Findlay, Ohio, May 11, 2000 – The University of Findlay’s physician assistant program has received accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP).

The first class of nine physician assistant students, who began the program in fall 1998, will graduate from UF May 12. Students must graduate from an accredited program in order to sit for the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination. This exam is good for licensure and registration in almost every state in which physician assistants practice. The nine graduates will finish clinical clerkships in August and sit for the exam in October.

In addition to filing the paperwork for accreditation, UF’s physician assistant program was visited by the Accreditation Review Committee for Physician Assistant, an independent organization that works with CAAHEP on the accreditation process.

Students who entered the physician assistant program prior to its accreditation were put through an informed consent process, where they were made to understand that the University would take all reasonable steps to achieve accreditation status but that accreditation was not assured. A class of 15 students just completed their first year in the physician assistant program, and another class of 16 students will begin the program in fall 2000.

According to Dr. Paul Davis, physician assistant program director and medical director, "the process of accreditation has benefited the physician assistant program. It allowed us to take a really good look at what we were doing and allowed us to focus on how to do things better. We definitely have a better program having gone through the accreditation process."

In addition to Dr. Davis, the physician assistant program also employs three other professionals. Kay Ericson, PA-C, is the academic coordinator. Ed Matthes, PA-C, has been the clinical coordinator since July 1998. He will be replaced with Dennis Anderson, PA-C, of Fort Wayne, Ind. Joe Spears, MPAS, PA-C, is a full-time instructor in the program.

In order to be eligible for admission to the physician assistant program, students must complete 500 hours in some type of patient care setting, have a grade point average of 2.75 or above and take the Allied Health Profession Admissions Test. Students must also complete a number of general education requirements, University competencies and program-specific courses.

Physician assistants provide direct medical care to patients and are qualified to perform about 80 percent of the duties most commonly done by physicians. They work in 49 of the 50 states in a wide range of medical settings. Physician assistants always work in collaboration with a physician and can have a variety of responsibilities.

According to the 15th Annual Report on PA Programs published by the American Academy of Physician Assistants, about 71 percent of all 1998 graduates from physician assistant programs were employed as physician assistants in less than a year. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the number of physician assistant jobs will increase by 48 percent between 1998 and 2008. BLS also projects an overall job increase of 14 percent during the same period.

For more information about UF’s physician assistant program, call the Office of Admission at 419-434-4732 or 1-800-548-0932.