The healthcare field is wide, and the physician assistant (PA) field is among the most sought. You can attend PA program schools to pursue a degree in some of the best PA schools in Kentucky. However, with many schools offering the PA program, choosing one that meets your educational needs can take time and effort. Below is a list of top colleges to help you make the best decision to pursue a PA degree.
University of Kentucky-Lexington
Students attending this college get the knowledge of how to work with licensed doctors and take care of patients. When undertaking the PA program, you can choose a specialty or specialize in general practice.
Most specialty areas in the physician assistant field include dermatology, anesthesia, internal medicine, family medicine, cardiology, and women’s health. If you need to know what to specialize in, this college has experts who can help you choose the best specialty, depending on your grades.
The 29-month PA program is a shorter course, and you can use your skills to look for a job. However, the school offers a Master's program for higher education in PA studies.
University of Kentucky Lexington has a class capacity of 40 students. The PA professional lecturers help students get medical knowledge in diverse populations, including urban and rural settings. Before graduating, all students have the skills to prescribe medicine, diagnose diseases, and conduct physical exams.
Sullivan University-Louisville
The physician assistant programs at Sullivan University focus on building a solid foundation of clinical practice for PA students. In addition, the school divides physical diagnosis programs into quarters to ensure it instills the required medical knowledge in the learners.
In the first quarter of the didactic year, the students learn general clinical experiences. In the other quarter of the didactic year, students learn critical thinking and how to apply the knowledge they acquire from the class to sick patients.
Before the year ends, each student must do an exam as an assessment and also deal with sick patients. After the examination, this university requires students to do clinical rotations that aid in PA experience.
Each step from the first quarter to sitting for a Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) prepares the students to get fully prepared before handling patients in the real world. Sullivan University aims to ensure all graduating students have the needed characteristics of a PA, including active listening, good communication skills, and compassion.
University of Cumberlands
The physician assistant program at The University of Cumberlands is a 27-month class duration. In addition, the school offers a Master's degree in Physician Assistant Studies, intending to educate the students to become competent PAs.
Besides teaching medical knowledge in class, the school curriculum focuses on helping students become well-rounded health practitioners. Between the first didactic quarter, which introduces students to clinical knowledge and the last exam, the school also prepares students to handle the community health-wise.
All students must learn a total of seven academic terms and complete 113 program-credited hours to graduate. Credit hours throughout the years are divided into classroom and laboratory coursework and supervised rotations in hospitals.
Graduates from The University of Cumberlands have clinical knowledge and can treat diseases, interpret the test, and diagnose illnesses. Hence, they can work well alongside professional doctors.
The University of Cumberlands-Northern Kentucky Campus
The school offers Master of Science Physician Assistant Studies, a short program, for about two and a quarter years. To qualify for your Master's degree, you must complete 113 credit hours. However, 68 hours of the total credit require students to complete didactic programs in classrooms and laboratories in the school.
During the second year, students spend 45 hours doing clinical rotations. These rotations help to expose students to real-life treatments of handling patients, giving medicine, and interpreting tests.
Students also get more experience in family medicine, internal treatments, and understanding women's health. During this time, you can ask questions as you work with experienced doctors to get a deeper understanding of the medical field.
University of Kentucky-Morehead
The University of Kentucky offers a Physician Assistant Studies program intending to improve people's health. In addition, it aims to produce graduates with compassion, a quality required in all medical practices and careers.
The PA program takes 29 months to complete, and students are required to complete 95 credit hours to qualify for a Master's degree.
The University of the Cumberlands-Williamsburg
The Physician Assistant Program studies at The University of Cumberlands in Williamsburg has a class capacity of about 30 students. In addition, it offers Master's degree programs in Physician Assistant studies to help students offer medical health services after graduating.
Like most PA schools, students must engage in didactic programs to gain more knowledge. The professional lecturers educate students about counseling, disease prevention, and injury prevention in class. However, laboratory studies help students to gain skills with pediatric patients.
The school ensures that students gain clinical knowledge and work with professional medical doctors to deliver quality healthcare services. During the 27-month-study period, students on this campus learn in class and laboratories and must complete 10 clinical rotations of the 45 hours under school supervision.
Kentucky Wesleyan College
Kentucky Wesleyan College offers pre-professional training for students who want to enroll in Physician Assistant programs. The PA curriculum is a minimum of five months, and most students major in biology and chemistry.
During the pre-training, the faculty ensures students research a wide range of medically related health sciences, including physiology, microbiology, and anatomy.
Bottom Line
Acquiring a PA degree from a top Kentucky university has many benefits. Many graduates have promising careers with well-paying salaries. Apart from this, the graduates have the knowledge to provide medical services in urban and rural settings and work with qualified doctors to ensure that people live healthier lives. The guide above can help you choose a PA school in Kentucky to achieve your career.