PA

About Us

Vision Statement

WMU will prepare the highest quality Physician Assistants to practice primary care medicine within the changing healthcare environment of the 21st century.

Mission Statement

The department is dedicated to educating competent, caring physician assistants to practice primary care medicine with the supervision of a physician, and to providing physician assistants to serve in all areas of society, particularly underserved and disadvantaged communities.

Educational Philosophy

The aim of the program is to facilitate the acquisition of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to respond positively to the challenges and opportunities of future trends in health care delivery. The focus is on "higher order learning" to prepare the PA student for critical thinking, ethical decision-making and the synthesis and judgment of problems, based on the bio-psycho-social model. The PA student will be insightful and aware of his/her own professional role and limitations, as well as the needs, styles, and values of patients, and those of other health professionals. PA students are considered "life-long learners" of the art and science of medicine, as well as active learners who ask questions, uncover meaning and make decisions.

Departmental Goals

Students: The department is committed to educating high quality, effective Physician Assistants, who are life-long learners and who respond positively to the future challenges and opportunities in healthcare delivery.

Community: The department is committed to contributing to the health and well being of society.
Profession: The department is committed to promoting and developing the Physician Assistant profession.
University and College: The department will assist Western Michigan University and College of Health and Human Services to accomplish their mission and goals as they apply to the department.

Program History

As far as longevity is concerned, the physician assistant profession is one of the newer professions around. The first academic programs in the U.S. appeared in 1965, and the baccalaureate program at WMU, founded in 1972, was the second to be established in Michigan. Its impetus was promoted by Kalamazoo physician William Birch, M.D., obstetrician/gynecologist, whose ubiquitous presence at the state capital eventually convinced the legislature that the education of physician assistants would be the "best thing since sliced bread" and Kalamazoo and WMU would be the ideal milieu for assuring its success.

Overall, the profession flourished, primarily fueled by the return from Vietnam of military personnel who were trained as medics and who wished to forge a civilian career using their acquired medical skills. Still a popular educational goal, with abundant job opportunities and generous entry-level salaries, WMU’s program attracts over 300 qualified applicants each year.

In 1998, the WMU program converted from baccalaureate to master’s degree level, a national trend and another indication that the profession has significantly advanced its stature in the short span of its existence.

Why WMU?

If you like people and if you are attracted to helping them achieve maximum good health, then a physician assistant career may be your ticket to job satisfaction, prestige, and an income that provides security for you and your family. Thanks for visiting with us, and we hope to hear from you, either through an application or with a request for additional information.

Says a recent program graduate, about his clinical rotations, "My preceptors provided me not only with the opportunity to observe and learn but also to assess, plan, and execute treatments. On one occasion, I assisted in an emergency appendectomy on a seven-year-old boy with a serious abscess. We saved the boy’s life, and it was a positive experience for all concerned."

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