Frequently Asked Questions | Physician Assistant Department

What does it mean to be a Provisionally Accredited program?

The ARC-PA has granted Accreditation – Provisional status to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore Physician Assistant Program sponsored by the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Accreditation – Provisional is an accreditation status granted when the plans and resource allocation if fully implemented as planned of a proposed program that has not yet enrolled students appear to demonstrate the program’s ability to meet the ARC-PA Standards or when a program holding Accreditation – Provisional status appears to demonstrate continued progress in complying with he Standards as it prepares for the graduation of the first class (cohort) of students.

Accreditation – Provisional does not ensure any subsequent accreditation status. It is limited to no more than five years from matriculation of the first class.

What will happen if the school does not receive accreditation?

Students will only be allowed to begin matriculation into the Program after Accreditation – Provisional status has been awarded.

What is the application cycle for the PA Program?

The application cycle for 2024 – 2025 opens in May, 2024 and closes on November 1, 2024. All CASPA applications must be submitted and verified by the November 1, 2024 deadline. Additional verification of the CASPA application is allowed through January 15, 2025.

What is the interview period for the PA Program and how many applicants will be chosen?

Applicants will be chosen and invited to interview beginning in the fall through the first quarter of the spring of the following year. We do not have a specific number of applicants that we will interview, but we will be accepting up to 30 students.

Does the UMES PA Program have scholarships?

Yes, we offer an Underrepresented Practitioner scholarship.

Do you offer preference to any applicants?

Yes, applicants from Health Personnel Shortage Areas (HPSA) https://bhw.hrsa.gov/shortage-designation/hpsas or Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUA/P) https://data.hrsa.gov/tools/shortage-area/mua-find and groups and/or racial/ ethnic populations underrepresented within the physician assistant profession Underrepresented in Medicine Definition | AAMC are encouraged to apply and will receive preference. Additionally graduates of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and/or Historically Black Colleges or Universities (HBCUs) will be offered an interview as long as the prospective student meets all minimum admission requirements.

Does the UMES PA Program have a supplemental application?

Yes, prospective students will need to submit a supplemental application only upon acceptance into the PA Program here.

What are the prerequisites needed to apply to the UMES PA Program?

All applicants must successfully complete the following Medical Core prerequisite courses with a grade of “C” or higher (within the Bachelor’s degree or through coursework at a regionally accredited US institution of higher education).

Coursework	Semester credit hours
Medical Terminology	1
Biology with Lab	4
Microbiology	3
Organic Chemistry with Lab	4
General Chemistry/Biochemistry with Lab	4
Human Anatomy/Anatomy & Physiology I	3 – 4
Human Physiology/Anatomy & Physiology II	3 – 4
Psychology	3

Prerequisite science courses are to be completed within six years prior to the date of admission. All courses must be completed by the November 1st deadline.

A waiver of the six-year requirement, or grade requirement, for a prerequisite course may be requested by the applicant if 1) there is a continuous employment history that would demonstrate knowledge of the course content, or 2) the applicant has a B grade or better, within the last six years, in a more advanced course in the same subject. Knowledge-based testing does not satisfy any of the prerequisites. Waivers will not be considered until the application has been verified via CASPA. The waiver should be submitted with your initial application to PADept@umes.edu upon verification by CASPA. All waivers must be approved by the Program Director.

Is there a timeframe for completing prerequisite courses?

Prerequisite science courses are to be completed within six years prior to the date of admission. All courses must be completed by the November 1st deadline.

Are there health care and shadowing requirements for admission?

The applicant must have a minimum of 40 hours of first-hand observation or “shadowing” experience with a Physician Assistant. Please complete and upload form here. The PA that the student shadows must write the student a letter of recommendation.

