At the September 2017 commission meeting, the Commission voted to take the accreditation process for clinical postgraduate PA programs out of abeyance. A taskforce was charged with developing a proposal for a new accreditation process, timeline and standards for clinical postgraduate PA programs. At the September 2019 commission meeting, the Commission approved the Clinical Postgraduate Accreditation Standards, 3rd edition and a revised accreditation process to be effective January 2020.

The clinical postgraduate PA program accreditation process conducted by the ARC-PA is a voluntary one entered into by institutions and programs that sponsor a structured educational experience. The process gives applicant programs the opportunity to demonstrate compliance with the approved accreditation standards. While the process is voluntary, it provides programs an external validation of their educational offering. Additionally, the process offers prospective PA trainees one means by which they can judge the quality of the educational experience offered by the program or institution.

Clinical postgraduate programs that previously received accreditation from the ARC-PA will receive priority in reapplying for accreditation under the revised process. Any clinical postgraduate programs that were not previously accredited may apply for accreditation by submitting a NP & PA Residency Program Accreditation Eligibility/Candidacy Form.