Who wouldn’t want to go to PA school in bright, sunshiny Florida?! I went to undergraduate in Florida at Florida State University and loved it! The weather is great and Florida definitely has a culture all of its own! 

So today we are highlighting PA schools in the sunshine state and what makes each PA school unique and stand out – Part 1 (there are A LOT of PA programs in Florida, so stay tuned for Part 2)! As always, make sure you are picking the BEST schools for YOU and your strengths and if you follow our guidelines and techniques to picking PA schools that value your specific individual strengths as a candidate, you will skyrocket your chances of getting accepted this cycle! This is so important to your success that we created our Program Matching Bundle which includes our epic PA school Directory which is the easiest, fastest way to see what PA schools you match best with AND with our Progam Matching Bundle, you also get an entire hour Zoom session with us in person to pick the best PA schools for you so you know without a doubt that you are applying to the right programs!!

And speaking of PA programs, let’s dive in to Florida Physician Assistant schools…

First up, 

AdventHealth University, Orlando, FL

• Small cohort 30 students 
• Faith-based PA school
• Preference for Seventh-day Adventists and military service
• Interesting didactic courses, such as Identity and Mission in Faith-Based Healthcare
• 100% PANCE pass rate

Barry University, Miami, FL

• Emphasis on life-long learning, diversity and social justice
• Part of training is spent in underserved and disadvantaged communities
• Students receive 45 hours of Medical Spanish
• Competitive tuition cost of a little over $35,000 (which is a steal compared to most other PA schools with significantly higher tuition costs)

Florida Gulf Coast University, Fort Myers, FL

• Besides the typical core rotations, students also get 3 elective rotations
• This PA school has a much lower than average prerequisite for PCE hours – only require 250 hours 
• Focus on evidence-based practice 
• Very small cohort – only 20 students in each PA class

Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Miami, FL

• Preference for veterans and applicants from underrepresented populations, as well as applicants who have experience serving in underserved or rural areas. 
• Opportunity to participate in community outreach and interprofessional learning through their collaboration with Neighborhood HELP Program Household Visits, where students do household visits in underserved communities over the course of the program, taking comprehensive histories and developing care plans for patients to improve lack of access to healthcare.
• Interprofessional workshops with multiple healthcare specialties integrated into the curriculum 

Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL

• Goals of the program include diversity in the student body and serving underserved populations 
• Value self-guided learning, so if you excel at self-directed learning and self-motivation, look into this PA school. 
• This school also values commitment to service, so if you are an applicant with lots of volunteering and community service, this may be a great fit for you
• No time limit or expiration on prerequisite coursework, which is great for non-traditional or second career applicants who struggle with finding PA schools that will accept older prereqs. 

Gannon University, Ruskin, FL

• Only require 30 hours of volunteer or paid medical experience OR 30 hours of PA shadowing. If you are lacking in this are of your CASPA application, take a look at this school.
• Interesting course in didactic year, a Business Practices and Current Issues for PAs
• Opportunities for interprofessional learning throughout program

Miami-Dade College, Miami, FL

• Initially a dual degree program where students earned their Associate and Bachelor, Miami-Dade College has been approved for Master’s degree distinction by ARC-PA. Affiliated with Nova Southeastern University, which is another PA school in Florida and coming up in Part 2 of Florida PA Schools, and students are concurrently enrolled in both to complete their degree. 
• Students participate in migrant program and community service projects
• Surgical technical skills component in curriculum. If you are really interested in specializing in surgery as a PA, this is a school to look into.
• Interesting courses like Human Trafficking for Health Care Professionals, US Healthcare Policy, Current Trends and Cultural Issues in Healthcare

Super unique PA programs in Florida! We are constantly in awe of how distinct each school is in their curriculum, values, missions and the cohort of students they select. Did any of these Florida PA schools stand out to you?

Stay tuned for Part 2 of Physician Assistant Schools in Florida!