Accelerated Pathways

Early Career PA Pathway

The College of Idaho’s Early Career PA pathway is designed exclusively for new PAs who have graduated within the past two (2) years from an ARC-PA accredited program and are seeking the Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) degree. With the grant of 12 credits of advanced standing for coursework and clinical practice experiences in a student’s PA program, the Early Career PA pathway’s curriculum involves 24 credit hours that are completed in 12 months.

Admission Requirements

To be eligible for the Early Career PA pathway, individuals must meet the DMSc admission requirements (see Admission) and have graduated from an ARC-PA accredited PA program within two (2) years of starting their DMSc degree.

Curriculum

For detailed information about the curriculum for the Early Career PA pathway, see DMSc Program Requirements.

Tuition and Fees

With the grant of 12 credits of advanced standing for coursework and clinical practice experiences in a student’s PA program, the Early Career PA pathway’s curriculum involves 24 credit hours that are completed in 12 months. The tuition and fees for the Early Career PA pathway are as follows:

Tuition: $835 per credit hour
Graduate Program & Technology Fee: $50 per block

Tuition and fees for the Early Career PA pathway are due on or before the first day of class. For more information, see Cost of Attendance and Financial Arrangements.

Experienced PA Educator Pathway

The College of Idaho’s Experienced PA Educator pathway is designed exclusively for PA faculty who have been teaching full-time at an ARC-PA accredited program for at least five (5) years and are seeking the Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) degree. With the grant of 12 credits of advanced standing for professional experiences as an experienced faculty member, the Experienced PA Educator pathway’s curriculum involves 24 credit hours that are completed in 12 months.

Admission Requirements

To be eligible for the Experienced PA Educator pathway, individuals must meet the DMSc admission requirements (see Admission) and have worked as a principal member of the faculty at an ARC-PA accredited PA program for at least five (5) years prior to starting their DMSc degree.

According to the 5th edition of the ARC-PA standards, principal faculty actively participate in the processes of: developing, reviewing and revising as necessary the mission statement, goals and competencies of the program; selecting applicants for admission to the PA program; providing student instruction; evaluating student performance; academic counseling of students; assuring the availability of remedial instruction; designing, implementing, coordinating, and evaluating the curriculum; and evaluating the program.

Curriculum

For detailed information about the curriculum for the Experienced PA Educator pathway, see DMSc Program Requirements.

Tuition and Fees

With the grant of 12 credits of advanced standing for professional experiences as an experienced faculty member, the Experienced PA Educator pathway’s curriculum involves 24 credit hours that are completed in 12 months. The tuition and fees for the Experienced Faculty PA pathway are as follows:

Tuition: $835 per credit hour
Graduate Program & Technology Fee: $50 per block

Tuition and fees for the Experienced Faculty PA pathway are due on or before the first day of class. For more information, see Cost of Attendance and Financial Arrangements.

PA Fellow Pathway

The College of Idaho’s PA Fellow pathway is designed exclusively for PAs who are currently enrolled in, or within the past two (2) years, have graduated from, an eligible PA fellowship program (also referred to as a clinical postgraduate PA program or a PA residency) and are seeking the Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) degree. With the grant of 18 credits of advanced standing for the didactic and clinical instruction in a student’s PA fellowship, the PA Fellow pathway’s curriculum involves 18 credit hours that are completed in nine (9) months.

Admission Requirements

To be eligible for the PA Fellow pathway, individuals must meet the DMSc admission requirements (see Admission) and are either currently enrolled in, or within the past two (2) years, have graduated from, an eligible PA fellowship program (also referred to as a clinical postgraduate PA program or a PA residency).

An “eligible PA fellowship program” means either:

  • A program accredited by the ARC-PA; or
  • A program that meets all of the following criteria:
    • Program Length: A minimum of six (6) months of full-time training (incorporating both clinical and didactic instruction).
    • Clinical Skills and Practice Experiences: A minimum of 1,000 hours of instruction in clinical skills and practice experiences, including appropriately progressive direct patient care.
    • Program Didactic Instruction:
      • A minimum of 52 hours of didactic instruction, including but not limited to grand rounds, workshops, coursework, and research/scholarly activities; and
      • Instruction in at least four (4) of the following topics:
        • Biomedical and clinical science;
        • Quality improvement;
        • Patient safety;
        • Interprofessional teamwork;
        • Performance improvement;
        • Care of diverse patient populations;
        • Healthcare disparities; and/or
        • How to search, interpret and evaluate medical literature.

Curriculum

For detailed information about the curriculum for the PA Fellow pathway, see DMSc Program Requirements.

Tuition and Fees

With the grant of 18 credits of advanced standing for the didactic and clinical instruction in a student’s PA fellowship, the PA Fellow Pathway’s curriculum involves 18 credit hours that are completed in 9 months. The tuition and fees for the PA Fellow Pathway are as follows:

Tuition: $1,000 per credit hour
Graduate Program & Technology Fee: $50 per block

Tuition and fees for the PA Fellow Pathway are due on or before the first day of class. For more information, see Cost of Attendance and Financial Arrangements.