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List of Doctorate Programs for PA's


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Hoping to have a running list of links to program pages for current clinical doctorate programs for PA

 

The Rules:

 

Please only post clinical doctorate programs (direct entry and bridge)

Ideally post the link to the page that has specifics on the program

 

Would also be nice if you posted total cost

Part time - versus - full time

Amount of residency required (time on site)

Typical time to finish program

 

 

If the program you are going to post is already posted please do not repost unless you have new information.   

 

I will try to keep this clean, simple and accurate 

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  • 2 weeks later...
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EMEDPA, on 26 May 2015 - 10:52 AM, said:snapback.png

I went to the Hahnemann/drexel alumni reunion last night and had an interesting chat with the program director. They are starting a 2 year online DHSc for PAs next year with no on-campus requirements. Apparently this was the # 1 request of alumni on a survey they recently sent out.

From EMEDPA - - -  Just was in contact with the program director yesterday- 2015/2016 will be the planning period with the first class expected to start sometime in 2017.

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  • 3 months later...

This is a very interesting topic that appears to have generated a lot of views but not a lot of posts.

 

I do not know very much about doctorate programs for PAs. I could use some clarification about what a "clinical doctorate" program is, whether this is referring to PA-to-DO or PA-to-MD programs, etc.

 

A basic google search yields this interesting article about a US Army ER PA doctorate:

http://www2.paeaonline.org/index.php?ht=a/GetDocumentAction/i/60863

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you have to be on active duty for the army/Baylor program. apparently there is a significant wait list as well.

The DMSc at Lynchburg looks like a nice option. watch as it develops.

 

Yup. My former active duty supervisor is in that program right now. He's probably the most intelligent person I've ever met in my life and he has TONS of connections.

 

Just to give you an idea of how difficult this program is to get into.

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you have to be on active duty for the army/Baylor program. apparently there is a significant wait list as well.

The DMSc at Lynchburg looks like a nice option. watch as it develops.

  

Yup. My former active duty supervisor is in that program right now. He's probably the most intelligent person I've ever met in my life and he has TONS of connections.

 

Just to give you an idea of how difficult this program is to get into.

 

 

I find it amazing that this program has been around something like 10 years, has a huge wait list, is highly competitive to get into.... And yet the private sectors is just barely getting going...... Obviously the demand is there as demonstrated by the above....

 

 

I am hopeful for a bridge to DMSc or some other terminal doctorate degree for us "lowly civilian PAs"

I truly beleive this will be a huge shift in the long term political marketability of the PA profession. We will have a terminal doctorate and therefor should be able to be leveraged into more FPA issues on a Federal and State level. Admitt it or not politicians only understand the easy to understand stuff..... Like a doctorate and controlling our own profession.......

 

 

I am anxiously awaiting more info on Lynchburg....

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  • 5 weeks later...

I've been following this topic as well... I'm interested in the DMS and I'm glad to see that we're starting to form a consensus for what the PA doctorate would be, e.g. Doctor of Medical Science. Could it be the next DO? Who knows... At this point, it's still an academic degree regardless of how they choose to market it for until state law recognizes the DMS, nothing about PA practice will change, and if nothing about our practice changes, how can we expect to see reimbursement change? And as long as we're on that topic, NPs don't need a doctorate to function independently in some states (I believe) so why aren't we pushing harder in that direction? I'm all for primary care PAs with several years of experience gaining full autonomy while practicing in family medicine, adult, or peds; no doctorate required. 

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New program announced by Eastern Virginia Medical School:

 

https://www.evms.edu/education/doctoral_programs/doctor_of_health_sciences/

Nothing like a DMS program

 

This is almost 3 years long and likely costs well north of 50k - by their web page costs 90k!

 

Looking for bridge affordable programs for the terminal clinical degree for PAs

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  • 2 months later...

Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee has a DMSc that sounds more like what you are looking for. 

 

https://www.lmunet.edu/news/view/77/lmu-announces-a-new-medical-degree-doctor-of-medical-science

 

From the linked article:

 

"The LMU Doctor of Medical Science program is comprised of 50 credits. Eligible candidates must have PA master’s level training and a minimum of three years of clinical experience.  The first year curriculum includes online didactics delivered by clinical and Ph.D. subspecialists from the LMU-DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine, other teaching hospitals and the community. The second year is comprised of online didactics specific to a clinical specialty. Students in the clinical practicum will achieve defined clinical competencies over the course of the two-year program. There are three tracks to choose from: primary care, hospital medicine, and emergency medicine. In lieu of the clinical practicum, experienced PAs can choose an academic track to be delivered by the LMU Carter and Moyers School of Education’s Doctor of Education program for the purposes of enhancing medical education. Students will be able to participate in the program while continuing with full-time clinical practice as a PA."

 

The red text shows that the program is for either clinical or academic enhancement, depending on the student's goals. This sounds like a great program. Of course, by the time I would be eligible to apply, there is no telling what will be out there.

