarding potential preceptors or clinical sites to the program's faculty, but no student will be required to provide or solicit clinical sites or preceptors. Any clinical site or preceptor recommended to the program by a student will be reviewed and evaluated for educational suitability and student safety by the program.