Requirements for International Applicants
For international applicants the program has several
additional admission requirements.
- Applicants who have completed more than one
semester of post-secondary course work
originally transcribed at institutions located
outside of the United States must have these
transcripts translated and evaluated on a course
by course basis for equivalence by one of the
following CASPA approved services:
World Education Services, Inc
Josef Silny & Associates, Inc, International Educational Consultants
Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc
International Education Research Foundation Inc.
In addition to sending a copy of the evaluation to CASPA, a copy of the course by course transcript evaluation must be enclosed with the supplemental application.
- Fluency in written and spoken English is
essential for success in the program and to
ensure patient safety. Students need to
demonstrate objective competency in English; if
it is their second language, the competency must
be demonstrated within the past two years by
satisfactory performance on the internet-based
TOEFL. Official Scores must be forwarded to the
program using Institutional Code 1914 and
Department Code 42. In addition, forward an
unofficial copy of the TOEFL score report with
submission of the Supplemental Application. Additional information about the exam is available at:
http://www.toefl.org
- Applicants to the PA Program must be citizens of the United States, or hold a permanent US immigrant visa (green card), or other visa status appropriate for education. Such applicants should recognize the regional mission of the program in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa. The UW-L Office of International Education can provide assistance in coordinating the applications of applicants who are not US citizens or permanent residents of the US.
Complete details about these requirements are located on page
2 of the
Supplemental Application Instructions.
International Medical Graduates (IMGs) are considered on the
same basis as any other applicant. We have, in fact,
offered admission to one IMG. That said, our experience is that
few of the IMGs who initiate an application actually complete
the application process. To be considered, IMGs must complete
the entire process just like any other applicant, as well as
those additional requirements detailed above.
One critical feature of the PA profession is the fact that PAs
are dependent practitioners, always practicing within a
supervisory relationship with a physician. This approach to
medical practice is quite different from the independent
practice model of physicians. IMGs should carefully consider
and have some practical experience with this supervised role.
With a substantive understanding of that role, one would need to
determine if it is an appropriate role given previous experience
as a physician. IMGs, like other applicants, need to fully
understand the PA role and be able to articulate and endorse it
for their own professional career.