I've always heard a lot about this program, but never really researched it myself. Out of everywhere I've looked at so far, this program has the most options as far as locations and different levels of degrees.
Location: Seattle, Washington; Tacoma, Washington; Anchorage, Alaska; Spokane, Washington
Number of students: Seattle (40-50); Tacoma (25-30); Anchorage (20-25); Spokane (25-35)
Application Cycle: April - October 1st through CASPA w/ supplemental app
Interview dates: October - January
Start date: Online anatomy and physiology begins in March, and all students are required to be in Seattle in July
Length of Program: 8 quarters for Bachelor's (summer between years is given off for any other coursework); 9 quarters for Master's
Public/Private: Public, with preference to students who want to work in the Washington/Alaska area
HCE: 2,000 hours of paid, hands-on clinical patient care (recommend 4,ooo)
GPA: Minimum 3.0 with minimum B- in courses, and all courses must be complete at time of applying
Shadowing: Recommended
The Good Stuff:
- 4 different campuses
- Bachelor's degree offered at Tacoma, Anchorage, and Spokane. You have to apply to both University of Washington and the MEDEX program, and they give you time off between years to work on any classes you may need to complete outside of PA school
- Master's degree offered at Spokane and Seattle - Students choose a focus in either Healthcare for Rural and Underserved Populations, Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Academic Medicine and Specialty Practice, or Global Health. This will be the focus of the capstone project.
- Extended Masters degree - A mostly on-line option for PAs with a Bachelor's degree to obtain a Master's degree. There are 2 weeks on campus at the beginning and 1 week at the end. The importance of having a Master's versus a Bachelor's will depend on what state you are wanting to practice in.
- 5 year Pharm-D/PA program - Apply to pharmacy school and start with that and then apply to PA school
- Master's of Public Health option with Bachelor's students - The classes are completed during the summers and a few weekends throughout the 2 years in PA school. This is not an option for PA students in the Master's program
- The Master's program is now accepting Canadian students.
- There are information sessions available, but you have to sign up!
- It is recommended that course work be done within the last 5-7 years
- About 50% males in all classes
- The specific section on physicianassistantforum.com has a ton of information about this program
Program Link: University of Washington MEDEX Northwest
For the most up to date information on PA programs in one place, check out The Applicant’s Manual of Physician Assistant Programs. (Affiliate link)
