Central Coast Physician Assistant (CCPA) Program

The Central Coast Physician Assistant (CCPA) Program is a 24-month residential master's degree program at ATSU's Santa Clara campus, that prepares students to work at community health centers (CHCs) and provide primary care services post-graduation. The community health specialities in which PA students are encouraged to enter include family medicine, general internal medicine, general pediatrics, women's health and behavioral health/psychiatry. Year 1 of the program is spent on-campus for the didactic phase and year 2 includes 35 weeks of supervised clinical practice experiences at a partnered CHC somewhere in the United States. The CCPA program trains PA students in a whole-person/osteopathic approach to care.