2 Programs Give Up Accreditation, 5 Get It
The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) voted at its mid-September meeting to award provisional accreditation to five new PA programs. Meanwhile, two established PA programs have voluntarily surrendered their ARC-PA accreditation. These changes bring the number of accredited U.S. PA programs to 148, an all-time high.
The new programs are at Keiser University in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; the University of Pittsburgh; the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Ky.; Franklin Pierce University in West Lebanon, N.H.; and South University in Tampa, Fla.
The University of Pittsburgh program brings Pennsylvania's total number of accredited programs to 16, second only to New York's 20. The two new Florida programs bring that state's total to nine, ranking it fourth among states. California is third, with 10 accredited programs.
Our Lady of the Lake College in Baton Rouge, La., and Alderson-Broaddus College in Philippi, W.Va., have surrendered their PA program accreditation as of Sept. 25.
ARC-PA also voted to award accreditation to two postgraduate programs: the Mayo Clinic Arizona Postgraduate PA Fellowship in Hospital Internal Medicine in Phoenix, and the Orthopedic Surgery PA Residency Program, a joint effort of Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, Calif., and Arrowhead Orthopaedics in Redland, Calif.
New Board Member Sought
ARC-PA also recently announced the creation of a new position of dean commissioner, according to an announcement available on the ARC-PA Web site. When contacted, ARC-PA executive director John E. McCarty told ADVANCE, "The announcement speaks for itself."
The announcement states that the ideal candidate should be "A Dean of a school or college of health professions, medical school, or degree granting health care institution, which may or may not have oversight responsibility of a PA program, with institutional or programmatic accreditation experience."
ARC-PA also states that this new dean commissioner may not derive his or her livelihood from the PA profession.
The term of appointment is three years, with an opportunity for an additional three-year term. More information about the position and how to apply is available from ARC-PA. Nominations and applications are due before Dec. 1, 2009, and the term of office begins Jan. 1, 2010.
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