UPAP Accreditation

The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status to the Utah Physician Assistant Program sponsored by University of Utah School of Medicine and the Utah Medical Association. Accreditation-Continued is an accreditation status granted when a currently accredited program is in compliance with the ARC-PA Standards.

The program’s accreditation history can be viewed below: 

First accredited: November 1972

Next review: March 2026

Maximum class size: 68 (44 Salt Lake City [MC], 24 St. George [DC])

September 2021

The program’s PANCE pass rate percentage was 85% or less for its 2020 cohort. The program submitted the required analysis of PANCE performance. The commission accepted the report. No further information requested.

June 2020

The commission acknowledged the report providing evidence of The proposed plan in response to COVID-19. No further information requested.

March 2020

The commission accepted the report addressing 4th edition Standards C2.01a-d, modified Self-Study Report (provided evidence of a self-study report that documents a) the program process of ongoing self-assessment, b) results of critical analysis from the ongoing self-assessment, c) faculty evaluation of the curricular and administrative aspects of the program and d) modifications that occurred as a result of self-assessment). No further information requested.

March 2018

Program Change: Expansion to a distant campus (St. George, UT). The commission approved the proposed change. The program is approved to accept a maximum entering class size of 68 (by the third cohort): 16 in the first cohort, 20 in the second cohort and 24 in the third cohort at the distant campus in addition to the class size of 44 at the main campus in Salt Lake City, UT. No further information requested.

September 2017

The program received an alert through the Program Management Portal that the number of students exceeded the maximum entering class size. The program submitted the required Exceeding Class Size report. The commission accepted the report. No further information requested.

July 2016

The commission accepted the report providing evidence of Portal updates of SCPEs and PANCE and the report on the discrepancy in class size. No further information requested.

March 2016

Accreditation-Continued; Next Comprehensive Evaluation: March 2026. Maximum class size: 44. Report due June 1, 2016. Explanation of class size discrepancy and correct supervised clinical practice experiences [SCPEs] and PANCE data in Program Management Portal.

Due July 1, 2019 (Standards, 4th edition) - Standards C2.01a-d, modified Self-Study Report (lacked evidence of a self-study report that documents a) the program process of ongoing self-assessment, b) results of critical analysis from University of Utah the ongoing self-assessment, c) faculty evaluation of the curricular and administrative aspects of the program and d) modifications that occurred as a result of self-assessment).

September 2009

The commission accepted the report addressing 3rd edition Standard B7.04e (provided evidence supervised clinical practice experiences are provided in long-term care settings) and Standard D1.01 (provided evidence student health records are confidential). No further information requested.

Program Change: Change in maximum student capacity (108 to 120), effective May 2009. The commission acknowledged the proposed change.

March 2009

Accreditation-Continued; Next Comprehensive Evaluation: March 2016. Maximum Student Capacity: 108.

Report due July 1, 2009 (Standards, 3rd edition) - Standard B7.04e (lacked evidence supervised clinical practice experiences are provided in long- term care settings) and Standard D1.01 (lacked evidence student health records are confidential). 

September 2006

Program Change: Change in program length (24 to 27 months), effective May 2006. The commission acknowledged the proposed change. No further information requested.

March 2004

The commission acknowledged the report addressing 2nd edition Standard B1.4 (provided evidence learning objectives provide measurable instructional objectives and expected outcomes sufficient to guide student learning), Standard C2.2g (provided evidence the self-study report includes critical analysis of the most recent five-year aggregate student performance on the national certifying examination) and Standard C4.1b (provided evidence the self-study report documents outcome data analysis). No further information requested.

March 2003

Accreditation-Continued; Next Comprehensive Evaluation: March 2009. Maximum Student Capacity: 64. Report due January 14, 2004 (Standards, 2nd edition) - Standard B1.4 (lacked evidence learning objectives provide measurable instructional objectives and expected outcomes sufficient to guide student learning), Standard C2.2g (lacked evidence the self-study report includes critical analysis of the most recent five-year aggregate student performance on the national certifying examination) and Standard C4.1b (lacked evidence the self-study report documents outcome data analysis).University of Utah

March 2001

The commission accepted the report providing evidence of Curriculum changes. No further information requested.

September 2000

Program Change: Change in curriculum (baccalaureate to master’s), effective Fall 2000. The commission acknowledged the program change. Additional information (clarification of curricular changes) requested.

March 2000

The commission accepted the report providing evidence of A complete Self-Study Report. No further information requested.

March 1999

The commission reviewed the report providing evidence of A complete Self-Study Report. Additional information (full Self-Study Report with data and modification linked) due February 1, 2000.

March 1997

Accreditation-Continued; Next Comprehensive Evaluation: March 2003. Report due February 1, 1999 Complete Self-Study Report with data analysis. NOTE: The ARC-PA commission action information available begins in March 1997. Information frominitial accreditation in 1972 by the American Medical Association Council on Medical Education and subsequent accrediting organizations is not available.

Accreditation remains in effect until the program closes or withdraws from the 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 March 2026. The review date is contingent upon continued compliance with the Accreditation Standards and ARC-PA policy.

Link to ARC-PA original document