The Department of Physician Assistant Studies is located within the College of Medicine. The program is designed as a full-time 24-month graduate program leading to the degree of Master of Medical Science-Physician Assistant (MMS-PA). Students complete four years of pre-professional coursework at other colleges or universities, and then complete two years of professional education at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Candidates are required to have a baccalaureate degree prior to admission. Students matriculate every spring term and graduate after completion of all academic and clinical rotation requirements over 4 terms in length. Clinical rotation sites are located in Memphis, Nashville, Chattanooga, and Knoxville. Due to the limited number of clinical sites in Memphis and other urban areas, students should anticipate the financial impact of traveling and living out of town for the majority of their clinical rotations. Clinical rotations are intended to provide the student with broad exposure to physician assistant practice in a variety of settings and geographic locations.
Mission of the Physician Assistant Program
The mission of the physician assistant program is to prepare a diverse group of highly skilled physician assistant practitioners who are dedicated to improving access and providing high quality primary and/or specialty health care as part of interprofessional teams and who are committed to lifelong learning and to increasing the knowledge base of the profession.