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For Immediate Release PA Program Receives Maximum Term Reaccreditation March 29, 2010 - The Department of Physician Assistant Studies at King’s College has received a seven-year reaccreditation from the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). The seven-year term is the longest available from the national independent accrediting body. King’s is one of 149 ARC-PA accredited programs in the country and one of only 16 in Pennsylvania. King’s is only one of three Pennsylvania accredited programs based at a college; most are at universities. The program’s last reaccreditation was for a period of six years. The King’s PA program, which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2007, received its first accreditation in 1979. During that time, almost 900 students have graduated from the program. Established initially as a certificate program, the program has grown into a combined five-year bachelor’s and master’s degree program for King’s students. The program attracts applicants from across the United States and is typically filled to its 90-students capacity. The King’s program was the third in Pennsylvania to receive its initial ARC-PA accreditation. "The Physician Assistant Program has been outstanding since its inception at King’s,” said Father Thomas O’Hara, C.S.C., president of the College. “This maximum term reaccreditation affirms that excellence and ranks the King’s program with the best in the country and means graduates of the program will play a vital part in the changing field of healthcare." "I am extremely proud to be the director of the Physician Assistant Program which has a longstanding reputation of producing excellent PAs,” said Frances Feudale, D.O., FACEP. “Another of the program’s strengths is the talented faculty, staff and preceptors without whom this success would not be possible." Upon completion of the master’s portion of the program, graduates must pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE) in order to practice as a physician assistant. Since the beginning of the program, King’s PA students have had a 99.8% overall pass rate on the PANCE. Physician Assistants can work in a variety of medical fields and are trained to perform histories and physicals, order and interpret lab results, write prescriptions, educate patients and assist in surgery. King’s PA graduates have achieved placements throughout the country, many of whom are working in medically underserved areas. King's College is a Catholic College sponsored by the Congregation of Holy Cross. |