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I have yet to start PA school but this is something that interests me. What would a PA be known as when meeting a patient at that point? Doctor? From the research I've done, and what I plan to do is family medicine as there seems to be a deficit since a lot of MD, DO and PA grads go towards other specialties. So, maybe this could fill this issue of family doctors as well? I don't know.. I'm barely scraping the subject when I mention that, but this is something certainly interesting to learn more of. 

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I believe a Doctorate would be handy for those who would like to go into Academia or Public Health or some other leadership position. However, I don't think any PA who gets a doctorate degree will (or should) call themselves doctor in the clinical setting.

 

Sent from my SM-G925P using Tapatalk

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I believe a Doctorate would be handy for those who would like to go into Academia or Public Health or some other leadership position. However, I don't think any PA who gets a doctorate degree will (or should) call themselves doctor in the clinical setting.

 

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That was my thoughts as well. If a bridge program becomes more present then maybe that would be an option, but I didn't start pursuing this profession for a title so no worries on my end! 

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I must be slow. Exactly, why do you want a doctorate besides a name and more initials? I suppose I can do my doctorate in 1 year too but I fail to see any marketing or financial gain besides a boost in ego perhaps. Ok, so someone will call me Dr. so and so. There were many buffoons in undergrad and grad school who we had to address as Dr. also. It doesn't mean much. From what I heard, the added title of Dr., turns off employers because they think you will demand more money from the get-go., and therefore do not hire you. I am not sure how this plays in PA's. I don't remember anyone hiring someone with a PhD and pay them more in government either. It was always based on prior experience.

 

Lastly, why do you want a doctorate in master of science? There are already post-bacs that give a master of science and means nothing...I believe Touro does and a few other schools. Why not call it a doctorate in PA. It seems changing the name just makes it sound like one does it for self importance more than for the profession itself. PA's were invented before NP's and they should be proud of it. I think people lose the focus of why PA's were invented to begin with. Before NPs came along and usurped PA's, the PA was the fast tracked medical program that pumped out practitioners in the battlefield.

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I must be slow. Exactly, why do you want a doctorate besides a name and more initials? I suppose I can do my doctorate in 1 year too but I fail to see any marketing or financial gain besides a boost in ego perhaps. Ok, so someone will call me Dr. so and so. There were many buffoons in undergrad and grad school who we had to address as Dr. also. It doesn't mean much. From what I heard, the added title of Dr., turns off employers because they think you will demand more money from the get-go., and therefore do not hire you. I am not sure how this plays in PA's. I don't remember anyone hiring someone with a PhD and pay them more in government either. It was always based on prior experience.

 

Lastly, why do you want a doctorate in master of science? There are already post-bacs that give a master of science and means nothing...I believe Touro does and a few other schools. Why not call it a doctorate in PA. It seems changing the name just makes it sound like one does it for self importance more than for the profession itself. PA's were invented before NP's and they should be proud of it. I think people lose the focus of why PA's were invented to begin with. Before NPs came along and usurped PA's, the PA was the fast tracked medical program that pumped out practitioners in the battlefield.

Well, a doctorate provides for advanced education in whatever area you choose, but in medical science it shows advanced clinical knowledge. While it's true this knowledge can be acquired without it simply by reading textbooks, no one will recognize your expertise just because you said you read a lot. Applying your logic, why get a masters? Why get a bachelors? Everything should be open source education through reading at your local library and then taking a test. Further, NPs have shown they are being preferential promoted to administrative positions over PAs because of their doctorate education.

 

The government does the exact opposite of what you say. It's one of the reasons NPs are paid more at the VA than PAs. Their doctorate automatically puts them in a higher GS pay scale. Come into the military with a masters like a PA? Automatic O2. Come in with a doctorate like NPs, PT, and even OT, automatic O3.

 

Receiving a Doctorate in Medical Science is appropriate because we study medical science. We do not study physician assistanting or practice physician assistanting. We practice medicine and study medical science/health/medicine.

 

PA was not the fast tracked medical program, it was MD that had a two year curriculum during WW2, which our training was based on.

 

If you don't want one, no worries. You can go on without it.

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I got mine for a few reasons:

interested in subject material

teaching(easier to be full professor, get tenure, etc)

compete with DNPs on even ground

govt service( state dept, PHS, etc pay more for a doctorate than an MS).

internationally, a doctorate opens more doors in the disaster/NGO world.

I like being a student. it was either a DHSc in global health or an MPH, and I already have a masters.

extensive discussion here:

http://www.physicianassistantforum.com/index.php?/topic/1764-taking-the-dhsc-plunge/

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Yes... pay in .gov IS influenced by degree type.

 

I have PAs that I supervise that whine about their pay but won't get a Masters.

 

Even after I've sat them down and showed them why they are 1-2 grades or 8 steps BELOW all the others on the service. .. to include the new grads and new hires.

 

Also...

NPs being paid more is only true sometimes.

 

At my medical center. ..

 

NPs top out at $128k/yr... PAs at $136/yr.

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