Physician Assistant

The mission of the Physician Assistant Program is to educate and train highly-skilled Physician Assistants who:

• are capable of providing quality health care
• have expertise in the health care needs of the medically underserved
• are prepared to critically evaluate, and become leaders in bringing about improvement in the medical and social systems that affect the health of underserved populations
• will seek and retain employment as primary care Physician Assistants in medically underserved areas of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Recruit a class each year with at least 50% of the students being from Pennsylvania and that demonstrates academic excellence in both their overall and science GPAs.

Provide every student with at least one clinical rotation that is in a rural and/or underserved area in preparation for potential future practice in these areas.

Prepare students for the practice of medicine as evidenced by a PANCE pass rate that is equal to or greater than the national average.

Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania's Physician Assistant Program Policies are designed to guide students, faculty and staff in order to maximize the student experience and promote academic success within the program.

• Please see the Degree Requirements effective Fall 2023. All enrolled students can also review their degree program requirements and track progress to degree completion in Degree Works.
• Candidates for the M.H.S. in Physician Assistant Studies must demonstrate technical abilities and skills in five areas outlined in the Technical Standards document.
• Students must maintain a 3.0 grade point average throughout the entire PA program, as well as the approval of the PA program faculty, to receive the Master of Health Science degree.
• Employment policies while enrolled in the program:
  • The two-year PA program is concentrated and intense. The program discourages students from employment during either the didactic year or clinical year.
  • Students who choose to be employed during the program must be aware that:
    • Your job must never get in the way of your studies.
    • Employment will never be considered as a valid excuse for those who have trouble coming to class, attending any functions, studying, taking tests or poor academic performance.
    • The program’s lecture schedule and testing schedule can change without advance notification and students must stay flexible for changes.
    • Employment will not be considered a valid excuse for failure to comply with program schedules in these areas.
• One part time graduate assistant is employed by the university at each campus location to assist with the technical needs of speakers in the classroom and to facilitate security of classroom equipment.
• Students are not required to perform clerical or administrative work for the program.
• During clinical experiences students are not to substitute for regular clinical or administrative staff.

The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status to the Commonwealth University Physician Assistant Program sponsored by Commonwealth University. Accreditation-Continued is an accreditation status granted when a currently accredited program is in compliance with the ARC-PA Standards. Accreditation remains in effect until the program closes or withdraws from the accreditation process or until accreditation is withdrawn for failure to comply with the Standards. The approximate date for the next validation review of the program by the ARC-PA will be September 2027. The review date is contingent upon continued compliance with the Accreditation Standards and ARC-PA policy.

• Accreditation History
• ARC-PA Accreditation