Admission Requirements
The WLU PA school prerequisites and admissions requirements will not be waived.
International Student Applicants
In addition to the requirements listed above, please submit:
- Proof of English Proficiency. Please submit one of the following test results:
- Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). A minimum score of 80 for the Internet-based test (IBT), or 550 for the paper-based test (PBT)
- International English Language Testing (IELTS). 6
- EIKEN. Grade Pre-1
- Pearson Test of English. (PTE) Academic. 54
- Credit Certification. Have all your coursework and credits from institutions outside of the United States evaluated by a credential evaluation service provider (e.g. World Education Services (WES), Global Credential Evaluators (GCE), Association of International Credentials Evaluators (AICE), American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), etc.
- Proof of Financial Support. Submit adequate documentation of financial support for one academic year (12 months). (E.g. Official bank statement, sponsorship award letters, scholarship awards, Affidavit of Support (DHS Form I-134), etc.
- Copy of your ID page in your passport.
Preferences for Selection of Applicants:
- Direct patient care experience and/or healthcare-related experience
- PA shadowing
- West Liberty University graduates
- West Virginia residency
- Graduates from WV institutions of higher education
- Academic/Life balance:
- Including but not limited to: extracurriculars, volunteer experience and community service, leadership experience, and work experience
- Life experience contributing to class diversity:
- Including but not limited to: Applicants from environmentally and economically disadvantaged backgrounds (as determined by CASPA), underrepresented medical minorities, and veterans
Requirements of successful applicants prior to matriculation:
- Complete and pass a background check
- Complete and pass a drug screen
- Receipt and verification by the program of all “official” transcripts and any other supporting documents.
- Basic computer literacy including the ability to use Microsoft Word, e-mail, and conduct web-based and electronic database searches.
- Submit completed health screening form and immunization record to WLU Student Health Services
- All students must complete Basic Life Support Certification from the American Heart Association during the month of June prior to matriculation and submit certificate.
- Submit proof of health insurance coverage by the time of matriculation.
- Transportation
- Students must have reliable transportation in order to report to clinical sites and other scheduled program events.
Transfer of Credit, as substitution for courses in the didactic phase of the department is not allowed. Transfer of credit is also not allowed in the clinical phase. Exceptions will only be granted to this Policy in situations in which transfer is accepted from a closing PA program under the approval of the ARC-PA. Transfer analysis of coursework will be conducted by the PA program director and verified by the Registrar’s office.
Advance Placement for didactic courses and/or clinical rotations completed prior to acceptance into the program, or for experiential learning, is not granted to applicants to the program. Exceptions will only be made to this Policy in situations in which students are accepted from a closing PA Program under the approval of the ARC-PA following curricular comparison and analysis and approval of the PA program director.
Technical Requirements
The intent of the Physician Assistant Studies Program is to educate competent primary care Physician Assistants (PAs) who can evaluate, manage, and provide quality healthcare to the general population. Candidates admitted to this program are expected to complete the academic and clinical requirements of the professional program.
Candidates are reviewed for admission into the program on an individual basis. In addition to meeting the academic, professional, and administrative requirements, candidates must also have the ability to develop the intellectual capacity and technical skills required to perform the functions of a practicing physician assistant. A student must possess skills and behaviors at a level of capability to perform a variety of duties required of a physician assistant as a healthcare professional. In order to ensure that patients receive the best medical care possible, the faculty of the Physician Assistant program have identified certain skills and professional behaviors that are essential for successful progression of physician assistant students in the program.
Required Standards
Candidates who are accepted as students in the physician assistant program must meet the following standards:
Technical Standards:
Observation The student must have sufficient vision to be able to observe demonstrations, experiments, laboratory exercises, visual presentations and computer-facilitated instruction. He or she must be able to differentiate between normal and pathological states and distinguish between colors. In addition, the student must be able to observe patients closely and at a distance. Observation necessitates the complimentary use of smell, touch and hearing.
Communication The student must be able to speak, hear, read and write in order to elicit and exchange information with patients, family members, and other health care providers. He or she must be able to perceive verbal and non-verbal cues as it pertains to patients’ conditions. In addition, the student must be able to facilitate the flow of information with respect and sensitivity towards faculty, patients, families, and other members of the health care team.
Motor The student must have the motor control and coordination to perform physical examinations through inspection, palpation, auscultation and percussion in order to elicit information. He or she must be able to perform laboratory procedures, clinical skills and diagnostic maneuvers, with and without the use of equipment. In addition, the student must be able to bend, manipulate, lightly lift to approximately twenty-five pounds, and assist patients.
Intellectual, Conceptual, Integrative, and Quantitative The student must have the ability to comprehend, memorize, interpret, analyze and synthesize information presented in the classroom, laboratory and clinical settings. He or she must also be able to measure, calculate, formulate, reason and make diagnostic and therapeutic decisions. The student must be able to assimilate and integrate information through a variety of modalities such as classroom instruction, group interaction, research, individual study, and presentations. In addition, the student must be able to integrate the use of computer programs and web-based resources into learning.
