University of New England

The University of New England Physician Assistant Program prepares master's-level primary care physician assistants who practice with physicians and other members of the health care team.

Our students and alumni tell us that they like our program's caring faculty, the thorough academic preparation they receive during their first year, and the variety and quality of their second-year clinical experiences.

The Physician Assistant Program is housed within the College of Health Professions on the Westbrook College Campus in Portland, Maine.

The program has been planned to effectively utilize faculty expertise from the University's College of Health Professions, College of Osteopathic Medicine and College of Arts and Sciences. Some faculty members hold joint appointments with responsibility for teaching medical and physician assistant students as well as other health professional students.

PA students have many opportunities to interact with the College of Health Professions seven other programs of study on the Portland campus through the College's dynamic and innovative I2H2 model of health professions education, which emphasizes an integrated, interdisciplinary perspective on health and healing to promote the best possible care and health outcomes for clients and patients.

Similarly, PA candidates will receive clinical supervision as part of an integrated team of health providers. It is our expectation that these collaborative strategies toward teaching and learning will ultimately result in high quality, cost-effective health care delivery, particularly in medically underserved regions of New England.

Students also have access to state-of-the-art educational resources, including an interactive classroom equipped with the latest media and computer, the Gross Anatomy Laboratory, electronic journals and books, and the Clinical Simulation Program, which features several high-tech patient simulators.

24-Month Program
Upon successful completion of the Physician Assistant Program, the University of New England awards the master of science degree. The program operates on a 24-month full-time calendar, beginning in mid June of each year with a new incoming class.