Physician Assistant Scholarships
Generous Scholarships from Government and Colleges
Physician Assistants are often an MD's right hand person. While not a medical doctor, the PA is medically qualified to perform many duties under the direction of a physician. If you are interested in the field you should expect to be trained to diagnose, prescribe, and treat a wide variety of patients. Physician Assistants can be very useful in areas where a physician may not always be needed on site, such as rural health clinics.
PAs work in hospitals, private and public health clinics, nursing homes, nearly anywhere patient care may be required. Hours may be long and demanding. Make sure you enroll in an accredited program.
Scholarships
The federally funded Scholarship for Disadvantaged Students program should not be overlooked if you're seeking funding for a PA program. This scholarship is specially designed to apply federal funds to students enrolled in healthcare programs, including Physician Assistant programs, who demonstrate deep financial need for college money.
The National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program, funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration is a federal program that helps financially strapped students in such programs as Physician Assistants. The stipulations for the scholarships are that once students graduate they are expected to serve in a medically underserved area for a determined amount of time.
The American Academy of Physician Assistants funds the Physician Assistant Foundation Annual Scholarship Program. The program gives over a million dollars to help students defray the costs for their education. You might also explore the scholarship options available through state chapters, for example:
- Florida Academy of Physician Assistants provides qualifying students with up to $2500 in scholarship funds.
- Montana Academy of Physician Assistants offers up to $500 for PA students. The best candidates will be residents of Montana and expecting to practice in the state following graduation.
The African Heritage Caucus of the Academy of Physician Assistants awards scholarships to minority students enrolled in a PA program. Besides minority status, applicants must also demonstrate academic excellence and financial need.
The Downeast Association of Physician Assistants funds the well-known Susan Vincent Memorial Scholarship. Applicants may be enrolled in an accredited PA program, but must be a resident of Maine to qualify. Award maximum is $1,000.
Students in the Physician Assistant program at Western Michigan University may apply for the following scholarships:
- John Josten Alumni Scholarships are available to PA students based on both need and merit. Amount of award varies.
- Helen Elizabeth Gibbens Physician Assistant Scholarship Fund goes to a student with outstanding financial need. Award varies due to funding.
Enrolled in the University of Wisconsin-Madison Physician Assistant's program? You may qualify for one of the following scholarships available through the school:
- Ben Lawton Scholarship is open to student members of the Wisconsin Academy of Physician Assistants who are interested in serving disadvantaged populations and are at least in the junior year of studies toward the degree. Scholarship award is $1,000.
- AstraZeneca Leadership Fund is awarded to students in the Physician Assistant program who demonstrate the potential to be the leaders of their profession. Up to $1,000 available.
- Students with the leading GPA may qualify for the Francis Lorenz MD Scholarship. This scholarship awards $500 to academically talented PA students.
- The Preceptor Scholarship offers up to $500 to encourage student PAs to serve a brief internship in a medically underserved area.
