Hello Stakeholders,

The ARC-PA plans to offer accreditation for Post-Professional PA Doctoral Programs (PPDP). This is being done in response to interest voiced by numerous programs. In our efforts to craft standards that reflect the evolving landscape of post-professional PA education and uphold the highest quality and reputation of the PA profession, we collected survey feedback from existing PPDP programs and worked for over six months with a taskforce of PPDP leaders to develop this draft of the ARC-PA PPDP standards. We now kindly request your expertise and input in this process. Your contribution is integral to shaping accreditation criteria that are not only relevant but also meaningful to the specific needs of the programs.

To facilitate this process, the ARC-PA has created a survey accessible through the following link: https://forms.office.com/r/1uzCzUEiVY.Each standard is accompanied by a comment box, allowing you to provide direct feedback, questions, or insight pertaining to the corresponding standard. You are welcome to respond to as many or as few standards as you wish. Additionally, the final comment box offers an opportunity to introduce new topics or ideas that may not have been explored. The feedback survey is scheduled to conclude on March 30, 2025.

Your involvement and feedback are instrumental in ensuring the success of this accreditation process. Thank you in advance for your collaboration in this effort.

Sincerely,

Sharon Luke,

President and CEO, ARC-PA

The ARC-PA is aware of the Executive Orders delivered by the Trump Administration that impact use of the terms ‘diversity’, ‘equity’, and ‘inclusion’ at the federal level. The ARC-PA is also aware that many programs are receiving instructions from their institutions to make changes to handbooks and websites to ensure compliance with updated federal requirements. Programs with upcoming site visits have expressed concerns about implementing these changes after submitting their ARC-PA application of record. The ARC-PA understands the situation those programs are facing at this time.

The ARC-PA has considered the current landscape regarding the aforementioned Executive Orders, PA programs and the reactions ensued by sponsoring institutions for some PA programs and has decided to suspend the enforcement of standard A1.11 until further notice. PA programs should make the necessary changes as directed by their institution to comply with federal requirements. As you make these changes, please ensure that program information remains compliant with accreditation standards. Specifically, close attention should be given section A3 of the Accreditation Standards for PA Education, 5th Edition.

For programs with pending site visits, please be advised that if any clarification is needed, the site visit team will ask during the site visit. This may mean providing the site visit team with updated website links in the electronic files and/or addressing questions during the visit. The site visit team will assess compliance with those respective standards published on the program’s website and handbooks at the time of the site visit.

As per ARC-PA procedure, the site visit team will identify any standards by which they could not validate information provided in the materials submitted by the program as ‘observations.’ If the team identifies an observation related to your website information, you have an additional opportunity to provide clarifying information to the Commission in your response to observations.

While the ARC-PA is respectful of the challenges subjected to PA education program by the recent Executive Orders, the Commission wants to emphasize that it still strongly believes in the concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion in PA education, as PA students need to be implicitly educated to care for patients from differing backgrounds and cultures. The Standards Committee will review A1.11 to find alternate language that upholds the desired tenants for students to learn and be prepared to safely and effectively engage with and care for individuals and communities from many different backgrounds.

If you have any additional questions, please email the ARC-PA (questions@arc-pa.org).

COUNCIL FOR HIGHER EDUCATION ACCREDITATION

PUBLIC STATEMENT OF CHEA RECOGNITION

January 31, 2025

Statement to be used by Accrediting Organizations for Recognition

At its meeting on January 27, 2025, the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) Board of Directors reviewed the recommendation of the CHEA Committee on Recognition regarding the Recognition application submitted by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA). The Board of Directors accepted the Committee recommendation and recognized ARC-PA for the following recognized scope of accreditation:

Programs preparing individuals for entry into physician assistant practice located in institutions in the United States that are accredited by recognized regional accrediting bodies. ARC-PA accredited programs are located in institutions offering, associate, baccalaureate or master’s degrees in conjunction with the PA credential award. (2015)

Join us for interactive Q&A sessions to support your understanding of accreditation matters related to your role in PA education. These sessions offer a chance to connect directly with ARC-PA experts and clarify any questions about the accreditation process and standards. Whether you’re seeking deeper explanations on specific topics, practical tips for applying the content, or simply a collaborative space to engage with fellow participants, these sessions are here to help.

Advance registration is required for all participants.

Available Sessions & Times:  February 20^th (1pm-3pmET), May 14^th (11am-1pm), August 20^th (11am-1pm) and November 12^th (11am-1pm)

To ensure a productive session, attendees are encouraged to submit their questions online before the event. Participant questions submitted prior to the session will be discussed as time permits.

Registered attendees can find the Zoom Connection details on the registration confirmation screen.

ARC-PA PostGrad Office Hours Registration: https://forms.office.com/r/V0naFDzzii

PostGrad Office Hours Question Submission: https://padlet.com/arc_pa/postgradofficehours

Registration is now open for our Path to Accreditation: ARC-PA Provisional Applicant Workshop.

This workshop is designed for individuals involved in planning for initial provisional accreditation, offering a comprehensive overview of the provisional accreditation process.

For details and registration, visit: arc-pa.org/events

Join us for a monthly interactive Q&A session designed to support your understanding of accreditation matters related to your role in PA education. These sessions offers a chance to connect directly with ARC-PA experts, clarify any questions, and discuss insights gained from the video presentation. Whether you’re seeking deeper explanations on specific topics, practical tips for applying the content, or simply a collaborative space to engage with fellow participants, these sessions are here to help.

Please refer to the registration form for the dates and times of the scheduled office hours. Advance registration is required for all participants.

To ensure a productive session, attendees are encouraged to submit their questions online prior to the event. Participant questions submitted prior to the session will be discussed as time permits.

Connection details will be sent via email to registered participants approximately three business days before the session.

ARC-PA Office Hours Registration: https://forms.office.com/r/PJX8yyM22k

Office Hours Question Submission: https://padlet.com/arc_pa/officehours

General Information Videos: https://www.arc-pa.org/entry-level-accreditation/entry-level-tutorials/

Greetings!

Please read ARC-PA’s Fall 2024 Newsletter issue here.

Please look for this and future Newsletters to be archived on the ARC-PA website.