CONCORD UNIVERSITY CELEBRATED NATIONAL PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT WEEK
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: October 15, 2024
CONCORD UNIVERSITY CELEBRATED NATIONAL PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT WEEK
ATHENS, WV – In preparation for the forthcoming Physician Assistant (PA) Program, Concord University was pleased to recognize National Physician Assistant Week, which runs annually from October 6-12. This is a time to celebrate all that PAs have accomplished, highlight the care they provide, and elevate the profession. This year, the American Academy of Physician Assistants recognizes over 178,700 PAs working in the profession worldwide.
Physician Assistants are licensed clinicians who practice medicine in every specialty and setting. Trusted, rigorously educated and trained healthcare professionals, PAs are dedicated to expanding access to care and transforming health and wellness through patience-centered, team based medical practice.
PAs are educated at the Master’s degree level and Concord University is excited to be accepting students into our inaugural class, starting in August 2025. *The program at CU is 28 months: 16 months of didactic education, followed by 12 months of clinical rotations. To practice as a PA, graduates must have graduated from an accredited PA program and pass a national certification exam. To maintain certification, PAs must complete the 100 hours of continuing medical education (CME) every two years and pass a recertification exam every two years.
U.S. News & World Report 2024 lists the PA professional as #5 in the best 100 jobs list, #2 in best healthcare jobs, and #4 in best STEM jobs.
*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 and 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 expenses incurred by applicants during the application and/or interview process (e.g., CASPA fees, travel to/from campus, etc.).
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Persons with disabilities should contact Nancy Ellison, 1-304-384-6086 or 1-800-344-6679 ext. 6086, if special assistance is required for access to an event scheduled by the University on campus. Concord University may take pictures at these events for publicity purposes.
