WesternU’s PA Program has received an unfavorable decision from their accreditor, ARC-PA, which impacts our accreditation and admissions of future students. Please review this important information to ensure you understand how this may impact you as an applicant.

Clinical Experiences

As a WesternU-Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies student, you will get opportunities to work with patients, enabling you to apply what you’re learning in class.

Simulated patient experiences offer you an opportunity to interact with patients while faculty observe and provide feedback on your interactions and communication skills. You will also gain valuable clinical experience in club and volunteer settings while on campus.

“My most memorable clinical experience, other than my rotation in Maui, was my Emergency Medicine clinical. I loved it so much I did it twice! Working in the Emergency Room allowed me to encounter a variety of pathologies and taught me to think on my feet quickly.”
– Jessica Lopez-Moore, MSPAS

During your second year (3 semesters including summer) you’ll complete 11 months of rotations geared toward primary care with opportunities for electives in other areas of medicine.

Rotations

Required Rotations

Elective Rotations

 (partial listing)
  • family medicine
  • emergency medicine
  • internal medicine
  • general surgery
  • geriatrics
  • pediatrics
  • prenatal care and women’s health
  • behavioral (psychiatric) medicine
  • Orthopedics
  • Oncology
  • Family Practice
  • Infectious Disease
  • Cardiology
  • Cardiothoracic Surgery
  • General Surgery
  • Rheumatology
  • Endocrinology
  • Dermatology
  • Occupational Medicine
  • Trauma Surgery
  • Psychiatry
  • Otolaryngology
  • Neurology
  • Critical Care
Rotation Sites

We proudly offer our students more than 500 rotation sites in a variety of settings, including one of the largest county hospitals in the nation: Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, CA.

Students entering into the PA program do not need to supply their own clinical preceptors.  All preceptors will be assigned by the clinical education department.

Rotation Sites

In addition to hospital settings, you will receive clinical education in community clinics, rehabilitation centers, inner city offices, private offices and underserved areas. Should you so desire, you can also work with the clinical coordinator to generate your own rotation site.

WesternU Patient Care Center

Physician Assistant students may take advantage of interprofessional clinical education provided by the WesternU Patient Care Center, which offers primary care services to more than 10,000 patients, many of whom are disadvantaged.

In this setting our MSPAS students provide care as part of a student healthcare team working with our Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) and Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) students.

Students with a patient

For more information on MSPAS clinical experiences, please feel free to contact Program Chair: Roy Guizado (909) 469-5378.