HS106 Unit 5 Licensure Requirements Summary Example

Course	HS106 Health Science Profession and Career Planning
Unit	Unit 5
Paper type	Licensure and education requirements summary
Length	About 620 words, 5 pages double-spaced
Format	APA 7 student paper
School	Purdue University Global
Program	BS in Health Science
Updated	October 2026

Free sample paper for HS106 Unit 5

Degree, Exam, License, Renew: A Unit 5 Requirements Summary for Becoming a Physician Assistant or Respiratory Therapist in Virginia

[Student Name]

Purdue University Global

HS106: Health Science Profession and Career Planning

Unit 5 Licensure and Education Requirements Summary

[Instructor Name]

[Date]

The student and plans are composite; the bodies and requirements named are real in outline, and every step should be confirmed with the current rules.

What this part is doingPromising an ordered list of steps with timing in the lead makes the summary useful as a planning tool.

Physician Assistant

Step 1: Bachelor's degree. Most PA programs require a bachelor's degree with prerequisite science courses such as anatomy and physiology, microbiology, chemistry and statistics. My plan is to complete the BS in Health Science, adding the prerequisites as electives. Time: about three years.

Step 2: Patient care experience. Many programs require or strongly prefer hands-on patient care hours, often a thousand or more. My corpsman years should count, which is one reason veterans are often well placed for admission; a survey of program directors found veterans admitted to most responding programs, and a third of programs accepted transfer credit for military training (Michaud et al., 2015).

Step 3: Accredited master's program. Only graduates of ARC-PA accredited programs may sit for certification and, through it, a state license, so accreditation is the first thing to check. Applications usually go through a central application service. Time: typically 24 to 36 months.

Step 4: National certification exam. New graduates sit the PANCE, the national certifying exam run by NCCPA; passing it confers the PA-C.

Step 5: Virginia license. The Virginia Board of Medicine licenses PAs, and practice requires a practice agreement with a physician as part of a patient care team (Virginia Board of Medicine, 2025).

Step 6: Maintenance. Certification is kept through continuing medical education every two years and a recertification exam on a ten-year cycle.

Respiratory Therapist

Step 1: Accredited associate degree. The program must be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care. Several community colleges in Hampton Roads offer one. Time: about two years, sometimes less with prerequisites already complete.

Step 2: National credential. Graduates take the National Board for Respiratory Care's Therapist Multiple-Choice Examination; at the lower cut score they earn the Certified Respiratory Therapist credential, and at the higher cut score they become eligible for the Clinical Simulation Examination, which leads to the Registered Respiratory Therapist credential.

Step 3: Virginia license. The Virginia Board of Medicine licenses respiratory therapists, and the bureau notes that licensure is required in every state but Alaska (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2026b).

Step 4: Maintenance. License renewal requires continuing education, and many employers expect the registered credential within a set time after hire.

My eight years count as experience for one path and a head start on the other, but as a license for neither.

What this part is doingStating plainly what military training does not provide keeps the summary honest about the work still ahead.

Side-by-Side Timeline

From separation, the PA path takes about six years to a license: three for the bachelor's degree, then about two and a half in a PA program and several months for the exam and license. The RT path takes about two and a half years. The RT path could also be a step toward the PA path, since respiratory therapy work would add civilian patient care hours.

What Could Shorten Either Path

Two things could shorten the timelines. Credit for military training through my Joint Services Transcript may cover general education courses, and some prerequisites may be taken at a community college while I am still on active duty.

What this part is doingLooking for ways to shorten each path shows the summary is meant to guide action, not only describe requirements.

Questions to Confirm

1. Which local PA programs accept my military patient care hours, and how do they count them?

2. Will any of my Navy courses transfer as college credit toward prerequisites?

3. Does the community college respiratory program have a waiting list?

4. How much of each program will my education benefits cover?

References

Michaud, E., Jacques, P. F., Gianola, F. J., & Harbert, K. (2015). Education of military veterans in physician assistant programs. Journal of Physician Assistant Education, 26(2), 77-85. https://doi.org/10.1097/JPA.0000000000000025

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026b). Respiratory therapists. In Occupational outlook handbook. U.S. Department of Labor. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/respiratory-therapists.htm

Virginia Board of Medicine. (2025). Physician assistant and respiratory therapy licensure. Virginia Department of Health Professions. https://www.dhp.virginia.gov/Boards/Medicine/

Reading the HS 106 Unit 5 instructions

Unit 5 typically asks for a summary of the education, examination and licensure or certification requirements for a chosen career. Expect to list the steps in order, name the accrediting body, the exam and the license, and estimate how long each step takes. Instructors look for accuracy and for the difference between licensure, certification and registration, which students often confuse. State rules should be named for the student's state. Students with military or other prior training should explain what it does and does not satisfy. Many prompts ask for a side-by-side timeline when two careers are compared and for questions the student still needs to answer. Requirements change, so the summary should be checked against current sources before it is used.

How the HS 106 Unit 5 example is put together

The summary lists six PA steps from bachelor's degree to maintenance, with timing for each and a note that the writer's corpsman years should count as patient care hours, supported by Michaud and colleagues' survey. Four RT steps follow, from an accredited associate degree to license renewal, with the NBRC credential pathway explained. A highlighted line states that eight years of service count as experience for one path and a head start on the other but as a license for neither. A side-by-side timeline compares six years against two and a half and notes that RT work could feed a later PA application. A short section names ways to shorten each path, and four questions to confirm with programs and the VA close the worksheet.

Reading the HS106 Unit 5 grading rubric

Requirements summaries are generally graded on accuracy and completeness. Each step should be in the right order, with the correct accrediting body, exam and licensing authority. Distinguishing licensure from certification earns credit, since confusion is common. Realistic timing for each step shows planning. Graders look for honest treatment of prior training, neither ignoring it nor overstating it. A comparison timeline is valuable when two careers are being weighed. Questions still to confirm show the student knows rules vary and change. Clear formatting that a reader could use as a checklist makes the worksheet practical. Accurate APA 7 entries for the licensing board, the handbook and the veteran survey round out the grade.

Common HS106 Unit 5 mistakes, and how to avoid them

Requirements summaries often lose points for mixing up certification and licensure, or for naming the wrong accrediting body. Another common problem is listing requirements without any timing, which leaves the reader unable to plan. Some students assume military or prior training replaces civilian credentials. Others copy requirements from one school's admissions page as though every program were the same. Leaving out maintenance, continuing education and renewal makes the picture incomplete. Before writing, check your state board's licensure page and one accredited program's admission requirements. A custom summary can be built for your own career and state.

Get an HS106 Unit 5 example written to your instructions

Send the career, your state and the instructions with the rubric. A custom summary lists each requirement, the order and the time it takes. The first one costs nothing, back within 24-48h. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.

More HS106 papers and BS in Health Science samples

HS106 Unit 5 questions, answered

What is the difference between licensure and certification?

Licensure is legal permission from a state to practice; certification is usually a credential from a professional body showing competence.

Do military credentials transfer?

Some do, partly. Many states offer pathways for veterans, but rules vary by career and state.

How long do requirements take?

It depends on the career; the summary should give a realistic timeline.

Where can I find a free HS106 Unit 5 sample paper?

The complete HS106 Unit 5 requirements summary is published on this page, listing in order every education, exam and license step for physician assistants and respiratory therapists in Virginia.

Does military training replace a license in the HS106 Unit 5 sample?

No. Corpsman experience counts as patient care hours for PA admission and gives a head start in respiratory therapy, but every civilian degree, exam and license is still required.