MEDEX Northwest, University of Washington

Institution Overview

MEDEX Northwest, the Physician Assistant (PA) Program at the University of Washington, School of Medicine offers a Master of Clinical Health Services degree.

PAs are medical professionals who diagnose illness, develop and manage treatment plans, prescribe medications, and often serve as a patient's principal healthcare provider under the direction of a physician.

MEDEX Northwest is a part of the University of Washington School of Medicine, which serves the states of Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho, and Hawaii. As one of the nation's first PA programs, MEDEX has a 50-year history of recruiting, training and deploying second-career students with an emphasis on primary care in underserved regions.

Applicants must have a bachelor's degree and a minimum of 2000 hours of direct, hands-on clinical patient care experience to be eligible to apply to any of the MEDEX campus locations in Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma in Washington State, Anchorage, AK or Kailua-Kona, HI.

MEDEX NW is a Public 27-month graduate program.

PA Job Outlook (per 2018 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics):
Employment is projected to grow 31 percent from 2018 to 2028, much faster than the average for all occupations.

What is the path to becoming a PA student at MEDEX Northwest?
- Obtain a bachelor's degree and;
- Minimum of 2000 hours of patient healthcare work experience and;
- Prerequisite courses must be completed with a B- (2.7) or better (per course) and;
- Overall minimum GPA of 3.0 or higher for the last 2 years (90 quarter or 60-semester credits) of coursework and;
- Official GRE scores (within 5 years) and;
- Professional references (3).
- Optional but recommended - PA shadowing and volunteering.