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Physician Associate

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Northwest Georgia’s first physician associate (PA) program

The Berry College Physician Associate Program is a 127-credit hour, 24-month residential PA program in northwest Georgia. The plan is to open Morgan-Bailey Hall, our state-of-the-art health sciences building, in time to welcome the first PA class. We accept one cohort annually, which begins each August (the first cohort is anticipated in 2025). Upon successfully completing the program, students will earn a Master of Medical Science degree. We will guide our students through a comprehensive and dynamic curriculum designed to equip them with the knowledge, skills and values necessary for a successful career as a Physician Associate. Our program fosters a collaborative learning environment that encourages curiosity, critical thinking and a commitment to excellence in patient care.

IMPORTANT: Should there be a difference between the College’s materials on other Berry web pages and the PA Program’s web pages, the PA Program will take precedence.

About the Program

Victoria Galloway
Note from the Program Director
Victoria Galloway

"I am excited to contribute to Berry’s legacy of service. The Berry PA Program will actualize our motto, 'not to be ministered unto, but to minister,' first expressed by founder Martha Berry. I look forward to building the PA Program from the ground up, creating a curriculum that meets the needs of today’s healthcare industry and working with a dedicated team of faculty and staff to develop a culture of excellence."

Health Sciences Building
Admission Requirements

Beginning in 2024, the Berry PA Program CASPA will open in late April with on-site interviews beginning September through Spring annually for an upcoming August matriculation - SEE FULL DETAILS. Please review all information on our site including the FAQ below, as many of your questions will be answered here.

General Requirements | Technical Standards | Tuition, Costs & Aid

The PA Program Team

Nathan Setka
Director of Didactic Education, Clinical Assistant Professor
Nathan Setka, Major (Ret.), MPAS, APA-C

Professor Setka exemplifies excellence in patient care, education, and community service, drawing on a robust background in military and civilian medical service. With over two decades of military service, Professor Setka’s journey began with his completion of the Interservice Physician Assistant Program in 2006, followed by specialized training in emergency and aeromedical medicine. His military service, marked by leadership roles and numerous deployments, underscores his dedication to duty. His teaching interests include ENT, musculoskeletal systems, and professional practice, while his research focuses on instructional methods.

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Building Strong Foundations

The Berry PA Program policies apply to all students enrolled in the Berry Physician Associate (PA) Program and to its program director, principal faculty, and instructional faculty. Berry College reserves the right to make changes in any or all specifications contained herein at any time and to apply such revision to registered and accepted students as well as to new admissions. (A3.01)

Frequently Asked Questions

Physician's Assistant (PA)
Physician Assistant (PA)
Physician Associate (PA)
Professional Recognition
Not formally recognized by the profession. Recognized by the profession and organizations. The newest nomenclature adopted by the AAPA for the PA.
Program Accreditation Same: All are accredited under the same accreditation standards by The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA).
Scope of Practice Same: There is no change in the scope of practice based on the nomenclature used for the PA.
Licensure A PA license does not alter the scope of practice based on nomenclature. State laws are individual regarding licensure.
Board Certification
Same: The National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) is the only certifying organization for PAs in the United States.

A physician assistant/associate is a PA. A PA who is certified receives the “C” after PA. This means they have successfully passed their PA National Certifying Examination (PANCE) and maintained certification per the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA). For more information, please visit the NCCPA website.

According to the American Academy of Physician Associates, PAs should continue to use “physician assistant” or “PA” as their official legal title in a professional capacity, particularly in clinical settings and with patients, until the jurisdiction governing their licensure and practice has formally adopted the title of “physician associate.”

While Berry College PA Program is using the most current professional nomenclature, we will require Berry PA students to identify as PA or physician assistant students while on clinical rotations in states that have not formally adopted the new terminology. Additionally, we recommend they continue to refer to themselves as “physician assistants” or “PAs” and follow AAPA recommendations upon graduation. For further information: https://www.aapa.org/title-change/.

The Berry Physician Associate (PA) Program is seeking accreditation from The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). This is the only US accreditation organization for physician assistant/associate programs. Upon successfully completing the Berry PA Program, students will be eligible to take the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) PA National Certifying Examination (PANCE), the only certifying organization for PAs in the United States.

Oregon is the first and only state to formally adopt the name change as of June 6th, 2024.

Schools and programs that review applicants holistically consider the whole person, not just their grades and scores. However, if schools or programs list minimum requirements, those must be met before a holistic review can occur.

Holistically, the Berry PA program looks at the quantitative and qualitative data collected through CASPA and in-person interviews. Minimum requirements are outlined on our program website and CASPA. For example, minimum GPAs must be met. For further clarification or questions please contact our admission coordinator, Ms. Evans-Thomas, at pevansthomas@berry.edu.

  • Health-care-related experience is required.
  • Patient contact and/or clinical experiences may include health-related, patient care, research, shadowing and volunteer experiences as defined by CASPA Experiences (Liaisonedu.com).
  • There is no minimum number of hours required. Generally, competitive applicants should have at least 500 accrued patient contact and/or clinical experience hours at the time of application submission. This requirement will be reviewed holistically with the candidate's application and compared to the applicant pool at the time of application.

Students are responsible for obtaining their own housing in the area during the didactic phase of the curriculum. Students should have access to a personal vehicle. Since some clinical rotation sites may be outside of Rome, students should expect to be assigned to these sites and should anticipate the need to find housing in these areas during the clinical portion of the program. The clinical team will work with AHEC about potential housing at these away sites; however, neither AHEC nor the program guarantees housing.

Prior to matriculation, students must hold current certification in American Heart Association Basic Life Support (AHA BLS).

No. Prerequisite courses have been selected in consideration of adequate preparation for the rigor of PA education and are in line with typical PA program prerequisites for US-based PA programs.

  • Prerequisite Course Grade and GPA requirement - All prerequisite courses must be completed with a grade of 'C' or higher, and all applicants must have a cumulative Prerequisite Course Grade Point Average (as calculated by CASPA) of 3.0 or higher. Must be taken within last 5 years.
  • Cumulative Science GPA Requirement (Biology, Chemistry, Physics or BCP courses) - All applicants must have a cumulative overall BCP Course Grade Point Average (as calculated by CASPA) of 3.2 or higher.
  • Cumulative Overall GPA Requirement - All applicants must have a cumulative overall Grade Point Average (calculated by CASPA) of 3.0 or higher for all undergraduate and graduate courses.
  • NOTE: Higher GPA will result in higher weighting on the Berry PA Program admissions rubric.

  • All candidates must submit unofficial GRE scores to CASPA at time of their application and official scores by time of interview.
  • MCAT and PCAT scores are not accepted in place of GRE scores.
  • There is no minimum score requirement. Scores will be reviewed holistically with the candidate's application and compared to the applicant pool.
  • GRE must be taken within five years of date of application.
  • Berry PA Program GRE Designated Institution (DI) Code 1269

To ensure that the Physician Associate student gets the most out of the student’s education, the program assesses each student’s engagement with the coursework, learning activities and outcomes. If attendance and participation expectations are not met, this may result in the inability of the student to meet the learning outcomes and require disciplinary measures (as per the student handbook). Excessive absences from the required in-person activities may result in failure of courses and dismissal from the program. This policy is designed to ensure that the student receives the training they need to be a successful PA.

Please contact Polly Evans-Thomas, Program Manager (admissions coordinator), at pevansthomas@berry.edu or 706.238.7889.

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