Where are classes and labs held?
Our students will learn and practice their skills in the interprofessional Center for Medicine Nursing and Health Sciences. The state-of-the-art facility comprises 325,000 square feet and is designed for collaborative learning for students pursuing degrees in medicine, nursing and health professions. The facility features an operating room suite, high fidelity simulation rooms, 48 pro-section stations, 16 standardized patient rooms, multiple team study rooms, student lounges and a vending area, an expanded health sciences library, a 350-seat auditorium, multiple classrooms and seminar rooms that will seat from 12 to 150 students. In addition, multiple teaching laboratories include an orthopedics lab, a rehabilitative science lab, a clinical skills lab, an intensive care unit, a health assessment lab, a physical exam suite, a physical diagnostics lab, a motion analysis lab and other special amenities that set it apart from other universities offering programs in health science, nursing and medicine program.
How is the curriculum organized?
The program begins with an intensive 4-semester didactic phase covering the core medical and clinical sciences. Students then enter the clinical education phase consisting of 7 required core and 2 elective supervised clinical practice experiences. The program concludes with a final semester including comprehensive review and evaluation.
Are there clinical experiences during the first year?
During the first year, students are introduced to the clinical aspects of their training by being paired with a licensed health care provider one day a week. These pre-clinical clerkships enable students to strengthen their clinical skills in history taking, physical examination, written documentation, and oral presentations.
What can I expect in terms of clinical rotations?
Clinical rotations include 7 required core rotations of 6 weeks duration in the following areas: primary care (family medicine and outpatient internal medicine), internal medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry, women's health, general surgery and emergency medicine. In addition, there are 2 4-week electives where students may choose to gain additional experience in one of the above areas or a sub-specialty of interest. The clinical rotations are done within an extensive network of fieldwork experiences, which includes hospitals and other medical facilities.
How are clinical rotations set up?
The PA program faculty are responsible for setting up all clinical rotation sites and recruiting preceptors. Students have an opportunity to suggest a clinical rotation site, if they wish, however, the program will set up the clinical rotation site if it is found to be a high-quality opportunity and can fulfill the goals, objectives, and learning outcomes of the Program. As a policy of the program, in compliance with ARC-PA accreditation standards, students are not required to provide or solicit clinical sites or preceptors.
If I am accepted at Quinnipiac, can I select any of my own rotations during the clinical year?
The PA program faculty determine the clinical placements for the 7 core rotations. Students have the opportunity to designate a "wish list" for the 2 4-week elective rotations. This may include further experience in a core rotation, a sub-specialty of interest, and/or placement in a desired geographic area.
Where are the clinical rotations?
Rotation site placement is determined by PA program clinical faculty. The 6-week core supervised clinical practice experiences are located predominantly in Connecticut, with the majority of sites being within 60 miles of the North Haven Campus. The program also has a limited number of clinical sites in New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont. Students are responsible for making their own housing and travel arrangements to and from all program related activities and clinical rotations, as well as the costs incurred with housing, travel and living expenses. All students will have experiences in healthcare institutions of various sizes, populations, settings and resources to ensure positive and diverse clinical experiences.
What are the employment opportunities for Quinnipiac Physician Assistant Graduates?
Two sets of statistics help to emphasize the outstanding employment opportunities for physician assistants. In 2025 the physician assistant profession was ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the #2 best healthcare job. In addition, in 2024 the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics website listed physician assistants as one of the top occupations with the highest projected percentage change of employment in the next decade, with a predicted increase in jobs of 28% between 2023-2033.
More information on job outlook is available at the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics website
Quinnipiac graduates are employed throughout the United States, as our program has a strong reputation nationally, and they are also prepared to work in a variety of healthcare specialties including emergency medicine, critical care, surgical subspecialties and internal medicine subspecialties.
What are some of the unique aspects of the Quinnipiac PA program?
The Quinnipiac PA Program prides itself on its commitment to a first-class educational experience. The program offers small class size for experiential learning courses, cadaver anatomy labs, pre-clinical clerkship experience during the first (didactic) year, and hands-on application of knowledge in experiential learning activities including simulation and interprofessional education experiences. During the clinical year, the program places our students at high-quality clinical sites; recent graduates rate the clinical component of their training very highly.
In addition, the QU PA Program has many cross-curricular strengths including an award-winning community service program, many leadership opportunities, and a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. For example:
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The Quinnipiac University PA Program has received awards from the National Kidney Foundation and the American Lung Association.
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The Quinnipiac University Physician Assistant Program partners with the Connecticut Urban Service Track/AHEC Scholars program. This program provides valuable exposure to the complex and challenging issues of healthcare in Connecticut's urban underserved communities. This partnership was awarded the PAEA Partnership Award in 2018.
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The program has integrated essential learning experiences such as “TED Talks”, book clubs, guest lecturers and presentations to promote awareness, acceptance and accountability in creating a diverse, inclusive, equitable and just community.
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In 2022, the QU PA Program developed a first-of-its-kind podcast, “Short White Coat Syndrome: A PA Student Podcast” to highlight PA student experiences and important topics in PA education and the PA career.