About the Physician Assistant Program
Physician Assistant Program
Mission
The mission of the Bethel University Physician Assistant program is to create opportunities for members of the learning community to become exceptional and compassionate healthcare professionals, who will practice medicine within an ethical framework of Christian principles.
Educational Philosophy
The Bethel University Physician Assistant Program understands that the field of medicine is constantly evolving. Our educational philosophy strives towards training and educating PA students to become life-long learners adept at critical thinking and able to work within a collaborative environment. It assures that we provide a creative and supportive educational environment for individual learning and growth within a structured curriculum. The role of the instructor is to guide and collaborate with the student, objectively evaluate the student, select and present important material, and model the professional behavior based upon the competencies of the PA Profession. The education of the PA student is a reciprocal interaction among faculty and students. The PA Program seeks continuous quality improvement and welcomes the ideas of all who participate in the program.
Licensure
In order to obtain national certification via the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA), an individual must pass NCCPA’s Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE). To be eligible for NCCPA’s PANCE, an individual must have graduated from a physician assistant program that is accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) at the time of graduation. Additional information regarding PANCE eligibility requirements may be found at https://www.nccpa.net/pance-eligibility.
Bethel University’s Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies curriculum meets the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants’ (NCCPA) requirements for graduates to be eligible to take the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE) and state licensure requirements for graduates to apply for licensure in all 50 states and all U.S. territories. Bethel University’s Physician Assistant Program is currently accredited by the ARC-PA. The program will monitor the NCCPA and the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) websites for changes in these requirements. https://www.aapa.org/advocacy-central/state-advocacy/state-laws-and-regulations/
Each individual state governs the practice of medicine and the issuance of medical licenses within that state. Therefore, the rules, regulations, and specific requirements for procuring a license to practice as a physician assistant will vary from state to state. The state specific rules and regulations governing the issuance of a license to practice as a physician assistant for all states are below (listed by state) and can be found at http://www.nccpa.net/stateboards.
The State Licensing Requirements should indicate if the program curriculum Meets the requirements in these states and US Territories or Does NOT Meet the requirement in these states and US Territories.
