Darla Vale, Ph.D., RN, Dean of the School of Health Sciences
Jen Garrett, MPAS, PA-C, Program Director and Chair, Department of Physician Assistant Studies

The Masters in Physician Assistant Studies degree (MPAS) is a comprehensive graduate program designed to prepare students to become outstanding clinicians, fully prepared to deliver high quality, accessible health care in an ever-changing environment.  The program emphasizes the importance of critical thinking and evidence based clinical decision making, while respecting the unique cultural and demographic needs of each patient.

The Physician Assistant program consists of full time course work delivered over seven consecutive semesters beginning in January of each year.  The initial three semesters consist of on-campus classroom work followed by four semesters of clinical rotations in numerous medical and surgical disciplines.  These five week, full-time clinical experiences are completed off-campus in outpatient clinics or inpatient hospitals and will likely require the student to travel and/or relocate.

Once the student successfully completes the program, he or she must apply for and successfully pass the Physician Assistant National Certification Examination (PANCE) offered by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA).  The graduates may then apply for licensure from the Board of Medical Licensure in the state where they plan to practice.

The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status to the Mount St. Joseph University Physician Assistant Program sponsored by Mount St. Joseph University. Accreditation-Continued is an accreditation status granted when a currently accredited program is in compliance with the ARC-PA Standards.

Accreditation remains in effect until the program closes or withdraws from the accreditation process or until accreditation is withdrawn for failure to comply with the Standards. The approximate date for the next validation review of the program by the ARC-PA will be 2032 March. The review date is contingent upon continued compliance with the Accreditation Standards and ARC-PA policy.

The program’s accreditation history can be viewed on the ARC-PA website at http://www.arc-pa.org/accreditation-history-mt-st-Joseph-university/.