West Liberty University has gotten the green light from an accreditation board to proceed with its plan to establish its master of science in Physician Assistant studies program.
The Higher Learning Commission sent an evaluation team to the university earlier this month to analyze the program, its facilities and ensure it met the criteria needed to be accredited. This week, the university learned the visitation team recommended accreditation.
The new program already received provisional accreditation from the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant Inc. back in September. The ARC-PA establishes and maintains standards of quality for educational programs.
The HLC's visitation team will now forward its recommendation to the full commission. If the program is accredited, it will join West Liberty's other health science programs, including nursing and dental hygiene, according to West Liberty President Robin C. Capehart.
"If the full commission adopts the evaluation committee's findings," Capehart said in a news release from the university, "We hope to begin classes in the PA program in July 2012.
"This is the third and final step in the approval of WLU's program. The first was the Higher Education Policy Commission's review, then the ARC-PA provisional accreditation. The HLC's adoption of the visiting team's evaluation will lead to the commencement of WLU's PA program in July."
Allan M. Bedashi is the director of WLU's PA program. Capehart credited Bedashi and his team "for an outstanding job of preparing this graduate program for launch."
Physician assistants practice medicine under the supervision of physicians and surgeons. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of physician assistants is expected to grow by 39 percent from 2008 to 2018, much faster than the average for all occupations.
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