The University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (USAHS) is launching a new Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies program at the San Marcos campus in 2019. The university announced that applications are now being accepted through the Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) for the proposed September 2019 inaugural cohort. CASPA is a full-service, web-based application system providing students with the ability to apply to multiple participating physician assistant (PA) programs with a single application and facilitating a streamlined admissions process.

“Our goal is to have an innovative, dynamic, and personalized, educational experience that will prepare students to be great health care providers and leaders in their communities,” said Graham Danyleyko, MPAS, Physician Assistant Studies Program Director. “Our curriculum will utilize multiple learning modalities to challenge students and help prepare them for clinical preceptorships and experiences that will occur in diverse areas across the United States. Our dedicated faculty and staff look forward to selecting students of various backgrounds and experiences to create a culture of collaboration in learning at USAHS. We will be evaluating students over the next four months to begin their journey to becoming physician assistants.”

USAHS is currently a candidate for accreditation by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) and recently completed a site visit by the accreditation team, one of the final stages in the process towards accreditation-provisional that will be determined in March of 2019.

When launched in 2019, the USAHS program will be the first PA program offered in San Diego County.

Accreditation

The University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences’ (USAHS) campus-based Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies program to be offered at USAHS’s San Marcos, California campus is currently not accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) and will have results of a review in March of 2019. While USAHS is currently a candidate for provisional accreditation, applying for accreditation does not guarantee that it will be granted. Accreditation – Provisional is an accreditation status first awarded when the plans and resources 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 (http://www.arc-pa.org/accreditation/accredited-programs/ ).

PA Board Certification

The University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences’ (USAHS) campus-based Master of Sciences in Physician Assistant Studies program prepares students to become certified physician assistants by passing the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam and practice as a licensed physician assistant.

The National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) is the only certifying organization for physician assistants (PA’s) in the United States.

Program Disclaimer: USAHS has applied for Accreditation – Provisional status from the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). USAHS anticipates matriculating its first class in September 2019, pending achieving Accreditation – Provisional status at the March 2019 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, appears to demonstrate the program’s ability to meet the ARC-PA Standards or when a program appears to demonstrate continued progress in complying with the Standards as it prepares for the graduation of the first class (cohort) of students. The program will not commence if provisional accreditation is not received; students will not be admitted into the MS-Physician Assistant program until provisional accreditation status is achieved — decision expected March 2019.

The University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC). Please visit our Accreditation page for more information.