Program Description
Coursework for health professions can be incorporated within a variety of transfer degree options. These options include:
- Medical technology
- Physician's assistant
- Occupational therapy
- Physical therapy
- Pre-professional degrees for medicine, dentistry, chiropractic, pharmacy, naturopathy, osteopathy or veterinary medicine
Emergency Medical Technician
Pierce College offers an Emergency Medical Technician - Basic certification. This 8-credit course (Health Science 278) is offered only at Fort Lewis. Applicants must have current CPR certification as either a HEALTHCARE PROVIDER or PROFESSIONAL RESCUER. For more information, call (253) 964-3139.
Occupational Therapy
In Washington, three universities offer master's degree programs in Occupation Therapy. They are the University of Washington, Eastern Washington University, and University of Puget Sound.
It is critical to coordinate with the transfer institution regarding their specific general degree requirements. Acceptance into these programs is very competitive (the average GPA of students accepted is 3.5 or higher), but admission is also based on character, personality, maturity and recommendations from paid or volunteer work in an occupational therapy setting (minimum 40 hours experience). Applicants must have basic computer literacy. Most schools also require taking the Graduate Record Exam.
All three universities require completion of a bachelor's degree prior to acceptance. Coursework must include the following (taken within five years):
- BIOL& 241 and 242: Human anatomy and physiology I and II
- CHEM& 161: General chemistry w/lab I
- MATH& 146: Intro to statistics
- *PHYS& 121: General physics I
- PSYC& 100: General psychology
- PSYC& 200: Lifespan psychology
- PSYC& 220: Abnormal psychology
- *SOC& 101: Intro to sociology or ANTH& 206: Cultural Anthropology
*Note: These courses are required only by the program at UW. UPS also requires additional behavioral science coursework, which is listed in the UPS Transfer Guide. Check course descriptions for prerequisites.
Physical Therapy
In Washington, the three universities that offer a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) are the University of Washington, Eastern Washington University, and University of Puget Sound.
Acceptance is very competitive. Applicants typically have a high GPA (usually 3.5 or higher). They are also asked to submit essays describing their broad volunteer and/or paid physical therapy-related work experience (usually between 200-500 hours) in a variety of physical therapy service delivery environments.
A completed Associate of Arts or Associate of Science - Track 1 degree is recommended before transferring to a university. Some programs combine the senior year with the first year of the DPT. When planning your courses, check with the transfer institution to clarify exact requirements. Most programs also require the Graduate Record Exam.
The following prerequisites are common to the programs in Washington. Out-of-state programs may differ slightly. All programs require completion of a bachelor's degree prior to acceptance and science coursework should not be more than five years old.
- BIOL& 241 and 242: Human anatomy and physiology I and II
- BIOL& 260: Microbiology
- CHEM& 161 and 162: General chemistry w/lab I and II
- *†CHEM& 163: General chemistry w/lab III
- CMST& 220: Public speaking
- MATH& 141 and 142: Precalculus I & II
- MATH& 146: Intro to statistics
- PHYS& 121 and 122: General physics I and II
- *†PHYS& 123: General physics III
- PSYC& 100: General psychology
- †PSYC& 220: Abnormal psychology
Note: Courses marked with * are required by UPS; those marked with † are required for EWU. Most suggested courses have prerequisites that must be included in academic planning.
Pre-Professional
This includes students wishing to transfer into chiropractic, dentistry, medical, medical technology, naturopathy, osteopathy, pharmacy, physician's assistant/MEDEX or veterinary medicine programs.
Chiropractic
Although most applicants have completed a four-year degree, outstanding students are eligible to apply after three years of coursework. The closest chiropractic schools of are located in Oregon and California.
Like all professional schools, admission is grade competitive. Suggested coursework is outlined under the Associate of Science - Track 1. All courses have prerequisites that must be included in academic planning.
Dentistry, Medicine, Naturopathy, Osteopathy, Veterinary Medicine
The majority of applicants for these programs have bachelor degrees, but this is NOT an actual major. Professional schools are looking for a broad liberal arts background. Be sure to get current information from the school of your choice early in your program and gain as much exposure to the profession as possible by working or volunteering.
The Associate of Science - Track 1 outlines the courses generally required; however, an AA-DTA can also be tailored to include part of the required sciences. Check with a science advisor for exceptions or additions suggested by specific professional schools.
Medical Technology
The University of Washington and Central Washington University offer bachelor degree programs in medical technology. They also have affiliated clinical internship sites.
Check to see if the college you choose requires taking the Allied Health Professions Admission Test (AHPAT). Students can transfer to either of these institutions with an AA-DTA but should try to include as many of the following courses as possible. All courses have prerequisites that must be included in academic planning.
- BIOL& 160: General biology w/lab
- BIOL& 211-213: Majors: Cellular/Animal/Plant
- BIOL& 260: Microbiology
- CHEM& 139: General chemistry prep
- CHEM& 161-163: General chemistry w/lab I-III
- CHEM& 261-263: Organic chemistry w/lab I-III
- MATH& 146: Intro to statistics
- MATH& 151: Calculus I or PHYS& 121: General physics I (suggested)
Pharmacy
Schools of pharmacy are located at the University of Washington and Washington State University. Both are five-year Pharmacy Doctoral (Pharm.D.) programs. Check with those schools for application criteria and deadlines. Admissions are made on the basis of GPA and scores from the Pharmacy College Admission Test.
Coursework for these programs should include:
- BIOL& 211-213: Majors: Cellular/Animal/Plant
- BIOL& 260: Microbiology
- CHEM& 161-163: General chemistry w/lab I-III
- CHEM& 261-263: Organic chemistry w/lab I-III
- MATH& 146: Intro to statistics
- MATH& 148: Calculus
- MATH& 151: Calculus I or ENGL& 101: English composition I
- ENGL 107: Composition: Writing about literature
- Humanities electives (10 credits)
- Social science electives (10 credits)
Note: Most suggested courses have prerequisites that must be included in academic planning.
Physician's Assistant/MEDEX
The only Physician's Assistant program currently available in Washington is the MEDEX program offered through the University of Washington's School of Medicine in Seattle. This is a two-year (eight quarters) certificate program with an optional bachelor of Clinical Health Services degree available. Admission is very competitive and many applicants already hold degrees and many years of experience in the health field.
The minimum admission requirements are:
- Two years recent paid, full-time, hands-on experience in direct delivery of medical care to patients (approximately 4,000 hours) as a nurse, corpsman, or paramedic; or current professional credentials (i.e., medical technician, x-ray, pharmacy, etc.) and at least two years recent full-time experience in an allied health field (Note: Clinical experience during a training program does not apply.)
- Two college-level English courses
- One college-level science course in chemistry, biology, or microbiology
- Two college-level anatomy and physiology courses
- A minimum 2.7 GPA (Note: High grades and documentation of community service are encouraged.)