Physician Assistant Studies

The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status to the University of North Texas Health Science Center Physician Assistant Program sponsored by the University of North Texas Health Science Center. Accreditation-Continued is an accreditation status granted when a currently accredited program is in compliance with the ARC-PA Standards.

Accreditation remains in effect until the program closes or withdraws from accreditation process or until accreditation is withdrawn for failure to comply with the Standards. The approximate date for the next validation review of the program by the ARC-PA will be September, 2024. The review date is contingent upon continued compliance with the Accreditation Standards and ARC-PA policy.

The mission of the Program is to create solutions for a healthier community by preparing graduates with knowledge and skills needed for physician assistant practice, emphasizing primary care medicine and meeting the healthcare needs of underserved populations.

1. Educate physician assistants equipped through academic and clinical training to provide patient care services with appropriate supervision of a licensed physician.

 
2. Provide a course of professional study that provides graduates with appropriate knowledge of physical and mental disease and the skills to accurately and reliably perform the range of health care procedures and duties customarily ascribed to the PA profession.

 
3. Foster development of the intellectual, ethical, and professional attitudes and behaviors that generate trust and respect from the patient population served by the physician assistant.

 
4. Prepare physician assistants with the knowledge, technical capabilities, and judgment necessary to perform in a professional capacity.

 
5. Prepare physician assistants to serve in expanded roles, which meet developing needs in society's health care environment.

 
6. Prepare physician assistants through curriculum, clinical experiences, and role models to provide medical services to underserved patient populations where the supervising physician may be physically located at the practice site or at a site remote from the physician assistant.

 
7. Provide instruction that stresses the role of the physician assistant in health maintenance and preventive medicine while also taking into consideration the social, economic, and ethical aspects of health care delivery.

 
8. Provide didactic and clinical experiences that prepare the physician assistant for dealing with cultural diversity in the patient population.

 
9. Provide educational experiences that promote understanding of the interdependence of health professionals and foster an interdisciplinary team approach to the delivery of health care.

 
10. Prepare the physician assistant with the knowledge and skills needed to perform clinical research activities and projects.

 
11. Prepare physician assistants with the knowledge and skills needed to be life-long learners and design educational activities appropriate for patients, clinical students, and colleagues.

 
12. Provide educational experiences that stimulate active learning in the science and art of medicine and that foster a desire for continued learning as a practicing professional.

1. For UNTHSC PA graduates taking the PA National Certification Examination (PANCE) each year, the percentage of graduates who pass the exam on their first attempt will exceed the national average for similar graduates taking the exam for the first time each year.
   
   
   • Status: In 2015, UNTHSC's graduating PA class obtained a 100% first-time pass rate on the PANCE. PA graduates from UNTHSC have exceeded the national first-time pass rate on the PANCE every year for the past 5 years. For more information on UNTHSC's annual pass rates, to go PANCE Results.


2. A high percentage of graduates will gain employment as a PA after graduation from the Program.
   
   
   • Status: In 2013, we conducted an employment survey of PA Classes of 2009-2013 alumni from UNTHSC. The overall response rate to our survey was 79%. Of the 2009-2012 group, 86% of graduates were employed clinically at the time of the survey. An additional 9% were employed in non-clinical roles. For the recently graduated class of 2013, only 7% of graduates reported they were not yet employed. Based on overall feedback from survey respondents, 96% of UNTHSC's PA graduates over the past 5 years are employed clinically or in job related to research, education and other health-related fields.
   
   
3. Graduates will value their education.
   
   
   • Status: Just prior to graduation, the Program conducts surveys of new graduates asking them to give overall impressions of the Program and the education they have received. Over the past 5 years, these surveys have shown our PA graduates do value their education from UNTHSC. For example, when questioned about "overall quality" of their education, the average ratings spanned from 3.2 to 3.4 on a scale of 1-4, where 3.0 was considered "good" and 4.0 was considered "excellent." When asked how well the program had prepared them to work as a PA, an average of 95.6% of graduates rated their preparation as "good" or "excellent."

The UNTHSC Physician Assistant Department has achieved 100% pass rate on the Physician Assistant National Certification Examination (PANCE) since 2015. Additionally, the percentage of graduates who pass on their first attempt has exceeded the national average for the past 5 years.


View our PANCE Results