5 New PA Programs Cleared for Takeoff
On October 5, ARC-PA announced five new provisionally accredited PA programs. The total number of accredited entry-level PA programs has reached 200; the total number of accredited clinical post-graduate programs is eight. The potential number of new entry-level programs by July 2018 currently stands at 47.
Mary Baldwin College is located in Fishersville, Virginia, in the Shenandoah Valley. The PA program will be housed in the Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences, which was completed in June 2014. David Paulk, EdD, PA-C, serves as program director.
Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York, is headed by Kathleen Lill, MS, PA-C. The program is expected to matriculate its first class in 2016.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a 24-month program with a stated goal of enrolling veterans. Paul Chelminski, MD, is the program’s director.
Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, North Carolina, an hour outside Charlotte, anticipates matriculating its first class in January 2016. The 27-month program, approved to offer enrollment to up to 48 students, is headed by Richard Ball, DHSc, PA-C.
Oklahoma City University in Oklahoma anticipates welcoming the inaugural class of its 28-month program in January 2016. Daniel McNeill, PhD, PA-C, serves as program director.