Bryant’s PA program provides an important state and regional resource for professional education for needed health care providers.

SMITHFIELD, RI – Bryant University’s Master of Science in Physician Assistant (PA) Studies program is the first in Rhode Island to be granted full accreditation by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA), earning “Accreditation-Continued” status. 

Here are five reasons why having a fully accredited PA program in Rhode Island is important to the state and region:

1. Health care is a growing sector of the economy
The healthcare industry is currently almost 18 percent of Gross Domestic Product and expected to create 5.6 million more jobs by 2020. Bryant’s PA program provides an important local and regional resource for professional education for health care jobs.

2. Achieving the highest standards of academic and health care excellence
This rigorous full accreditation for Bryant’s PA program is a distinction that has proven especially challenging for the state’s PA programs to achieve, and Bryant’s program is the first PA program in RI to earn it.

3. Helping Rhode Islanders pursue education and careers where there is community need
In today’s health care environment, there is a shortage of primary care providers and a distinct need for other types of providers, especially physician assistants, particularly in hospital medicine. The need for providers and the growth of the physician assistant profession creates an opportunity for Rhode Islanders and New Englanders who want to pursue a career in health care and contribute to communities where there is need. People come from all over the country for Bryant’s PA program, and many stay to find jobs and contribute to regional economies.

4. Integration of health care and business best practices
Bryant offers an integrative approach to health care education that includes a business component and provides a competitive advantage for graduates for job placement and for developing successful practices. Bryant’s PA program features high-tech classrooms, laboratories, and equipment. Learning spaces include two physician assistant classrooms, a high-fidelity simulation laboratory, and a physical examination laboratory. Students also study gross human anatomy at Brown University in its award-winning medical education building in downtown Providence. The program introduces students to the management principles of medical practice – from quality management to organizational governance. This unique focus on business fundamentals is critical in today’s complex and fast-changing health care environment.

5. Part of the solution to complex health care challenges
The increasing demands for high-quality care at manageable costs are driving the need for business leaders and practitioners to work collaboratively and think across disciplines to improve outcomes. With an integrated approach, which is consistent with Bryant’s overall approach to education, the U.S. health care industry can lead the way to creating integrative, scalable solutions that can be adapted and implemented around the world, allowing even better quality care at reduced prices with better results.

As the School of Health Sciences continues to grow, Bryant University will be a resource regionally and ultimately nationwide to physicians and other health care providers, hospitals and health care delivery systems on how best to respond to the changing dynamics in the practice of medicine.

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For 155 years, Bryant University has been at the forefront of delivering an exceptional education that anticipates the future and prepares students to be innovative leaders of character in a changing world. Bryant delivers an innovative and uniquely integrated business and liberal arts education that inspires students to excel. With approximately 3,700 graduate and undergraduate students from 38 states and 53 countries, Bryant is recognized as a leader in international education and regularly receives top rankings from U.S. News and World Report, Bloomberg Businessweek, Forbes, and Barron's. Visit www.Bryant.edu.