FAQs

This statistic varies from year to year quite dramatically. Factors that influence the percentage of graduates who choose to practice in Connecticut relate to local hospital hiring trends, specialty interest of graduates, and social considerations related to family and personal life. Most of our graduates hail from other states so the decision to stay in Connecticut is often unexpected.

The School of Medicine and thus the PA Program utilize traditional lectures to introduce topics relevant to medical practice. Seminar and laboratory sessions throughout the didactic phase enhance the comprehension and practical application of the basic and medical sciences.

PA students, in the state-of-the-art anatomy laboratory, dissect a full cadaver as a part of the anatomy course. While this is time consuming, we find that the psychomotor skill development aids students during their surgery rotation.

Prior to rotations, students participate in several procedure labs that serve to prepare them for their clinical rotation experience. New this year, students will learn surgical skills in the small animal laboratory. In the clinical phase several of the rotations use simulation cases to improve student learning.

We believe the quality of the clinical rotation training is critically important for your development as a PA. Additionally, the ARC-PA requires adequate monitoring of the clinical rotation sites. We do have some rotations in states such as Colorado, Illinois, Maine, Kentucky and Texas but generally the students rotate in the State of Connecticut.

For those interested in PA policy and legislation, we support student participation at the AAPA CORE Capitol Hill Day in Washington DC, the annual AAPA conference and the Connecticut Academy of Physician Assistants conference.

Yes, research is an integral part of our curriculum. In order to facilitate the project, students choose a School of Medicine faculty mentor and have access to a scientific writing tutor.

Yes, we have clinical rotation sites in Peru, Uganda, and Spain. Students must apply and be selected for these rotation sites.

A joint project between the PA and medical students, the global health elective meets every other week in the evening. Experts in the field of health in resource challenged regions of the world provide the lecture content.

The Wilbur J. Downs Fellowship provides students at the medical center the opportunity to travel abroad to perform research. More information can be found here. In the past three years, six PA students have been selected as Downs Fellows.

Yes, student financial aid is based on demonstrated financial need.

No, we encourage community volunteer opportunities but there is no specific requirement. Many students choose to volunteer with the HAVEN Free Clinic or the Community Health van.