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Northern Arizona University Department of PA Studies
Graduate certificates for Physician Assistants
NAU’s Department of Physician Assistant Studies offers two, 12-credit online post professional graduate certificates for Physician Assistants. These certificates are designed to help PAs understand and address the critical and complex needs of patients, communities, and populations within the health care system. The certificates provide PAs with important education around population health, patient-centered care, health economics, health policy, health informatics, and health equity.
Explore our graduate certificates below:
Health Equity Accordion Open
The purpose of Health Equity Certificate is to provide certified Physician Assistants (PAs) with knowledge and competencies to contribute to a patient-centered, equitable and accessible health care system.
PAs will examine structural, economic, systems, and other factors that influence health outcomes; systematically address the complex needs of vulnerable patients, communities, and populations through the critical analysis of current evidence and case studies; and recommend solutions to address inequities in health care.
PAs who complete the certificate program will be prepared to meaningfully contribute to the improvement of health and health care systems as PA leaders and experts in health equity.
Students must satisfactorily complete each of the 3 credit hour courses below to obtain the Graduate Certificate in Health Equity:
- PHA 700- Health Care Systems and Practices in the U.S.
- PHA-701- Population Health Management
- PHA 702- Improving Health Care Using a Health Equity Lens
- PHA 703- Policies and Practices to Address Social Determinants of Health
Additional information about the Health Equity graduate certificate can be found in the NAU Academic Catalog
Operations & Leadership Accordion Closed
The Operations and Leadership Certificate provides certified Physician Assistants (PAs) with knowledge and competencies to contribute to a patient-centered, safe, and cost-effective health care system.
PAs will develop a deep understanding of the U.S. health care delivery system, financing models, and patient outcomes. PAs will apply frameworks for collecting, analyzing, and using data to inform decisions, facilitate care coordination, and improve health outcomes of populations within and outside the health system; manage people, projects, and change within organizations; and apply informatics-based solutions to improve health care delivery.
PAs who complete the certificate program will be prepared to serve as integral members of the leadership team in industry, health care organizations, academic institutions, and other health environments.
Students must satisfactorily complete each of the 3 credit hour courses below to obtain the Graduate Certificate in Operations & Leadership:
- PHA 700-Health Care Systems and Practices in the U.S.
- PHA 704-Health Informatics for Practice and Management
- PHA 705-Change Management in Health Care
- PHA 706-Financing Health Care Delivery in the U.S.
Additional information about the Operations and Leadership graduate certificate can be found in the NAU Academic Catalog
Tuition & fees
Current tuition and fee information can be found at the Student & Departmental Account Services website.
Admission requirements
- Degree from an ARC-PA accredited PA program.
- Official transcripts from bachelors and masters-level degree-granting institutions (must hold a master’s degree for consideration).
- Minimum overall graduate cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = “A”), or the equivalent.
- Current resume or curriculum vitae.
The program offers three enrollment cycles: fall, summer, and spring.
CME Information
Each of the courses in the graduate certificate curricula are approved to offer 15 credit hours of AAPA Cat 1 CME.
Doctor of Medical Science
NAU’s Physician Assistant Studies Department also offers a Doctor of Medical Science degree for Physician Assistants. A student who completes one of these certificates will have their credits transfer seamlessly into the Doctor of Medical Science program, should they wish to pursue that degree.