CONCORD UNIVERSITY NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR NEW PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT PROGRAM
CONTACT: Nicole Smith, Public Relations Manager
Concord University Office of Advancement
PO Box 1000, Athens, WV 24712
(304) 384-6312
nlsmith@concord.edu
www.concord.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 24, 2024
CONCORD UNIVERSITY NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR NEW PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT PROGRAM
ATHENS, WV – Concord University is now accepting applications for the Physician Assistant (PA) Program that plans to matriculate its first cohort of 24 students in August 2025. The program will provide 115 credits over 28 months (7 semesters) and is being designed to prepare students for entry into practice as a PA. Upon completion of Concord’s PA Program, students will have earned a Master of Physician Assistant Studies. Consistent with the University’s mission, the program will focus on training students to meet the healthcare needs of rural and underserved populations and to be committed to community service. The program will train students to work in a variety of healthcare settings, with an emphasis on rural primary care, public health, and leadership. All PA courses will be offered on Concord’s main campus.
The Physician Assistant Program will offer two elective tracks: 1) Medical Missions and Population Health, and 2) Substance Use Disorders. Students choose during their first semester which elective track they would like to pursue.
The mission of the Concord University Physician Assistant Program is to train physician assistants who provide exceptional patient-centered care as part of a collaborative team and who are committed to promoting health and wellness through preventative care and patient education, improving access to healthcare through service to rural and underserved populations, and becoming leaders in their practices and communities.
Dr. Jennifer Pack, Director of Physician Assistant Studies, has a wealth of experience in developing PA programs around the state. She has been a PA since 1997 and has clinical experience in family medicine, emergency medicine, hospital medicine, and asthma/allergy. She began teaching in the PA program at Mountain State University in 2003, and moved on to help develop the PA program at the University of Charleston, where she served as the Director of Didactic Education. There, she also served as Associate Program Director and, most recently, the Program Director from 2014-2022. Dr. Pack has led teams of students, nurses, and medical providers on medical missions, served patients in Honduras and Haiti, and participated in community outreach projects in Eswatini, Africa.
Dr. Pack says of the program, “The start of Concord University’s PA program seemed so far away two years ago when the program officially started its development. Now, with only a little over a year until we matriculate our first cohort of students, our accreditation application submitted, the application cycle open, and the program foundation built, we are all very excited. This program is going to be very impactful to our community by helping meet healthcare needs, as well as to students by giving them a choice to pursue a PA degree at Concord, and to faculty and staff by allowing us to take part in the educational journey of students at such a well-respected institution. I am so thankful for the support of everyone at Concord and am eagerly awaiting the next phase of this journey!”
Concord University has applied for Accreditation – Provisional from the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). Concord University anticipates matriculating its first class in August 2025, pending achieving Accreditation – Provision status at the March 2025 ARC-PA meeting. Accreditation – Provisional is an accreditation status granted when the plans resource allocation, if fully implemented as planned, of a proposed program that has not yet enrolled students appear to demonstrate the program’s ability to meet the ARC-PA Standards or when a program holding accreditation-provisional status appears to demonstrate continued progress in complying with the Standards as it prepares for the graduation of the first class (cohort) of students. In the event that Accreditation-Provisional status is not granted by the ARC-PA, Concord University Physician Assistant Program will not matriculate its first class in August 2025 as planned. Any deposit paid by an applicant will be refunded in full. The University will not be responsible for refunding application fees or expensed incurred by applicants during the application and/or interview process (e.g., CASPA fees, travel to/from campus, etc.).
For more information, please visit concord.edu/pa, or contact Dr. Pack at 304-384-6317 or jlpack@concord.edu.
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Persons with disabilities should contact Nancy Ellison, 1-304-384-6086 or 1-800-344-6679 extension 6086, if special assistance is required for access to an event scheduled by the University on campus.
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