The applicant must have documentation of a minimum of 500 hours of paid experience involving direct patient care hours. It is recommended that students obtain direct patient care hours in different medical settings, e.g., hospice, assisted living facility, hospital, underserved areas/countries, etc. To obtain strong direct patient care experience, students are encouraged to obtain certification credentials, e.g., paramedic, nurse’s aide, phlebotomist, medical assistant, radiologic technologist, EKG tech, EMT (I or Basic), LPN, dental hygienist, or clinical laboratorians/scientists (the student MUST be performing phlebotomy, assisting with bone marrow aspirations/biopsy and must have direct patient interaction, not just with their specimens), and behavioral health technician. All required direct patient care hours must be completed by the application verification deadline. (Hours must be completed by the January 15th verification deadline). Please complete and upload form here.

Do you accept Advanced Placement (AP) or transfer credits?

The UMES PA Program does not award or grant advanced placement or transfer credits. The UMES PA Program does not accept knowledge-based testing for prerequisite course work.

Will I have to find my own clinical sites for rotations?

No, our Program schedules all required SCPE sites for rotations where we have affiliation agreements with the clinical preceptors. Students (prospective or enrolled) are not allowed to provide or solicit clinical sites or preceptors. All clinical rotations are scheduled by the Clinical Education Director. Students, by ARC-PA standards, cannot set up their own rotations. However, if a student has personal knowledge of a willing preceptor or has discussed the possibility of rotating at a particular site, this may be possibly arranged. In such cases, the student must provide the Clinical Education Director (CED) with he contact information of the clinical site and the preceptor to make arrangements on behalf of the student. The student can only provide information and cannot set up the rotation.

What is the cost of the program?

Current tuition and fees are available in the Tuition and Financial Aid section of our website https://www.umes.edu/PA/Tuition-and-Financial-Aid/ or by contacting our department via telephone at (410) 651-8452 or via email to PADept@umes.edu.

What are your policies regarding refund of tuition and fees?

Students withdrawing from the University during a semester will be credited for all academic fees charged to them, in accordance with the following schedule.

Period from First Day of Instruction	Refundable Percentage:
Two weeks or less	80%
Between two and three weeks	60%
Between three and four weeks	40%
After four weeks No refund	0

Any student who desires or is compelled to withdraw from the University for any cause at any time during the academic year should secure an application for withdrawal from the Office of the Registrar, obtain the proper signatures and file it in the Office the Registrar. The effective date for withdrawals, with regard to refunds and grades, is the date the form is filed at the Office of the Registrar. No student may withdraw after the last scheduled day of classes in a given semester. Exceptions will be referred to the Academic Appeals Board. No part of the charges for room and board is refundable, except when the student officially withdraws from the University or is given permission by the appropriate officials of the University to move from the residence facility and/or to discontinue dining hall privileges. When permission is given to discontinue dining hall privileges, the meal card must be turned in to the Office of the Vice President for Administrative Affairs. In these cases, the room refund will be computed by deducting ten percent (10%) of the charge for the semester as a service charge and the remainder will be prorated on a weekly basis. Refunds to students for board (dining hall) charges will be calculated in the same manner. No room and/or board refunds will be made after the fourteenth week of the semester. Weekly basis shall be defined as a complete week or any fraction thereof.

Can someone look at my transcripts and tell me what I need?

Unfortunately, we do not have the ability to review applicant’s transcripts prior to application. Once the application has been verified in CASPA, prospective students may request a review of their transcripts and notification of any outstanding items.

Is there housing available on campus?

There is housing available for students of the PA Program. Please contact the Office of Residence Life at (410) 651-6144 or via email to reslife @umes.edu.

What is the UMES PA Program policy on student employment?

Employment is strongly discouraged. The Physician Assistant curriculum has been designed to be a full-time activity for students. It consists of a very demanding course load with a great deal of time spent in class and in clinical experiences. There are also many special seminars, films and guest lecturers that may be available to students on relatively short notice. We encourage you to seek outside sources of financial support (scholarships, loans, etc.) so that you may devote as much time as possible to your professional education.

While enrolled in the PA Program, Physician Assistant students may not perform service work for the UMES Physician Assistant Program and will not be substituted for or function as instructional faculty; and/or clinical or administrative staff. Students are prohibited from substituting for administrative and/or clinical staff during first year clinical experiences and clinical rotations.