HPU’s Master of Medical Science-Physician Assistant program is the first and only program delivered out of a Hawai'i institution. (Pictured right: Leocadia Conlon).
HPU is proud to announce that its Master of Medical Science-Physician Assistant (MMS-PA) Program has been granted accreditation-provisional status by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). This significant milestone marks the first Hawaiʻi-based PA program dedicated to serving the state's communities and underscores the dedication and quality of its faculty and staff as they meet ARC-PA’s rigorous educational standards.
“The ARC-PA is the only accrediting body for PA education, setting high standards to ensure PA graduates are well-prepared to deliver high-quality medical care,” said HPU PA Program Director, Associate Professor Leocadia Conlon, PhD, MPH, PA-C. “This achievement was made possible by the vision and direction of HPU leadership, the support of our community, and the talent and dedication of our faculty and staff. We are committed to providing a superior educational experience, fostering student success, and growing a PA workforce to fill critical gaps in Hawaiʻi’s healthcare system and underserved communities.”
The HPU PA program is currently accepting applications for its first cohort of 30 students, set to begin in January 2025. The interest has been overwhelming, with many highly qualified candidates applying. Accreditation-provisional status allows HPU to offer the MMS-PA degree and qualifies graduates to sit for the national board exam administered by the National Commission on the Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA). Passing this exam is essential for licensure to practice as a PA in the U.S. and its territories.
HPU’s PA program is a 24-month curriculum comprising a didactic education phase with lecture, small group problem-based learning, and hands-on instruction in clinical skills, and a clinical education phase where students complete over 2,000 supervised clinical hours across seven core medical disciplines that includes family medicine, pediatrics, surgical medicine, emergency medicine, internal medicine/inpatient, behavioral health, and OBGYN. This comprehensive general medical education enables PA graduates to enter both primary and specialty care practices in collaboration with physicians.
HPU’s program also stands out as one of the few PA programs in the U.S. with a hybrid delivery model for the didactic phase of study. The innovative hybrid model includes remote and in-person learning with daily synchronous and asynchronous instruction and planned intensive one-two week immersion experiences at the downtown Honolulu campus for instruction and assessment of clinical skills. This innovative model reduces living expenses, eliminating the need for students from neighbor islands to move to Honolulu, and/or for students with a connection to Hawaiʻi who have moved to the continental U.S.
“We are interested in students who are passionate about serving the communities of Hawaiʻi, and we recognize that may include individuals who are from Hawaiʻi but have moved, or have family or heritage in Hawaiʻi but currently reside in another state”, says HPU Dean of the Graduate College of Health Sciences, Professor Tricia Catalino, PT, DSc. “A hybrid program eliminates the need for making a major move for graduate school. With a mission to serve communities in Hawaiʻi, we hope this will encourage graduates to return to the islands after graduation to care for our communities.”
The PA profession was created by physicians in the 1960s to address physician shortages in the U.S. "Dr. Eugene Stead, the founder of the PA profession, established the first PA program at Duke University with a vision of educating PAs to work side-by-side with physicians. This ongoing collaboration and team-based care are central to PA practice," Conlon said.
Conlon emphasized the commitment and passion of PAs, stating, "The reward of being a PA educator is seeing students passionate about serving underserved communities and improving lives. Nationally, over 168,000 NCCPA-certified PAs care for more than 10 million patients weekly across all medical specialties and settings. Although Hawaiʻi has only 0.3% of the nation’s PAs, the profession is growing rapidly, with significant growth in recent years."
In Hawaiʻi, 37% of PAs work in primary care, compared to the national average of 24%, highlighting their dedication to meeting the state’s critical need for primary care providers. PAs also fill essential roles in specialty practices, and the presence of a PA program in Hawaiʻi is expected to further expand PA practice in all areas. PA practice in Hawaiʻi has grown by 36% between 2016 and 2020, with county-specific growth of 105% in Hawaiʻi County, 114% in Kauai County, and 35% in Maui County. This growth reflects the increasing recognition of the role PAs play in extending access to healthcare and improving patient outcomes.
With a strong foundation in general medical education, PAs can work in any setting aligned with the specialty of the supervising physician with whom they collaborate and further hone their expertise. PAs are also able to change medical specialties, allowing the profession to be nimble to fill gaps in care in the dynamic healthcare landscape.
Conlon stated, “It is an understatement to say that PAs impact lives and improve health outcomes. PAs have become a vital part of the healthcare workforce, and there are numerous examples where PA practice and incorporating PAs into the healthcare team elevates patient care.”
Research by the Harris Poll in 2023, conducted online among over 2,500 adults in various states, demonstrated trust in the ability of PAs to provide safe and effective healthcare. Specifically, 90% or more of participants agreed that PAs add value to healthcare teams, that PAs are trusted healthcare providers, and that PAs are part of the solution to address the shortage of healthcare providers (The Harris Poll, 2023, The Patient Experience: Perspectives on Today’s Healthcare).
“Having a PA program offered by a Hawaiʻi-based institution will foster further growth of the PA profession and increase recognition of the vital role of PAs in healthcare. We are excited to start this vital program and important work,” said Conlon.
To learn more about the HPU PA program, click here.
The ARC-PA has granted Accreditation-Provisional status to the Hawaiʻi Pacific University Master of Medical Science-Physician Assistant Program sponsored by Hawaii Pacific University.
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.
The program’s accreditation history can be viewed on the ARC-PA website at https://www.arc-pa.org/accreditation-history-hawaii-pacific-university/.
