Radford University
Physician Assistant
- Degree Type
-
- Master of Science
- Location
-
- Radford University Carilion in Roanoke, VA
- Format
-
- In-Person
Overview
The Physician Assistant program prepares graduates to provide diagnostic and therapeutic medical services under physician supervision. Physician assistants provide high-quality, cost-effective healthcare while maintaining patient satisfaction. Students collaborate with other master’s and doctoral students to gain skills necessary for future practice.
Why Choose the Physician Assistant Program at Radford?
- You’ll be part of a well-prepared class of 42 students—typically selected from about 600 applicants.
- We have a nationally diverse class with students enrolling from Virginia, the surrounding region, and the rest of the United States.
- You’ll be enrolling in classes with a broad range of professional experiences, including emergency medical technician (EMT), certified nursing assistant (CNA), ED Scribe, medical assistant, physical therapy assistant, military medic, mental health counselor, radiology technician, respiratory therapist, and others.
- We have an active Physical Assistant Student Society.
Learn more about the Department of Physician Assistant Studies
Program Mission and Goals
The mission of the Radford University Physician Assistant Program is to graduate ethical, competent, and compassionate PAs who are well versed in the art and science of medicine and are prepared to effectively function as members of the interprofessional healthcare team.
GOALS:
- Recruit and enroll students from diverse backgrounds who demonstrate academic excellence and a commitment to the healthcare profession.
- Provide a positive, inclusive, and equitable learning environment that fosters the retention and success of a diverse student population.
- Provide a strong foundation of medical knowledge, clinical skills, and ethical and professional behaviors that will meet the needs of a practicing PA.
- Prepare students to provide patient centered, evidence-based medical care.
Program Characteristics
- A well-prepared class of 42 students typically selected from nearly 1,000 applicants
- A nationally diverse class with students enrolling from Virginia and the surrounding region, as well as the rest of the United States.
- An average age of 26 with a range of 21 to over 40 years of age.
- An enrolling class with a broad range of professional experiences, including, emergency medical technician (EMT), certified nursing assistant (CNA), ED Scribe, medical assistant, physical therapy assistant, military medic, mental health counselor, radiology technician, respiratory therapist and others.
- An active PA Student Society
For complete information on admission to the Physician Assistant Program at Radford University, please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions.
Accreditation
The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc.
(ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status to the Radford University Physician
Assistant Program sponsored by Radford University. Accreditation-Continued is an accreditation
status granted when a currently accredited program is in compliance with the ARC-PA
Standards.
Accreditation remains in effect until the program closes or withdraws from the accreditation process or until accreditation is withdrawn for failure to comply with the Standards. The approximate date for the next validation review of the program by the ARC-PA will be March 2033. The review date is contingent upon continued compliance with the Accreditation Standards and ARC-PA policy.
Accreditation remains in effect until the program closes or withdraws from the accreditation process or until accreditation is withdrawn for failure to comply with the Standards. The approximate date for the next validation review of the program by the ARC-PA will be March 2033. The review date is contingent upon continued compliance with the Accreditation Standards and ARC-PA policy.
The program’s accreditation history can be viewed on the ARC-PA website at https://www.arc-pa.org/accreditation-history-radford-university/
ARC-PA STUDENT ATTRITION
|
|
Graduated Classes |
||
|
|
Class of 2022 |
Class of 2023 |
Class of 2024 |
|
Maximum entering class size (as approved by ARC-PA) |
42 |
42 |
42 |
|
Entering class size |
42 |
42 |
42 |
|
Graduates |
41 |
40 |
41 |
|
* Attrition rate |
2% |
5% |
2% |
|
**Graduation rate |
98% |
95% |
98% |
*Attrition rate calculation: Number of students who attritted from cohort divided
by the entering class size.
**Graduation rate: Number of cohort graduates divided by the entering class size.
Estimated Costs
Billing Procedure
Each student will receive an invoice of charges for each semester or summer session:
- Payment of University expenses is the responsibility of the student. All charges are due on the date stated on the invoice for returning students. All tuition, fees and residence hall charges must be paid prior to class attendance.
- The student must clear his or her account by the due date stated on the invoice in order to maintain valid registration.
- Students receiving financial aid will receive an award letter from the Office of Financial Aid. If charges exceed the financial aid award, payment is expected prior to the due date stated on the invoice. If the financial aid award exceeds the charges, the student will receive a refund for the excess amount.
