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SEU Launches New Physician Assistant Program

SEU Launches New Physician Assistant Program

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Master of Science in Physician Assistant program at SEU to prepare graduates for one of the fastest-growing and in-demand jobs in healthcare today

Morristown, N.J. (July 23, 2019) – With an aging population and a looming shortage of doctors and nurses, the United States is facing skyrocketing demand for physician assistants (PAs) to provide routine medical diagnosis and care. Saint Elizabeth University is answering the call for trained professionals in this highly-skilled specialty with a new degree, the Master of Science in Physician Assistant, with the first class to begin in October 2019.

One of just four programs in New Jersey, SEU's 28-month MS PA program provides a rigorous curriculum that aims to equip graduates with strong medical knowledge, as well as the critical thinking, interpersonal and communication skills that define effective practitioners.

"The launch of the PA program is a significant achievement, especially for the size of a school such as Saint Elizabeth University," said Dr. Helen J. Streubert, president of SEU. "We are proud that this new program not only continues SEU's longstanding tradition in the area of healthcare education, but also underscores SEU's mission to provide leadership through service to others started by the Sisters of Charity nearly 120 years ago."

Newly-renovated space in Henderson Hall houses the new program. Funded through a $5 million bequest from the estate of 1951 graduate Antoinette Anastasia, the area offers students real-life clinical experiences with state-of-the art classrooms and a 12-bed clinical assessment lab, as well as a Simulation Center with interactive mannequins and task-trainers, six standardized patient evaluation rooms, virtual dissection tables and a video-capture system to provide students with immediate feedback on their patient interaction skills.

"The students we will be enrolling are coming to Saint Elizabeth University with a passion to bring medical care to a patient population that is underserved," said Dr. Medea Y. Valdez, director of the PA program at SEU. "Through this new program, we will be transforming students' lives and they in turn will transform the lives of those in need of medical care."

The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Provisional* status to the Saint Elizabeth University Physician Assistant Program sponsored by Saint Elizabeth University.

For more information about the program, visit www.steu.edu/mspa.


*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 appear 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 PA Program's accreditation history can be found at: http://www.arc-pa.org/accreditation-history-st-elizabeth-university/.