Welcome and thank you for your interest in the University of Maryland Eastern Shore Physician Assistant program. If you have any questions about the application process or would like to schedule an appointment, please contact the PA Program at PADept@umes.edu or call 410-651-6783.
The application cycle for 2024-2025 will open May 1st. The cycle will close November 1st.
1. CASPA Application
The UMES PA program participates in the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA). The online application deadline is November 1st. Prospective students will have until January 15th for all information to be verified by CASPA. The fee is based on the number of programs to which an applicant applies. All candidates must submit official transcripts from the regionally accredited universities or colleges directly to CASPA and to the UMES PADept@umes.edu email address. For questions about completing the online application, please contact CASPA at caspainfo@caspaonline.org. In the event that accreditation provisional from ARC-PA is not achieved by the program, any application fees paid to CASPA are not refundable.
Only upon acceptance to the PA Program will students be required to complete the UMES Graduate Studies Supplemental Application.
Applicants must apply through CASPA initially for verification. After an interview, and upon acceptance into the PA Program, students will receive additional information pertaining to the UMES supplemental application.
2. CASPA Requirements
When completing the CASPA application particular attention should be given to the following:
- The applicant’s personal statement detailing their desire to become a physician assistant.
- Three (3) letters of recommendation addressing the applicant’s potential as a physician assistant.
- One of the letters of recommendation must be from a practicing physician assistant with whom the applicant has had a minimum of 40 hours of first-hand observation or “shadowing” experience. Please complete form here.
3. Health Care Experience
The UMES PA Program requires applicants to complete 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 (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 November 1st deadline. Documentation for these items must be submitted directly to CASPA. Please see our form here.
4. Physician Assistant Shadowing
The UMES PA Program requires a minimum of 40 hours of PA first-hand observation or “shadowing” experience hours. Please see the form here.
Prerequisite Coursework
Click here for a list of all prerequisite coursework.
Admissions Process
Click here for a complete explanation of the PA Program’s admissions process.
Information Sessions
The sessions will feature details about the PA profession, admissions requirements, class selections, the didactic curriculum and expectations for the clinical year. A Q&A session will be included after the presentation. Click here for additional information.
