USF’s Physician Assistant program in Albuquerque, New Mexico will launch you into one of the fastest growing professions in healthcare!
USF opened a satellite campus in 2006 in Albuquerque, New Mexico to create a site for the university’s newly-acquired graduate program in Physician Assistant Studies. Since then, the program has grown and flourished with PA grads entering practice across the United States.
Physician assistants (PAs) are often the first health care provider to examine patients. As part of their comprehensive responsibilities. Physician assistants provide patients with services ranging from primary care medicine to specialized surgical care.
As a member of a healthcare team, the PA can be found taking medical histories, examining and treating patients, ordering and interpreting laboratory tests and x-rays, and making diagnoses. Minor injuries—suturing, splinting and casting—may be part of your day’s work. P.A.s record progress notes, instruct and counsel patients and order or carry out therapy.
PAs can be found in physicians’ offices or clinics, hospitals, nursing homes, home health care agencies, government, as well as academia, and may also be responsible for managerial duties, such as ordering medical supplies or equipment and supervising technicians and assistants. Technology, such as telemedicine, provides unique opportunities for physician assistants and their patients.
To learn more about the profession and USF’s program, watch this recorded virtual presentation, organized by the PA program’s Diversity Committee and the Class of 2022. The outreach to local high schools and colleges was led by Ian Vanderwoude, MSPAS, PA-C, who is a clinical coordinator and faculty member at USF Albuquerque. Get a closer look at the presentation slides here and review the Zoom chat here.
The University of St. Francis works closely with each PA student to ensure that he/she will become a competent, compassionate and comprehensive health care provider. Many of our graduates are providing service in medically underserved areas of our region. Here, the PAs serve as primary providers, conferring with their supervising physicians and other medical professionals as needed and required by law. We emphasize health maintenance, disease prevention and lifelong learning for our students and their patients.
When you graduate from the University of St. Francis as a physician assistant, you will appreciate the dignity of the individual, and be a leader in advocating for quality of life for both individuals and the community as a whole. You will be a physician assistant ready to deliver the highest quality of health care services.
The University of St. Francis Physician Assistant program is deeply rooted in the university’s mission and values. PA faculty and students are very involved in the health and well-being of the community. Here are just a few of their projects over the last several years:
After graduation, students are eligible to take the national PA board exam called PANCE, which is administered by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA). Our five-year, first-time taker average pass rate is 97%.
Estimated Class of 2025 program costs* for the entire 27 months (9 quarters), beginning January 2023:
Description AAPA student membership | Amount $75 | |
NMAPA student membership | $20 | |
| Acceptance Deposit (non-refundable) | $650 | |
| Combined tuition ($10,500 per quarter as of January 2023) | $94,500 | |
| Lab Fees, Professional Liability Insurance and Library Card Fees ($100 per quarter)* | $900 | |
| Professional Uniforms and Equipment* | $600 | |
| Textbooks and Computer/Tablet* | $3,500 | |
| Technology Fee (9 quarters @ $95 per quarter) | $855 | |
| Estimated Total Costs for program | $101,080 |
Payment plans are offered—if this is how you would like to pay your tuition, you must enroll electronically each semester. It is available by logging in to your MyUSF Portal, (you will need your portal ID and password) clicking For Students> Tuition Bill/Account Summary> Jump To> Electronic Deferment/Payment Plan Enrollment.
During the enrollment process you are able to make your first payment with one of the accepted credit cards, (Visa, Discover, Master Card, American Express) or you may choose to mail a check. In addition, you may also pay with an ACH from your checking or savings account.
The cost of the payment plan varies by the program.
Accounts that are not paid in full or enrolled in a payment plan by the second published due date of each semester will be assessed a $120 late payment fee.
This institutional refund policy describes how tuition charges will be handled. The federal refund policy determines which portions of Federal Title IV aid need to be returned to the federal programs. Refunds for withdrawal from the university will be made only after receipt of completed withdrawal forms. Tuition charges are 100% refunded when the withdrawal occurs during the first 1-2 weeks of the quarter, and 75% refunded when the withdrawal occurs during weeks 3-4 of the quarter. There will be no refunds after the fourth week of any quarter. There is no refund for a student who is dismissed from the program.
The PA Program strongly discourages outside employment because of the rigors of the curriculum. A limited number of work study positions may be available during the didactic phase but students must meet academic and professional requirements to attain and continue in a work study position. Students may not serve or perform as staff members of the PA Program unless they are part of a specific USF approved federal, state, or USF work-study program. Work- study students will not be permitted to have access to confidential student records or student information and/or testing materials. Students are not required to work for the PA Program or the University. Students are expressly prohibited from performing as instructional faculty. Students are not to be employed on clinical rotations. This policy especially prohibits employment by preceptors or health care facilities.
