Due to the labor and time intensive nature of the Quinnipiac University Physician Assistant Program, students are strongly discouraged from working while enrolled in the program. Any student considering working while enrolled in the PA program must meet with the Department Chair/Program Director to discuss the issue prior to taking on a job. After meeting with the student to gather information about the proposed job, the Department Chair/Program Director will make a recommendation with respect to working while in the program, such as whether the job’s schedule is compatible with the PA program schedule. A letter is then placed in the student’s file. This includes all military obligations.
Those students who choose to work (with or without program sanction) while in school are expected to attend scheduled classes and fulfill all stated criteria of the program. Performance and attendance policies are to be upheld as stated in this handbook. A student who chooses to work may not miss, be tardy or reschedule classes, labs, exams, special assignments, community service work or clinical rotations. The student may not switch classes, labs, special assignments, community service work or clinical rotations.
Academic standards must be upheld, and no make-up classes, labs or exams will be offered. If the student’s academic or clinical performance deteriorates or falls below the program standard (minimum semester and overall GPA of 3.00), the Department Chair/Program Director may make the recommendation to discontinue working at any time during the student’s didactic or clinical phase of training. A letter from the Department Chair/Program Director stating the need for the student to discontinue working will be placed in the student’s file. Failure to abide by this policy is grounds for referral to the APR Committee and may lead to dismissal from the program. [ARC-PA Standards, Sixth Edition, 3.14i]
The university has a limited number of graduate assistantships available to qualified graduate students. Assistantships are awarded to both full-time and part-time graduate students and provide a monetary award that can be used to offset tuition costs or be taken as a cash stipend. In return for their award, graduate assistants aid or professional service (i.e., library, computer lab, study hall monitor, and clerical positions) in various departments within the university. It should be noted that graduate assistants are not considered employees of the university and therefore they are not eligible for employee benefits or Worker’s Compensation. The number of graduate assistantships varies each year with the needs of the university and the number of qualified applicants. Specific information on graduate assistantships is available from the Office of Graduate Admissions. Physician assistant students may apply for graduate assistantships; however, they are not permitted to serve as a graduate assistant in the Physician Assistant Studies Department. Any student considering applying for a graduate assistantship must meet with the Department Chair/Program Director as outlined in the policy above.
Physician assistant students may not work within the QU Physician Assistant graduate program (or any of its clinical affiliates) and will not be substituted for regular staff or principal faculty. While enrolled in the university, no student may serve as an instructor or tutor (other than a classmate peer tutor) to other enrolled PA students. [ARC-PA Standards, Sixth Edition, A3.02 and A3.03a,b]
