Emergency Medicine Physician Assistant Residency
Welcome to the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center Physician Assistant Residency in Emergency Medicine. Our program began in 2019 as part of four new VHA Office of Academic Affiliations-funded Physician Assistant residencies in emergency medicine.
Eligibility requirements prior to start of program:
US citizenship
Graduation from an ARC-PA accredited PA program
NCCPA Certification
Pennsylvania state license
Benefits:
No application fee
Generous stipend: approximately $85,000 for 2026-2027
Up to $1,500 in training funds
Vacation time, sick leave, conference time
Health Insurance Coverage
Eligible for health, vision, dental and life insurance
Liability coverage
Important Dates:
Rolling applications
Interviews begin March-April 2026
Program starts late September 2026
Application (below):
Required documents include application, signed handbook acknowledgment (last page of handbook), transcripts from PA program and any other graduate-level programs (undergrad transcripts NOT required), documentation of NCCPA certification or eligibility, two letters of recommendation, and a personal essay. Competitive applicants will be invited for interviews in early Spring 2026.
Return above documents via email to:
Eric Rousell, PA-C, CAQ-EM
Emergency Department
Eric.Rousell@va.gov
We are located in the vibrant urban setting of West Philadelphia. Our ED sees close to 23,000 patients a year, with a steady increase of about 1000 additional patients per year, in an interprofessional environment consisting of nurses, NPs, PAs, MDs, PA students and medical students. The population of veterans that we serve consists largely of geriatric patients with presentations across the whole spectrum of acuities including many acute on chronic medical conditions. Our admission rate is around 20%, which is higher than the national average.
Our program provides an intensive, 12-month curriculum covering basic and advanced emergency medicine concepts and procedures in a dynamic clinical and academic environment. Patients will accumulate approximately 500 didactic and 2000 clinical hours of training in emergency medicine. Training is provided in our emergency medicine department, other departments at the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center, and at our affiliated medical centers. Wednesday conferences will provide didactic lectures and grand rounds in a rich environment with other medical peers.