Elon announces new PA Program and new Director

Elon Provost Steven House announced that Mark Archambault, currently vice chair of the Department of Physician Assistant Studies  at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, will be the founding director of the program. Archambault joined the Wake Forest faculty in 2007 after coordinating the physician assistant academic program at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, N.Y., from 2001 to 2006. He is a licensed and certified physician assistant.

Elon began exploring a PA program in fall 2008 and trustees approved the plan at their Oct. 22-23, 2010, meeting. A feasibility study, based on the work of an external consultant and a 12-member committee, found that prospects for a successful PA program are excellent, with projections for a substantial increase in physician assistant jobs available in North Carolina over the next several years.

In 2008 there were more than 11,000 applications at more than 140 colleges and universities for the 5,000 available seats in the nation’s physician assistant programs.

“We learned there is a rapidly growing demand for physician assistants, who are playing a crucial role in our nation’s changing healthcare system,” said Steven House, Elon University provost and vice president for academic affairs. “As we face a chronic shortage of doctors, physician assistants are essential to maintaining quality health services. Helping to meet the demand for more physician assistants is in line with Elon’s mission and our desire to expand our outstanding professional and graduate programs.”

Physician assistant programs typically require about 28 months of study, with students spending the first year in the classroom and the second year in clinical settings. Hospitals in the region, including Alamance Regional Medical Center and Moses Cone Health System, have committed to host students for their clinical studies.

The program will enroll classes of about 36 students annually and include six faculty members, a director, a clinical director, a medical director and other staff members. Elon plans to combine a rigorous academic program with a focus on leadership and service to the community. The program’s clinical rotations may include domestic or international service learning opportunities in underserved urban or rural areas.

Before enrolling students, a PA program must earn provisional accreditation from the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA), satisfying more than 200 standards. In addition, Elon would need approval for the new program from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

Elon’s program will join North Carolina’s existing PA programs at Duke University, Wake Forest University, East Carolina University, Wingate University and Methodist College along with a program that is planning to enroll its first class in fall 2011 at Campbell University.

Originally posted on E-Net (1/12/11 by Dan Anderson)