Physician Assistant Studies Program Begins at MGH Institute of Health Professions

The first students in the Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS) program* at MGH Institute of Health Professions began classes on May 18.

The 25-month, full-time program will prepare its first 40 students for a career as a physician assistant, one of the fastest-growing professions in the country.

“The opportunities for interprofessional education at the Institute, combined with training in the nation’s preeminent health care institutions in the Greater Boston area, offer a unique educational experience for our students,” said Program Director Lisa K. Walker. “Students in the Institute’s PA program will learn how to be highly effective members of health care teams, prepared to meet the needs of patients and employers in a variety of settings.”

The Class of 2017 consists of 40 exceptional students from Massachusetts and beyond. They represent 15 states, and have an average of over 1,600 hours of health care experience – far exceeding the minimum of 1,000 hours required to apply to the program.

The PA program joins three other graduate programs in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (SHRS): occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech-language pathology. The School of Nursing offers several degree programs as well.

“Our new Master of Physician Assistant Studies degree is designed for the person who wants to become a physician assistant leader, contributing to the future growth of the profession and the well-being of the public,” said SHRS Dean Leslie Portney. “We welcome our newest students and celebrate the start of an important program that will bring a distinctive perspective to our rehabilitation and nursing teams.”

Features of the program include:

• Active, team-based learning in state-of-the-art, high-tech classrooms,
• On-site simulation and health assessment labs,
• Hands-on practice in Boston’s leading clinical and educational institutions,
• Interprofessional learning with students and practitioners across the health professions, and
• Emphasis on primary care with the knowledge and skills to practice in a variety of inpatient and outpatient settings.

Physician assistants are nationally certified and state-licensed professionals who practice medicine in collaboration with physicians and other health care professionals to provide primary and specialty care. PAs diagnose and educate patients, prescribe medications and perform a variety of medical procedures.

Employment for physician assistants is among the fastest-growing sectors of the economy. In 2015, the career site GlassDoor reports it is the best job in America, while Forbes lists physician assistants as the country’s most promising job.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median mid-career salary for a physician assistant is almost $96,000. In addition, the bureau reports that the field is projected to grow by 30 percent over the next 10 years – much faster than the average for all professions.

Upon completing the program, graduates will be eligible to take the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE), and become a licensed physician assistant.

*The ARC-PA has granted Accreditation-Provisional status to the Master of Physician Assistant Studies Program sponsored by The MGH Institute of Health Professions. 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.