Physician Assistant Program at Lake Erie College | Painesville, OH
5th in the nation for the 2021 AAPA Medical Challenge Bowl with four years of quarterfinalist finishes and champion of the regional Cleveland Clinic Challenge Bowl
Proven and Award Winning Program
Lake Erie College is proud to have one of the best Physician Assistant Programs in the state of Ohio. Some highlights of the PA Program at LEC includes:
100% PANCE pass rate since 2016, with a 98.7% first-time PANCE pass rate. All 152 graduates have passed their board examination to become certified physician assistants.
100% employment rate since 2016, which is above the national average 94.8% (2018 PAEA Program Report 32).
Fifth in nation and six-time quarterfinalist for the American Academy Physician Assistants Medical Challenge bowl.
World-Class Clinical Experiences
Lake Erie College has partnered with University Hospitals, one of the nation's leading health care systems, providing high-quality, patient-centered medical care at locations throughout Northeast Ohio. Students may also have experiences with other excellent locations including Cleveland Clinic, Lake Health, Akron Children’s Hospital, Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and many more.
Students will have access to multiple career opportunities in Northeast Ohio with world-class facilities that are rich in need of physician assistants.
Recognized by M-SARA, the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement partner for the Midwestern region, Lake Erie College allows PA students to complete clinical rotations at out-of-state sites.
Integrated and Comprehensive Program
Beautiful, newly renovated dedicated suite for the PA Program.
Module-based synchronized curriculum with problem-based learning.
Three semesters of dedicated pharmacology courses synchronized to the module-based curriculum to better prepare students for clinical medicine.
Textbooks, anatomy/dissection software, board review course and materials, medical equipment, scrubs, and lab coats are included in the tuition.
Access to multiple ultrasound machines with an integrated curriculum teaching ultrasound technique and application.
Multiple updated technologies including Anatomage virtual dissection table, rhythm generating software, and hi-fidelity manikins including the Next Generation Harvey® Cardiopulmonary Simulator.
Early clinical experiences are integrated within the first several weeks of the didactic training phases. Students will have early exposure to clinical medicine to enhance learning and create excitement for patient care.
Outstanding Faculty
The Physician Assistant Program boasts a small class size. Labs consist of hands-on experiences with no more than 6-8 students per lab. That means you get 10:1 attention from renowned faculty.
Our Medical Director is the University Hospitals Eastern Regional Chief Medical Officer.
All of the core PA Program faculty currently practice medicine and together have over 100 years of clinical experience and over 55 years of PA education experience.
The Anatomy & Physiology course instruction is all provided by faculty holding duel MD/PhD degrees.
Faculty have collaborated with multiple organizations including the nccPA Health Foundation, Physician Assistant Education Association, and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services to obtain multiple grants enhancing the Program and profession.
Sean KramerProgram Director, Clinical Associate Professor
“I am very proud of our PA Program at Lake Erie College. We have been honored to work with many incredible students and organizations over the years. Our mission is to prepare students to become the best physician assistants they can be. We have been very successful in meeting the mission and will continue to do everything we can to provide the highest quality education possible.”
What does a Physician Assistant Do?
Physician Assistants practice medicine on healthcare teams with physicians and other providers. They practice and prescribe medication in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, and the uniformed services.
Lake Erie College Physician Assistant graduates practice in multiple specialties in Northeast Ohio and throughout the nation, including:
family medicine,
internal medicine,
pediatrics,
emergency medicine,
urgent care,
trauma,
orthopedics,
general surgery,
cardiothoracic surgery,
hospital medicine,
cardiology,
gastroenterology,
psychiatry,
and many more.
Job Outlook for Physician Assistants
The job outlook according to the United States Department of Labor is very bright. The US News World Report currently identifies physician assistants as the 3rd best job of 2020.
Employment of physician assistants is expected to increase “much faster than average”, with a 31% job growth from 2018 to 2028. The salary for PAs is considerably higher than most occupations, with a median annual wage of $108,610 versus $38,640 for all occupations.
The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) states “The demand for PAs is so high that three-quarters of PAs receive multiple job offers upon graduation.” According to AAPA, there were over 131,000 physician assistants in 2019.
For more information, please visit the American Academy of Physician Assistants and the Ohio Association of Physician Assistants.
Have Questions?
Thank you for your interest in the Lake Erie College PA Program. Please feel free review all of our web pages, which answers many of the most common questions. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact us at paeducation@lec.edu. To meet the rest of the faculty and staff, please check out the faculty and staff page.