AdventHealth University’s (AHU) Physician Assistant (PA) program announced their accreditation approval from the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA).
The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) is the accrediting agency that protects the interests of the public and PA profession by defining the standards for PA education and evaluating PA educational programs within the territorial United States to ensure their compliance with those standards
Prior to this, the PA program’s accreditation status was Accreditation- provisional. The process to achieve Accreditation- continued (full accreditation) takes approximately 3 to 4 years for a new PA program. Department Chair and Program Director, Dr. Kerry Whitaker says that this accomplishment means the program is fully recognized as an accredited PA program.
“As one could imagine, I personally had a big sigh of relief when I heard the news.” said Whitaker, “I immediately thanked God and my family, for providing me the strength and support to lead a phenomenal team through this journey.”
Moving forward the PA Program will continue following their ongoing program assessment timeline and making date driven decisions needed in order to maintain accreditation.
In an email sent to faculty AHU President, Dr. Edwin Hernandez shared his gratitude and how proud he was. “I want to congratulate the PA faculty, staff, and students for this wonderful achievement.” said Hernandez, “This is an achievement that we can all celebrate together.” The PA Program’s next validation site visit is scheduled for June 2029.
