Welcome to the Physician Assistant Program at George Washington University.
Our PA program is located in Washington, DC, and during the two to three years spent at GW, our program will give you a superior academic foundation and an abundance of clinical experience.
GW's PA program has been nationally recognized as the number four program in the United States by US News for several years now. It is because of our innovative curriculum and our unique community service component that introduces students to health care and social services in the Washington DC metropolitan area. Also it is because we have a near perfect graduation rate at 99.6% and our faculty and staff are committed to educating you in our interdisciplinary environment.
During the academic part of the program students learn about basic sciences, behavioral sciences, clinical medicine, and clinical assessment and clinical skills. The educational setting is an interdisciplinary environment. Courses are taken with medical, nurse practitioner, and other health sciences students.
During clinical phase of the program students complete a series of rotations in a variety of inpatient and outpatient settings. Students participate in the care of patients, under physician supervision. Required experiences include inpatient medicine, ambulatory care medicine, surgery, pediatrics, women’s health, emergency medicine, behavioral medicine, long-term care, and a final preceptorship that integrates all previous academic and clinical training.
Letter from the Director
Welcome to the GW Physician Assistant Program. We hope you will find it informative, and that it inspires you to choose GW as the place to pursue your goal of becoming a PA.
GW is located in the heart of Washington, DC, just minutes away from the White House, the Capitol, and the National Mall. Our neighbors include the American Academy of Physician Assistants and the Physician Assistant Education Association, as well as numerous other key medical associations. These resources contribute regularly to our curriculum, establishing a depth and breadth distinctive to GW. Equally important, the diversity of the metropolitan area allows us to offer clinical experiences ranging from inpatient to outpatient and general to specialty care.
Established in 1972, the GW Physician Assistant Program was one of the first in the nation to be established in an academic medical center and was later the first to establish a dual PA/Public Health degree plan. With continuous accreditation since our inception, we remain committed to high quality interdisciplinary education that is grounded by faculty who represent over 130 years of PA education experience.
We take pride in the achievements of our students that have resulted in our high five-year average (99.6%) pass rate on the Physician Assistant National Certification Examination. The GW student body has a strong tradition of contribution to the profession and the community. This continues after graduation as evidenced by the number of PA leaders who call GW their alma mater.
As you explore our site, consider our vision and mission as well as your own. Best wishes in your academic pursuit. We hope to see you here sometime in the near future.
Lisa Mustone Alexander, EdD, MPH, PA-C
Interim Chair, PA Program Director and Associate Professor
