The Master of Physician Assistant (PA) Studies degree program at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions was granted Accreditation-Continued status by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). Accreditation-Continued status is granted when a currently accredited program is in compliance with the ARC-PA standards.
“This is another great success for Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions to help impact the future of healthcare,” said Mark J. Horacek, PT, PhD, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions (RMUoHP). “The Physician Assistant program was awarded the status for 10-years, which is the maximum duration for a PA program. The accreditation status is a result of the previous five years of accreditation processes, institutional support, and outstanding program outcomes resulting from countless hours of dedication, planning and execution.”
Previously, the PA program held Accreditation-Provisional status. Following an initial site visit in 2014, a mid-cycle site visit in 2016, and a final provisional site visit in 2018, the program was granted Accreditation-Continued status.
According to the ARC-PA, “The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. has granted Accreditation-Continued status to the Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions Physician Assistant Program sponsored by Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions. Accreditation-Continued is an accreditation status granted when a currently accredited program is in compliance with the ARC-PA Standards.”
“Receiving Accreditation-Continued status bolsters confidence in our graduate and future students who will know that the program provides the expected education for entry level Physician Assistants,” said Michael Nelson, DHSc, MPAS, PA-C, Department Chair and Master of Physician Assistant Studies program director at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions. “The new status means the medical community has an additional source of Physician Assistant training to help meet the needs of the healthcare provider shortage in Utah and across the nation.”
The RMUoHP Masters of Physician Assistant Studies program is designed to educate outstanding clinicians equipped to handle the challenges of practicing medicine in a multifaceted and complex healthcare system. The program emphasizes a holistic patient-centered care approach, educating students not only in the foundational domains of medical knowledge and patient care, but also to:
- approach complex health problems through sound clinical reasoning, with sensitivity for the unique situation and concerns of each individual patient,
- leverage the powers of information technology and collaborative networking to make thoughtful, evidence-based decisions at the point-of-care,
- master the art of connecting with patients of diverse characteristics and backgrounds, and
- serve as ethical professionals who stand as examples and leaders in their communities and amongst their colleagues.
In addition to the Master of Physician Assistant Studies degree program, in 2019 RMUoHP began offering a new Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) degree program designed to expand PAs’ careers focused on skills, contributions, and leadership.
