The Department of Physician Assistant Education within the School of Health Sciences trains physician assistants in the art and science of medicine throughout the 27-month, full-time graduate program. The Program, located on Pacific's Sacramento campus, matriculates 45 students each January.
What is a Physician Assistant?
Physician assistants (PAs) are healthcare professionals licensed to practice medicine with physician collaboration. In an interprofessional setting, Pacific PA students will become proficient in the full array of skills involved in completing medical histories, performing physical examinations, performing clinical skills and procedures, providing treatment, and counseling patients.
Pacific's PA program provides numerous opportunities for interprofessional education through involvement with Pacific's highly regarded health-related schools, the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, the Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and the School of Health Sciences through student clinical training experiences at community hospitals and clinics.
In addition to successfully completing their program, Pacific PA students are required to pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE) as required by regulatory agencies in order to enter into practice.
Accreditation Status
The ARC-PA has granted Accreditation-Provisional status to the University of the Pacific Master of Physician Assistant Studies Program sponsored by the University of the Pacific.
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.
Accreditation-Provisional does not ensure any subsequent accreditation status. It is limited to no more than five years from matriculation of the first class.
