Details on Patient Care Experience

New York Tech, PA Admissions 

List of acceptable and non-acceptable forms of patient contact experiences 

Physician Assistant Studies, MS candidates are required to complete a minimum of 250 hours of patient care experience, in positions that involve close contact with patients in a clinical setting. Below is a sample of acceptable experiences. Candidates are advised to clearly outline the 'patient contact' aspect of their duties on their CASPA application. Admitted candidates will be required to provide a supervisor's letter, verifying the duties.  

ACCEPTABLE PATIENT CARE EXPERIENCES  

(that will be counted towards the patient contact requirement) include, but are not limited to those listed below. 

These experiences must have been performed in a medical facility, or offsite clinical setting, in the US. Particular attention will be paid to the task descriptions posted on CASPA, to determine whether there is sufficient and acceptable patient contact exposure.
  

• Dental Hygienist 

• Doula 

• Emergency medical technician 

• Emergency room technician 

• Medical assistant 

• Medical interpreter - if duties are performed at the bedside 

• Medical technologist 

• Military medical/clinical specialist 

• Nursing assistant 

• Nurse 

• Occupational therapist - in an OT office, clinic, or hospital 

• Occupational therapy assistant - in an OT office, clinic, or hospital 

• Ophthalmic Assistant, Certified  

• Orderly 

• Orthopedic cast technician 

• Paramedic 

• Patient care technician 

• Pharmacy Technician, Certified (for non-certified, see Vaccination Tech, below) 

• Phlebotomist 

• Physical therapist - in a PT office, clinic, or hospital 

• Physical therapist assistant (PTA), certified - in a PT office, clinic, or hospital 

• Radiological technologist/technician (e.g. ultrasound, MRI, CT) 

• Scribe - Based on the description of tasks the candidate posts on CASPA, only positions entailing direct patient exposure in a clinical setting will be acceptable.  

• Speech Language Pathologist and Assistant - in a hospital or clinical facility, only 

• Surgical technician 

• Vaccination Tech - trained and administers vaccinations at point of distribution location (including at retail pharmacies)  

• SPECIAL PROGRAMS:  

• Northwell Health's Healthcare Exploration Program (Undergraduate Medical Shadowing) at North Shore University Hospital, Manhasset NY. Acceptable only if performed in person. 

ACCEPTABLE, WITH CONDITIONS 

The following are only acceptable within strict guidelines. Based on the description of duties performed (as entered on CASPA), the admissions committee will determine whether there is sufficient patient contact in a clinical setting. Candidates are advised to clearly outline the 'patient contact' aspect of their duties on their CASPA application. Admitted candidates will be required to provide a supervisor's letter, verifying the duties and following the procedure outlined on this page.
  

• Canadian patient care experience - Submit for pre-approval. Please see the section "Obtaining Approval" on this page. 

• Clinical Research Assistant - Acceptable if there are significant encounters involving very close contact with sick patients. 

• Clinical Rotations - Acceptable if a clinical preceptor/supervisor or the program's clinical coordinator will be able to submit a signed official verification of duties and hours completed, when the verification is requested by the program. The verification can also be from the supervisor's organizational email address, copied to the candidate. 

• Home health aide - Acceptable if taking care of a patient with an illness.  

• Laboratory technologist - Acceptable if phlebotomy is performed as a part of daily responsibilities. 

• Ophthalmic Technician or Assistant (non-certified) - Acceptable only if the position involves direct patient contact while assisting an ophthalmologist with, and during, their examination or treatment of the patient. 

• Physical Therapy Aide - Acceptable if responsibilities include substantial and direct one-on-one contact with patients during treatment in a PT clinic. 

• Shadowing experience - strictly limited to shadowing a physician assistant or physicians with MD or DO credentials, in a practice or hospital 

• Telemedicine shadowing - Minimally acceptable and less competitively scored. Strictly limited to shadowing a physician assistant or physician (MD or DO) when they meet with real patients, and only in addition to other acceptable experiences.  

• Tissue/Organ Donation Coordinator (or similar titles) - Acceptable if there is direct in-person contact with the donor's family and/or the handling/care of donor tissue. 

• Volunteer experience - non-paid versions of any of the acceptable experiences listed on this page and must involve significant contact with patients in a clinical or first responder setting. 

NON-ACCEPTABLE EXPERIENCES 

Include, but are not limited to the list below.  

These experiences are not counted towards the patient contact requirement because they do not reflect the kind of exposures related to the PA profession. Although not counted, some of these experiences will likely still have a positive effect on your application as an indication of your dedication/interest in the healthcare field.  

• Aerobics instructor 

• CPR or ACLS instructor 

• Chiropractor/Chiropractic Therapist/Chiropractic Assistant 

• Contact tracer 

• Dental Assistant 

• Life guard 

• Massage therapist 

• Medical secretary or other clerical positions 

• Non-clinical research assistant 

• Non-US/Canada experiences, unless completed at a US military facility 

• Optometrist assistant 

• Pharmaceutical representative 

• Pharmacy Technician, Non-Certified. (See Vaccination Tech, higher on this page) 

• Veterinary technician 

• "Virtual shadowing" - These pertain to the shadowing courses, with guest instructors and demonstrations, and very limited contact with real patients. 

OBTAINING APPROVAL 

Please request approval only if  

(a) your position is not listed above, or (b) it is listed above with "submit for pre-approval".  

Email paadmissions@nyit.edu to include the following information in the body of the email. Do not include any attachments. 

Applicant Name:
CASPA ID Number (if any):
Title of Position:
Employer:
City & State & Country:
Supervisor's Credential (e.g. MD, PA, etc):
Frequency (Part-time/Full-time):
Compensated (Yes/No):
Accrued Hours:
Type of Facility Where Duties are Performed (Hospital? Clinic? etc.):
Detailed Description of Duties: 

SUBMITTING VERIFICATION 

Go to the next page, in the Table of Content, for the procedure for submitting an official verification: