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As part of Marieb College of Health & Human Services at Florida Gulf Coast University, the master of physician assistant studies program prepares medical professionals to provide evidence-based patient-centered care as part of a collaborative healthcare team.
The program’s curriculum begins with 15 months of instruction in physiology, pharmacology, anatomy, clinical medicine, clinical integration and clinical skills on campus. The remaining 12 months are dedicated to four-week supervised clinical rotations at healthcare sites off campus. Core clinical rotations are in primary-care medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, behavioral health, women’s health, general surgery and emergency medicine.
Marieb College’s rigorous program ensures top-quality professionals enter the workforce to provide comprehensive, compassionate care to patients in many settings. They work in hospitals, medical offices, community health centers, nursing homes, retail and workplace clinics, educational facilities and more.
Physician assistants’ duties vary depending on where they work, their level of experience and their specialty. They may be the people in your doctor’s office or urgent-care clinic entrusted to work with you in some of these ways:
• Taking medical histories
• Conduct physical exams
• Diagnosing and treating illness
• Ordering and interpreting tests
• Developing treatment plans
• Counseling on preventive care
• Performing procedures or assisting in surgery
Demand for physician assistants like those graduating from FGCU is expected to grow 27% by 2032, much faster than the average for all occupations, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. With hands-on learning in state-of-the-art facilities and the individualized attention of dedicated faculty, Marieb College graduates are poised to lead this growing field.
Marieb College a top draw for PAs
When the time came for Allayna Vanderheid to consider physician assistant graduate programs, FGCU topped the list of possibilities. Vanderheid gained a favorable impression of the program long before she enrolled. Her sister, Zoe, earned her master’s degree in physician assistant studies at FGCU in 2021.
“Zoe really loved her program at FGCU,” said Vanderheid, who completed her master’s in physician assistant studies in December 2023. “It was an easy decision for me to add it to my applications. When I had an admissions interview, they liked me, and I liked them, and it worked out perfectly.”
Indeed, her educational journey culminated in the best possible way, by her landing a position at an orthopedics practice in Naples — her hometown.
Smaller class sizes, accessible faculty
At FGCU, students like Vanderheid experience the benefits of close peer cohorts and personal interaction with faculty. Classes of just 20 students are the norm.
Professors are accessible in person and online for questions from class or about homework, research or career paths. As a result, they observe the personalities and learning styles of each student and how they will best absorb and learn the information they are teaching.
Marieb College’s students also benefit from the varied teaching methods faculty use. These range from lectures to a mentor-mentee scheme in which younger students interact with more senior ones on assignments. Professor-led reviews helped students focus on what they should know for their exams.
Many of the professors worked or still work as PAs in addition to teaching. This means they can often illustrate concepts by drawing on their own professional experiences. They may show images of CT scans or chest X-rays of ER patients to classes. After learning a patient’s history, the students ask questions and then spell out a course of treatment.
Marieb graduates prepared to excel
Marieb College’s PA program has a proven record of success, with all graduating cohorts attaining first-time board certification pass rates above the national average and overall pass rates of 100%.
Our PA graduates enjoy successful careers in a variety of healthcare disciplines, including primary care, emergency medicine, critical care and surgical specialties. Based on alumni communication, most graduates opt to remain in Florida after graduation to practice in their local communities, with many staying here in Southwest Florida. In part, this is due to the experience garnered and connections made during their clinical rotations within FGCU’s dedicated community provider network.
Building on the success of the first five graduating cohorts of the master of physician assistant studies, Marieb College of Health & Human Services looks forward to expanding the program to meeting growing demand for healthcare professionals in Southwest Florida and beyond.
For more information about Marieb College’s master of physician assistant studies program, go to fgcu.edu/mariebcollege, email paprogram@fgcu.edu or call 239-745-4477.
10501 FGCU Boulevard South
Fort Myers, FL 33965
(239) 590-1000 | fgcu.edu