Behavioral and Social Attributes The student must have the emotional health for full utilization of his or her intellectual capabilities, to exercise good judgment, to promptly complete all responsibilities and assignments attendant to the diagnosis and care of patients, and the deportment to exercise sensitive, empathic, mature and effective relationships with patients, their families, peers and other members of the health care team. The student should be able to recognize limitations of his or her education and training. The student should also be willing to seek consultation when appropriate, and be able to recognize, handle and/or assist in life-threatening situations. He or she must also have the humility to accept constructive critique and the perseverance to complete an arduous course of study.
All students are expected to perform physical examinations on both males and females and on each other. Breast and pelvic examinations will be conducted on anatomic models and/or simulated patients during the didactic (1st) year, and on real patients during the clinical year. Candidates who are unable to meet this requirement based on religious beliefs or other reason must inform the program by the end of the first full week of class so that reasonable arrangements may be made.
Chronic or recurrent illnesses or problems that may interfere with patient care or safety, or may lead to a high likelihood of absenteeism are incompatible with PA training or clinical practice. Deficiencies in knowledge, judgment, integrity, character, professional attitude or demeanor may jeopardize patient care. Reasonable accommodations will be made for applicants with disabilities. However, all applicants must be able to perform all listed technical requirements.
Applicants / Students with Disabilities Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) prohibit discrimination against otherwise qualified students and applicants with disabilities, solely on the basis of the disability, in any program or activity that receives federal financial assistance. In compliance with the ADA and Section 504, the University provides reasonable accommodations for otherwise qualified individuals with disabilities in order to provide them with an equal opportunity to participate in the University’s programs, services and activities. A reasonable accommodation does not, however, guarantee that students will be successful in meeting the admission requirements and/or requirements of any course, program or clinical activity.
All applicants and students are evaluated in accordance with the Technical Standards and must possess not only the academic abilities, but also the physical, cognitive and emotional capabilities required to undertake the full curriculum and achieve the levels of competence required by the faculty of the WLU PA program.
The University provides reasonable accommodations but is not required to lower or substantially modify essential program requirements. The University also is not required to make adjustments to any program service, or activity that would fundamentally alter the nature of the service, program, or activity, or that would result in an undue financial or administrative burden. Finally, the University is not required to provide personal services including but not limited to personal attendants, individually prescribed devices, wheelchairs, readers for personal use or study, or other devices or services of a personal nature, including but not limited to tutors and typing for out of class studying.
Applicants and students are required to provide verification of disabilities that are not readily apparent.
Whether or not an accommodation is reasonable will be determined on an individual basis. Determining what is a reasonable accommodation is an interactive process between the disabled individual, the Program Coordinator, and the course instructor.
All services for students with disabilities are coordinated through the Student Success Center (SSC). There is no standardized form or set of requirements regarding what students must share about their disabilities. Thus, a student needs to decide what, if anything, they want to reveal. If the student chooses not to disclose their disability and decides, at a later time, to make a disclosure, accommodations will not be made retroactively. Any coursework and grades completed before the disclosure will remain. Approved accommodations will be implemented after the student has completed the registration process with the SSC. For this reason, students are strongly encouraged to contact the SSC to register for services at the outset of each academic course. Recent documentation of a student’s disability from a licensed psychologist, psychiatrist, or other subspecialty physician must be provided to the SSC to establish accommodations. In addition to reviewing documentation to facilitate arrangements for specific classroom accommodations, ongoing individualized guidance is available from the SSC’s disabilities specialist to include referrals to outside agencies for testing and assessment as necessary.
Applicants and students may obtain information about the accommodation request and ADA grievance procedure by contacting:
Dr. Richard Whitehead, ADA Coordinator
Richard.Whitehead@westliberty.edu
Andrew Lewis, Director
andrew.lewis@westliberty.edu
304.336.8274 (phone)
Student Success Center
Paul N. Elbin Library 206
https://westliberty.edu/student-success-center/accessibility-services/
Health Insurance Students must submit proof of health insurance coverage by the time of matriculation. See health insurance policy under Program Costs.
Health Screening and Immunization WLU requires that its students be up to date on the following immunizations and skin tests. Students are expected to have these immunization current upon matriculation and updated as needed prior to beginning their clinical clerkships.
Tuberculosis (TB) Must be completed within the two months after entering the program. Applicants with a history of positive tests must provide documentation of appropriate screening and treatment. A history of receiving the BCG vaccine is not a contradiction to skin testing. Two-step testing is required
Diphtheria-Pertussis-Tetanus Primary series of 4 doses with DTaP or DTP. TdaP booster must be within the last 10 years.
Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR) Series of 2 doses. Dose 1 at 12-15 months or later, dose 2 at 4-6 years or later and at least one month apart from the 1st. (and/or provide MMR titer results).
Influenza Immunization is required each year.
Covid 19 Immunization is required in accordance with CDC guidelines.
Hepatitis B Immunization is required for all students. This series of three immunizations and post-vaccination antibody titer for proof of immunity is required.
Chicken Pox (Varicella) two doses of vaccine at least one month apart. (and/or varicella titers or documented evidence of infection).
Bacterial Meningitis Immunization with vaccines for MenACWY and MenB is required.