Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies - California

Overview

A.T. Still University (ATSU) has partnered with the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) to develop the Central Coast Physician Assistant (CCPA) program. The goal is to educate community-oriented physician assistants who will provide whole-person primary care to our nation’s underserved communities.

The CCPA program is a 105-credit, 24-month master’s degree program based in Santa Maria, California. Students will spend one year on campus in Santa Maria for the didactic phase of the program. Then, students will enter the clinical phase, including 35 weeks of supervised clinical practice experiences (SCPEs) in various medical centers and hospitals across the U.S. Students will spend at least one portion of their clinical year at a Community Health Center (CHC) to fulfill the goal of producing PAs who will enter the CHC system and will provide primary care.

The CCPA program prepares students to be competent primary care providers dedicated to serving medically underserved populations. From their first day, CCPA students are immersed in engaged scholarship, whole person healthcare, and serving the underserved through classes and activities designed to foster critical thinking.

Hometown Scholars

The Hometown Scholars program helps ATSU meet the needs of community health centers by identifying, attracting, and educating dedicated, motivated, and qualified community-minded healers. Being a Hometown Scholar is not required for admission to the Central Coast PA Program; however, applicants who have met all of the Program’s admissions requirements and have received an endorsement from the local community health center and demonstrate a commitment to returning to their hometown Community Health Center to practice will be given points in the Program’s applicant review process and will be automatically offered an interview. The endorsement letter MUST be submitted with the secondary application. If the letter of endorsement is received at a later time, the applicant will NOT be eligible for Hometown Scholar for this application cycle. Please contact Nelida Acosta, Hometown Scholars Coordinator, by emailing nacosta@atsu.edu for more information.