PA Program In-State Estimated Expenses
|
|
Year 1 August 2024 July 2025 |
Year 2 August 2025 - July 2026 |
Year 3 August 2026 December 2026 |
Total Tuition |
|
Tuition (In-State) |
$40,526.00 |
$35,268.00* |
$8,720.00* |
$84,514.00* ($872*/credit) |
|
Deposit and Background Check |
$566.00 |
|
|
$566.00 |
|
Books, Medical Equipment & Supplies, Laptop Computer & Printer |
$4,640.00 |
$3,190.00 |
- |
$7,830.00 |
|
BLS/ACLS Certification |
|
$300 |
|
$300 |
|
PACKRAT |
$45.00 |
$45.00 |
- |
$90.00 |
|
EOR Exams |
- |
$245.00 |
- |
$245.00 |
|
EOC Exam |
- |
- |
$99.00 |
$99.00 |
|
PANCE |
- |
- |
$550.00 |
$550.00 |
|
Professional Dues |
$125.00** |
- |
- |
$125.00** |
|
Transportation (Auto Expenses, Class Travel) |
$4,490.00 |
$4,490.00 |
$1,683.75 |
$10,663.75 |
|
Housing and Utilities |
$15,430.50 |
$15,430.50 |
$5,786.50 |
$36,647.50 |
|
Meals |
$6,612.50 |
$6,612.50 |
$2,478.75 |
$15,703.75 |
|
Misc. and Personal (Health Ins., clothing, other) |
$14,117.00 |
$13,997.00 |
$5,259.00 |
$33,373.00 |
|
Total of Highlighted Expenses |
$45,460.00 |
$44,010.00 |
$15,857.00 |
$105,627.00 |
|
Total Estimated Expenses & Tuition |
$86,552.00 |
$79,278.00 |
$24,577.00 |
$190,707.00 |
| Tuition Formula | |
| Semester 1: (18) $14,682.00 | Semester 5: (16) $13,274.00* |
| Semester 2: (19) $15,386.00 | Semester 6: (10) $8,720* |
| Semester 3: (12) $10,458.00 | Semester 7: (10) $8,720* |
| Semester 4: (16) $13,274.00* |
*Based on 2024-2025 In-State Tuition Rates. This amount is subject to change.
**Students are REQUIRED to join AAPA and VAPA as student members.
Please Note: The Didactic Phase (Classroom) starts in August and goes into the second Academic Year and ends in October of the following year. The Clinical Phase (Rotations) begins in November of the second Academic Year and ends in December of the third Academic Year.
PA Program Out-of-State Estimated Expenses
|
|
Year 1 August 2024 July 2025 |
Year 2 August 2025 July 2026 |
Year 3 August 2026 December 2026 |
Total Tuition |
|
Tuition (Out-of-State) |
$41,196.50 |
$35,905.00* |
$8,910.00* |
$86,011.50* ($891.00/credit) |
|
Deposit and Background Check |
$566.00 |
|
|
$566.00 |
|
Books, Medical Equipment & Supplies, Laptop Computer & Printer |
$4,640.00 |
$3,190.00 |
- |
$7,830.00 |
|
BLS/ACLS Certification |
|
$300 |
|
$300 |
|
PACKRAT |
$45.00 |
$45.00 |
- |
$90.00 |
|
EOR Exams |
- |
$245.00 |
- |
$245.00 |
|
EOC Exam |
- |
- |
$99.00 |
$99.00 |
|
PANCE |
- |
- |
$550.00 |
$550.00 |
|
Professional Dues |
$125.00** |
- |
- |
$125.00 |
|
Transportation (Auto Expenses, Class Travel) |
$4,490.00 |
$4,490.00 |
$1,683.75 |
$10,663.75 |
|
Housing and Utilities |
$15,430.50 |
$15,430.50 |
$5,786.50 |
$36,647.50 |
|
Meals |
$6,612.50 |
$6,612.50 |
$2,478.75 |
$15,703.75 |
|
Misc. and Personal (Health Ins., clothing, other) |
$14,117.00 |
$13,997.00 |
$5,259.00 |
$33,737.00 |
|
Total of Highlighted Expenses |
$45,460.00 |
$44,010.00 |
$15,857.00 |
$105,627.00 |
|
Total Estimated Expenses & Tuition |
$87,222.50 |
$79,915.00 |
$24,767.00 |
$192,204.50 |
| Tuition Formula | |
| Semester 1: (18) $14,905.50 | Semester 5: (16) $13,497.50* |
| Semester 2: (19) $15,609.50 | Semester 6: (10) $ 8,910.00* |
| Semester 3: (12) $10,681.50 | Semester 7: (10) $ 8,910.00* |
| Semester 4: (16) $13,497.50* |
*Based on 2024-2025 Out-of-State Tuition Rates. This amount is subject to change.
**Students are REQUIRED to join AAPA and VAPA as student members.
Please Note: The Didactic Phase (Classroom) starts in August and goes into the second Academic Year and ends in October of the following year. The Clinical Phase (Rotations) begins in November of the second Academic Year and ends in December of the third Academic Year.
Careers and Internships
Healthcare is considered one of the fastest-growing employment sectors in the U.S., with an estimated 2 million new positions (a 13% increase) projected between 2021 and 2031, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Learn more about a career as a physician assistant.
Opportunities for Physician Assistant students at Radford
Students have opportunities to participate in community service activities, such as
for Habitat for Humanity and the Rescue Mission. The program sent the first group
of students to a clinical rotation in Tanzania in June 2023.
Army Medic Turned Physician Assistant
During their lifetimes, most people will work in one profession. Some will have two different kinds of jobs. Frank Fleming, a graduate from the physician assistant (PA) program at Radford University Carilion (RUC) in Roanoke, VA is preparing for this third. While Fleming doesn’t anticipate a fourth career change in his life, he does know that one day, he may explore some of the other clinical areas where PAs practice outside of primary care.
“You can tell the personality of the program based on student-faculty relationships during interviews. RUC had great relationships between the students and faculty. It felt like a family with only 42 students in the program. After the interview, I felt strongly it would be a good fit for me.”
Whitney Hewitt ’21
