Back to News 
MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (October 9, 2017) — Milligan College’s Physician Assistant Studies program has been granted provisional accreditation by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA), affirming the program’s quality and ability to move forward with a January 2018 launch date.
The program is housed in the Mountain States Health Alliance Physician Assistant Center at Milligan, made possible through a generous financial investment from the local healthcare system.
“We are deeply grateful for the hard work and leadership of our faculty and the generosity of our regional healthcare partners, especially Mountain States Health Alliance, who has provided both clinical and financial support,” said President Dr. Bill Greer.
Alan Levine, president and chief executive officer of Mountain States, said he was proud to partner with Milligan in its effort to provide a much-needed health care workforce for the region.
“Milligan College has worked hard to develop and commence this new program and Mountain States Health Alliance is proud to have made the investment in, and to support, this important allied health training,” said Levine. “We congratulate the leaders of Milligan for achieving this accreditation milestone. It is no small task to start a program of this magnitude, and we applaud the Milligan team.”
The first class of 26 students is full and has a waiting list, explained program director Andrew Hull, a certified physician assistant. The 28-month 108-credit hour program prepares highly trained healthcare professionals with a foundation in primary care to work with physicians and other members of the healthcare team in a variety of medical specialties. Milligan’s PA program was approved by SACSCOC in July.
“We look forward to training physician assistants as not only excellent healthcare providers, but leaders who serve their patients and their community,” said Hull.
The ARC-PA has granted Accreditation – Provisional status to the Milligan College Physician Assistant Program sponsored by Milligan College. 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.