LMU-DCOM Physician Assistant Program

The PA program at LMU-DCOM offers graduate level professional education for students who desire to become Physician Assistants. The program provides the academic and clinical training needed to practice as a competent, reliable extender of the physician. The program is a full-time, 27-month curriculum that provides students the opportunity to earn a Master of Medical Science degree and certificate of completion to meet the eligibility requirements for the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE). The current application cycle opened on April 15, 2009.

LMU-DCOM's PA Program is a participant of CASPA (Central Application Service for Physician Assistants) (https://portal.caspaonline.org/). The application deadline is November 1, 2009, for the class that will begin May 2010. Applications must be totally complete and received by the program no later than December 1, 2009.

ACCREDITATION

University Regional Accreditation

Lincoln Memorial University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate, baccalaureate, masters, specialist, and doctorate degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Lincoln Memorial University.

Professional Accreditation

The Physician Assistant Program at Lincoln Memorial University-DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine has been granted *provisional accreditation by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA) following the March 2009 meeting.

*The ARC-PA grants provisional accreditation to new Physician Assistant programs who have demonstrated preparedness to initiate a program in accordance with the Standards. "Follow-up provisional visits are conducted to programs that have successfully achieved provisional accreditation. Follow-up visits must occur no sooner than four months after students have entered the clinical phase of the program and no later than six months after graduation of the first class, and the ARC-PA retains the right to require an earlier follow-up provisional visit." Students entering during the provisional accreditation period are permitted to sit for the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE). Information regarding the process can be found on the ARC-PA's website at www.arc-pa.org.

CREDENTIALS AWARDED

Upon successful completion of the PA program, students will be awarded a Master of Medical Science degree in Physician Assistant Studies (MMS) from LMU-DCOM and a Certificate of Completion. The graduate is then eligible to sit for the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE). This examination is administered through the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA).