BIOLOGY/PRE-PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT

Deerfield, IL

WHY STUDY BIOLOGY/PRE-PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT AT Trinity?

You’ll never truly know what you’ve learned until you put your skills to the test. Supplement your classroom time with clinical hours in both program-directed and independent professional settings. When you graduate from Trinity, you will have met all the prerequisites required for post-graduate study in this field.

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE ME TO EARN MY DEGREE?

Most Biology/Pre-Physician Assistant majors finish their degrees in 4 years. Major requirements total a minimum of 57 hours. This includes 25 hours in the required biology courses, 28 hours in supporting courses and 3 hours of bioethics courses.

DID YOU KNOW?

Trinity offers the chance to pursue a master’s degree at the same time as you are completing your bachelor’s degree.

WHAT WILL I STUDY?

This program has been designed to combine a solid theoretical foundation in the sciences with clinical education experiences to prepare you for admission into post graduate professional physician assistant programs. You will be taking courses in biology, human anatomy and physiology, chemistry, bioethics, health sciences, human development and psychology as well as gaining clinical professional experience.

COURSEWORK:

Major requirements total a minimum of 57 hours. This includes 25 hours in the required biology courses, 28 hours in supporting courses and 3 hours of bioethics courses. Interesting courses you will take include:

Developmental Biology
General Medical Conditions
Responding to Emergencies and Sport Safety Training

SEE REQUIRED COURSES

Biology Pre-Physicians Assistant Courses

REQUIRED COURSES FOR GENERAL EDUCATION
Course	Title	Credits
BIO 111	General Biology	4 hours
CH 111	General Chemistry I	4 hours
MA 121	Calculus and Analytic Geometry I	4 hours

REQUIRED COURSES FPR MAJOR
Course	Title	Credits
Required Biology Courses
BIO 112	Biology: The Plant and Animal Kingdoms	4 hours
BIO 310	Microbiology	4 hours
BIO 340	Human Anatomy & Physiology I	4 hours
BIO 341	Human Anatomy & Physiology II	4 hours
BIO 410	Biology Seminar	1 hour
BIO 420	Cell and Molecular Biology	4 hours
Choose one:		4 hours
BIO 315 OR BIO 430	Genetics OR Developmental Biology
Required Supporting Courses
CH 112	General Chemistry II	4 hours
CH 211	Organic Chemistry I	4 hours
CH 212	Organic Chemistry II	4 hours
HS 161	Medical Terminology	1 hour
HS 360	General Medical Conditions	3 hours
MA 285X OR MA 280X	Statistics OR Introductory Statistics	3 hours
PHY 111	General Physics I	4 hours
PHY 112	General Physics II	4 hours
Required Bioethics Course
BE 474X OR BE 476X	Introduction to Bioethics OR Undergraduate Bioethics Institute	3 hours

REQUIRED CLINICAL HOURS*
Course	Title	Credits
HS 480	Professional Rotation in Health Science**	1–6 hour(s)
* Minimum Requirement is 1000 hours and may be more depending on the physician assistant program
**Clinical hours must be supervised by a licensed health care practitioner with emphasis given to hours supervised by a physician or physician assistant. Some programs require more than one site. Clinical hours must include patient contact. Registration for HS 480 credit must occur prior to the clinical experience. This requirement satisfies the professional experience requirement. Requirements for acceptance vary among physician assistant schools. By the first semester of the sophomore year, students should contact possible physician assistant schools for information regarding prerequisite coursework required for admission. Courses may then be selected from the recommended courses.

ELECTIVES
Course	Title	Credits
Highly Recommended (Required by many physician assistant schools):
HS 165	Responding to Emergencies and Sport Safety Training
Select at least one of the following psychology courses:
PSY 335	Child Development
PSY 337	Psychology of Adolescence
PSY 339	Adult Development
Recommended (Required by some physician assistant schools):
PSY 310	Abnormal Psychology
COM 112	Speech
Choose one:
ENG 210X OR ENG 240X	Business Communication OR Writing for the Media I

CAREER OUTCOMES:
Professional Sports	Surgeon Physician Assistant
Secondary Schools	Lab Technician
Performing Arts	Pharmacologist
Military	Nurse
Emergency Medical Technician	Urgent Care Physician Assistant