Newly accredited physician assistant program at CSM accepting students for Fall 2016
College of Saint Mary has received initial accreditation for its new physician assistant studies program and expects a class of 30 students to start taking classes this coming August. The competitive, true 3+2 program allows students to become a practicing physician assistant in just five years, rather than the six to seven years it takes in most traditional programs.
Physician assistants are in high demand. As Americans are living longer and have more health care options, the need for skilled, professional healthcare providers continues to increase. PAs can dramatically increase the number of patients that can be seen, diagnosed and treated by a single physician’s office. The U.S. Department of Labor projects demand for physician assistants to grow by 22 percent by 2022.
Physician assistants practice medicine under the direction of a doctor of medicine or osteopathy. Depending upon their experience, specialty and the setting in which they work, PAs can conduct physical exams, diagnose and treat illnesses, order and interpret tests, advise on preventative care, help in surgery and write prescriptions.
For the first three years in the program, students are considered pre-PA. Their studies consist of classes required for the completion of a Bachelor of Science degree, but are also prerequisites for the master’s in physician assistant studies.
The fourth year is pivotal; it is both the final year of the bachelor’s degree, and the first in the master’s physician assistant studies program.
Students can enter the program at multiple points in the 3+2 pathway; it’s also open to transfer students who need to complete required courses and those who have already achieved a bachelor’s degree and the pre-reqs.
Accreditation-Provisional is an accreditation status granted when the plans and resource allocation, if fully implemented as planned, of a proposed program that has not yet enrolled students appear to demonstrate the program’s ability to meet the ARC-PA Standards or when a program holding Accreditation-Provisional status appears to demonstrate continued progress in complying with the Standards as it prepares for the graduation of the first class (cohort) of students. Accreditation-Provisional does not ensure any subsequent accreditation status. It is limited to no more than five years from matriculation of the first class.
