Physician Assistant Curriculum 

Didactic learning experiences

Proposed curriculum 2024-2025

Courses with an "x" in the designator number are currently in the curricular process for modification or development.  When the courses are approved, the new curriculum will be effective in the fall 2024 semester.

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

*All Central Michigan University Physician Assistant students must successfully complete (7) core 5-week rotations and (1) 5-week elective rotation. 

Per the bulletin, graduate students are allowed (7) years to complete the full curriculum for the PA Program.

Our program offers the benefit of a mentorship experience for all first-year students. Although our program shares the critical requirements and expectations of many PA programs, there are two key areas of emphasis which make this program relatively unique.  Specifically, we educate our students with a focus in providing and supporting primary and rural health care.  This is achieved through the clinical problem-solving coursework series with the clinical mentorship experience.

During a portion of the didactic year, each student participates in a one-day-per-week mentorship experience for four months, in which they shadow a primary care practitioner and perform supervised hands-on patient care. The mentorship opportunity allows students to apply their knowledge and skills in a clinical environment, to further enhance their clinical and practical skills and build their confidence before pursuing the second year of studies.

Our unique mentorship program allows students to:

You will spend the last 12 months of the program completing 7 core and 1 elective Supervised Clinical Practice Experiences (SCPE). After the completion of each 5-week each rotation, you are required to return to campus to complete an end of rotation summative evaluation.  The summative assessment includes an objective, standardized evaluation that measures existing medical knowledge as well as medical knowledge gained from the specific SCPE.

By the end of year 3 and completion of the clinical year, you are required to successfully complete rotations in these core areas: family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, women's health, behavioral health, emergency medicine, general surgery, and an elective

Physician Assistant students are required to complete 40 service-learning hours during their education. Mobile Health Central is one opportunity presented to students to provide sports physicals to local high school schools in the summer and early fall. This service-learning opportunity offers hands-on experience to the students while providing a low-cost option for families in the area. 

Interdisciplinary professional education

Physician Assistants work as part of a clinical and medical interdisciplinary medical team and are instrumental in the rendering of quality and comprehensive patient-centered care management.  Our PA students participate in interdisciplinary professional education activities as part of their didactic learning experiences.  You can learn more about interdisciplinary professional education and training on the interprofessional education collaborative website.