Page 32 2024–25 Graduate Academic Catalog School of Allied Health and Psychology Master of Medical Science in PA Studies Program Delivery The Physician Assistant program is a full-time, year-round educational experience. The first 12 months are residential on campus (the didactic year) in a classroom format; the first month of the clinical year is also on campus laying further foundation for the clinical year. The clinical year includes nine four-week supervised clinical practice experiences (SCPEs) working directly with a clinical preceptor to learn to care for patients within that discipline. Accreditation requires SCPEs occur in seven specific disciplines; students will complete the additional SCPEs in disciplines based on their preferences, performance in the program, and site availability. Students will also complete the Master's Seminar course series throughout the clinical year in a synchronous, online format. Course Sequencing Students are admitted and enrolled as part of a cohort, completing each semester sequentially. They must successfully complete each course for a given semester to be eligible to enroll in the subsequent semester. Courses are only offered in sequence once per academic year. Advanced Standing/Transfer Credit Per program policy, advanced placement is not granted for previous educational or clinical experience under any circumstances. All program requirements must be satisfactorily fulfilled to be eligible for degree conferral. Professional Accreditation The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the PA (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation - Provisional status to the Cedarville University Physician Assistant program sponsored by Cedarville University. Accreditation - Provisional is an accreditation status granted when the plans and resource allocation, if fully implemented as planned, of a proposed program that has not yet enrolled students appears to demonstrate the program’s ability to meet the ARC-PA Standards or when a program holding accreditation-provisional status appears to demonstrate continued progress in complying with the Standards as it prepares for the graduation of the first class (cohort) of students. Accreditation - Provisional does not ensure any subsequent accreditation status. It is limited to no more than five years from matriculation of the first class. The program's accreditation history can be viewed on the ARC-PA website at arc-pa.org/ accreditation-history-cedarville-university. Licensure Eligibility to practice as a PA is determined by the state law in which you intend to practice. At a minimum, this will require both national certification (by successfully passing the Physician Assistant National Certification Exam (PANCE) provided through the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA)) and graduation from a program accredited by the Accreditation Review Commissions on PA Education (ARC-PA). For additional details, review the licensure requirements for each state published by the American Academy of PAs (AAPA) online at cedarville.edu/PAlicensing. Prospective students should be aware that each state and U.S. territory may have different professional licensure requirements governing various occupations. Cedarville University ensures that its educational programs meet the educational prerequisites for professional licensure within the State of Ohio; however, if you plan to seek licensure outside of the State of Ohio, you should contact your Cedarville University academic advisor regarding the rules and regulations pertaining to licensure and clinical supervision in your state/territory before beginning the Master of Medical Science in Physician Assistant Studies program. Students are strongly encouraged to check with their state licensure board to confirm licensure requirements and to obtain additional guidance as needed from that board and their Cedarville University academic/program advisor. Admission Standards All students must affirm the Cedarville University doctrinal statement and provide a written profession of faith in Christ. The most up-to-date admissions standards, including selection criteria, are posted on our PA program Admissions webpage at cedarville. edu/paadmissions. Admissions Process Admission to the PA program is a competitive process with a fixed class size. Meeting the minimum standards does not guarantee an interview or acceptance into the program. All applicants must complete the Cedarville Graduate School Application and the program-specific application in the Centralized Application Service for PAs (CASPA) in their entirety (including the general and program-specific fields) to be eligible for review. Applicants MUST meet the outlined program admission standards and prerequisites; no advanced standing or waivers are granted for previous educational or clinical experience. Applications are reviewed by the Program Admissions Committee through four lenses: Cognitive/Academic Preparation, Non-cognitive/Personal Attributes, Healthcare Experience, and Community Service. Applicants that demonstrate the ability to succeed in a rigorous scientific curriculum, adequate healthcare experience to understand the role of a PA, consistent commitment to Christian discipleship and service, and personal qualities essential to the practice of medicine are invited to in-person interviews. Deposit Students offered a seat in the Physician Assistant program have seven calendar days to acknowledge their acceptance and must submit their deposit within 14 calendar days of the acceptance offer to secure their seat in the next cohort. Students who fail to pay the deposit within the required timeframe may forfeit their seat. The reservation deposit for the Physician Assistant program is fully refundable if forfeiture of the accepted seat is received prior to January 15. No refund will be made for withdrawals of acceptance between January 15 and matriculation in the program. Refer to the Reservation Deposit section on page 8 for more detailed information. Onboarding and Orientation Starting in January prior to matriculation, the Physician Assistant program conducts both synchronous and asynchronous activities to onboard and orient incoming students to the University and the program. Activities include attestations and compliance document submission, Canvas resources and activities, and opportunities for an on-campus, in-person engagement with University administration, program personnel, and campus services/resources. Failure to engage in the onboarding process within three weeks of notification or failure to complete the required components by the stated deadlines communicates from the student a lack of interest in and/or commitment to the program; in such cases, the Physician Assistant program reserves the right to rescind their acceptance and offer the seat to alternate candidates.
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