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University of Saint Joseph Physician Assistant Program Receives Provisional Accreditation
The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) announced that its new Physician Assistant (PA) Program was granted Accreditation-Provisional status* by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA).
This accreditation – the first in a multi-step accreditation process – allows USJ to enroll the inaugural class of its PA Program in January 2017.
“The University of Saint Joseph’s new Physician Assistant Program continues our institution’s 84-year tradition of providing quality, relevant education programs for our students. We are grateful for the support of the Accreditation Review Commission,” said Rhona Free, Ph.D., president of USJ.
USJ’s new PA Program is a 28-month, coeducational program focusing on collaborative approaches to patient-centered care that enhances treatment plans and can improve outcomes in a changing and evolving healthcare environment.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of physician assistants is projected to grow 30 percent from 2014 to 2024, much faster than the average for all occupations. In addition, a recent report in Money Magazine listed the PA profession as the third most desirable profession in the U.S.
The USJ PA Program will be housed in Lourdes Hall on the University’s West Hartford campus, located at 1678 Asylum Avenue.
*The ARC-PA has granted Accreditation-Provisional status to the University of Saint Joseph Physician Assistant Studies Program sponsored by the University of Saint Joseph. 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.