Physician Assistant
Gilbert Boissonneault, PhD, PA-C, Program Director 

Faculty are listed on the web at:

http://academicdepartments.musc.edu/chp/directory/index.htm
 
Introduction
The Physician Assistant (PA) Program re-established in 1994 is the only PA training program in South Carolina. The University instituted a MEDEX program in the 1970s which was later re-established in its current form as a PA training program to help meet the diverse health care needs of South Carolina. The program admits a group of students beginning May of each year into its two-year (27 months) curriculum. The students are awarded a Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies (MSPAS) degree upon completion of the program’s academic requirements. Fifteen months of didactic coursework and one year of clinical education are closely supervised by full- and part-time faculty.

Accreditation
The MUSC Physician Assistant Program is fully accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant Education (ARC-PA).  The ARC-PA is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). The American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Physician Assistants, American College of Physicians, American College of Surgeons, American Medical Association, and Physician Assistant Education Association all cooperate with the ARC-PA as collaborating organizations to establish, maintain, and promote appropriate standards of quality for entry level education of physician assistants (PAs) and to provide recognition for educational programs that meet the minimum requirements outlined in these standards.

A complete listing of accredited programs is available online at http://arc-pa.org by selecting the link for Accredited Programs. The ARC-PA is located at 12000 Findley Road, Suite 240, Duluth, GA 30097 and can be contacted by mail, telephone (770-476-1224), or fax (770-476-1738).