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Physician Assistant

Details

Looking to meet the healthcare needs of Montana and the surrounding region, Carroll College is developing a Physician Assistant program. Plans are currently underway to seek provisional accreditation through the ARC-PA.

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About the Program

Building on Carroll’s highly successful undergraduate nursing, pre-med, allied health, and health sciences programs, a graduate-level physician assistant program is a natural progression for the college and a strong fit for the mission of Carroll College in serving others. With individualized instruction from supportive faculty, Carroll’s program will help meet significant needs that exist in Montana and the region, especially in rural communities.

Carroll College is actively developing the Physician Assistant program. The College is exploring provisional accreditation and has already begun building partnerships with healthcare facilities around the state.

Why Carroll College?

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More than 300 accredited Pre-PA programs are located throughout the United States. The average PA program length is 27 months. A list of accredited PA programs can be found on the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA).

Physician Assistant

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the PA profession will experience a nearly 28% increase in employment between 2021 and 2031—a rate that is faster than most occupations both in and out of the healthcare sector. Further, PAs received the highest score provided to any healthcare profession for achieving work-life balance. 

Projected Increase

28%

Meeting the Needs of Montana and Beyond

With individualized instruction from supportive faculty, Carroll’s program will help meet significant needs that exist in Montana and the region, especially in rural communities. According to the October 2022, Montana Department of Labor and Industry Postsecondary Workforce Report, Montana’s employment demand for physician assistants is nearly twice the available supply. 

Highlights of Carroll’s Proposed PA Program

  • Comprehensive curriculum leading to Master of Science Degree in Physician Assistant Studies.
  • Experienced and dedicated faculty and instructors.
  • Strong foundation in the basic and clinical sciences.
  • Emphasis on working collaboratively in interprofessional patient-centered teams.
  • Classroom and labs that provide state-of-the-art technology and learning resources.
  • High-quality training sites that prepare graduates to enter clinical practice.
  • A supportive environment that fosters personal and professional growth.

Good-To-Know

Update

Carroll College is in the development stages of the Physician Assistant Program.  More to come! 

Clinical Opportunities

If you are a clinician or alumni interested in supporting the program with clinical opportunities, please reach out to PA@carroll.edu.

If you would like to donate to the developing Physician Assistant program at Carroll College, you may do so through our giving website.

A growing and lucrative profession

US News and World Report lists a Physician Assistant as the #2 Best Health Care Job, #4 on their 100 Best Jobs List, and #4 as the Best STEM job. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the median income of Physician Assistants as $121,530.00/year and projects the field for physician assistants to grow by 28% between now and 2031.

Physician assistants are licensed to practice medicine under the supervision of a physician.

As skilled licensed medical professionals, physician assistants diagnose illness, develop and manage treatment plans, prescribe medications, and often serve as a patient’s principal healthcare provider. PAs exercise autonomy in medical decision-making and provide a broad range of diagnostic and therapeutic services, with the opportunity to practice in every state and in every medical setting and specialty, further improving healthcare access and quality.

Today, PAs also perform many duties that were once considered the sole purview of physicians—and while many can be found working in primary care, such as general internal medicine, pediatrics, and family medicine, an increasing number choose specialty areas like general and thoracic surgery, emergency medicine, and orthopedics.

PAs must graduate from an accredited educational program, pass the physician assistant national certifying exam (PANCE), and gain licensure from the state medical or PA board.

To be determined. The establishment of an accredited Physician Assistant Program that successfully prepares students for licensure is an extensive process.

Applicants will have earned a Bachelor’s degree prior to the start of the program. Most successful students have completed coursework in biology, physiology, chemistry, and other health-related sciences. Carroll’s Pre-Physician Assistant program provides a list of common prerequisites for students applying to Physician Assistant programs. 

Applicants will also have completed patient care hours. While the exact requirement for Carroll’s program is still to be determined, existing Physician Assistant programs, on average, require 2,854 patient care hours for new students.

Carroll plans to enroll up to 34 students per class.

No.  The pre-PA Pathway, taken in conjunction with a major area of study, is for undergraduate students enrolled at Carroll College who are interested in pursuing a career as a physician assistant after earning their bachelor's degree. Applicants to the Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies (MSPAS) program are not required to enroll in undergraduate studies or complete their prerequisite courses at Carroll College. 

Acceptance to PA schools is highly competitive. The average undergraduate overall GPA for first-year students is 3.52 (3.52 science/3.63 non-science). Many PA programs require health care experience for PA school candidates and the mean patient care experience hours for new students is 2,854.

It is a 27-month program. The program will entail approximately 15 months of academic curriculum and 12 months of clinical rotations.

If you have an interest in financially supporting the program, please reach out to Keith Stout, Vice President for Institutional Advancement. If you would like to donate to the developing Physician Assistant program at Carroll College, you may do so through our giving website.

If you are interested in supporting the program with clinical opportunities, please contact pa@carroll.edu.

You can email questions to pa@carroll.edu In addition, this website will continue to be updated as more information becomes available.

Fill out this inquiry form and we will send periodic updates as Carroll continues to develop the PA program.

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