For the second straight year, Taylor University will add to the much-needed healthcare professional pipeline by launching a Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies.
On June 17, the University received word that it had been granted provisional accreditation for its PA program by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA), the national accrediting body for the occupation.
The new program comes on the heels of the inaugural year of Taylor’s School of Nursing, which last fall was granted initial accreditation by the Indiana State Board of Nursing.
Approximately 179,000 physician assistants work as clinicians licensed to practice medicine throughout the United States. Working collaboratively with physicians, they are trained to diagnose and treat patients in every medical specialty and setting. Lori Fauquher, PA-C, associate professor of PA studies, will oversee the new Taylor program.
“Taylor’s initial MSPAS cohort of 40 students—selected out of 300+ applicants—will tackle a dense curriculum of 112 credit hours over 27 months,” Fauquher said. “It’s a rigorous and comprehensive course of study that will include four semesters of didactic coursework as well as nine four-week clinical rotations with more than 20 Indiana healthcare entities supporting Taylor’s expansion in healthcare training.”
The Taylor PA graduates will face bright job prospects. There is a severe shortage of healthcare workers across the board that will only intensify with America’s ever-aging population. Nationally, the median salary for physician assistants is more than $130,000.
Fauquher, a practicing PA, noted that a key hallmark of Taylor’s approach is a strong emphasis on what is known as “lifestyle medicine”—using therapeutic lifestyle interventions as a principal means of treating chronic conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. For Taylor, a Christian university, the emphasis on holistic behavioral changes along with traditional medicine also reinforces the biblically informed emphasis on caring for the whole person.
Incoming PA student Emily Broadstock, from Anderson, Missouri, had this to say about starting Taylor’s program this fall.
“I am incredibly excited to begin my journey towards becoming a PA at Taylor University. What truly set TU apart for me was the unique integration of faith and medicine. The six pillars of lifestyle medicine, a holistic approach to health, the intentional development of servant-leadership qualities, and the program's grounding in a strong university community built on faith were integral factors in my decision to choose Taylor University. From the moment I set foot on campus in Upland, I knew that I had found a new home. I believe that caring for patients is about more than just treating symptoms; it's about caring for the whole person - mind, body, and spirit. Taylor's commitment to integrating Christ into medicine aligns perfectly with my personal values and my desire to practice medicine with compassion and purpose."
The MSPAS graduate program will be housed in the newly renovated Randall Center as its home base. Additionally, they will have a dedicated simulation lab in a medical facility adjacent to campus. The MSPAS lab will include four clinic rooms, an OR/ICU simulation room, and an inpatient simulation room.
“We’ve been blessed with state-of-the-art facilities, a strong core faculty, and an outstanding staff who feel called to be part of this program,” Fauquher said. “It is an honor to teach medicine from a Christ-centered perspective, and I am proud of the caliber of experience our program will offer.”
Click here for more information on Taylor’s Physician Assistant Studies program.
Official Accreditation Statement from the ARC-PA:
The ARC-PA has granted Accreditation-Provisional status to the Taylor University Physician Assistant Program. 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.
