Mission
The ARC-PA protects the interests of the public and the PA profession, including current and prospective PA learners, by defining the accreditation standards and evaluating PA educational programs to ensure their compliance with those standards.
Philosophy
The ARC-PA protects the interests of the public and the PA profession, including current and prospective PA learners, by defining the accreditation standards and evaluating PA educational programs to ensure their compliance with those standards.
High quality education for all physician assistants best serves the interests of both the public and the PA profession
Continual self-study is the foundation for improving quality in the content and processes of education
PA program accreditation must
- be voluntary, private, and non-governmental
- encourage efforts toward maximal educational effectiveness
- be built on mutual trust among all parties involved
- be devoid of conflict of interest
- assure due process
The ARC-PA derives its identity from
- its history
- its involvement with other accreditation organizations
- its collaborating organizations
- the PA profession
The role of the ARC-PA is to effectuate a fair, consistent, and transparent process by
- establishing educational standards utilizing broad-based input
- defining and administering the process for a comprehensive review of applicant programs
- defining and administering the process for accreditation decision-making
- determining PA educational programs’ compliance with the established standards
- working collaboratively with its collaborating organizations
- defining and administering a process for appeal of accreditation decisions
Goals
- to foster excellence in PA education through the development of uniform national standards for educational effectiveness
- to foster excellence in PA programs by requiring continuous self-study and review
- to assure the general public, as well as professional, educational, and licensing agencies and organizations that accredited programs have met defined educational standards
- to provide information to individuals, groups, and organizations regarding PA program accreditation
Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors (ASPA)
The ARC-PA is a member of ASPA, and as such, subscribes to its code of ethics as posted on the ASPA web site
