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Physician Assistant, MS: Accreditation & Program Data 

Professional Accreditation, Certification, and Licensure

Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant - Logo

The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status to the SUNY Upstate Medical University Physician Assistant Program sponsored by the State University of New York. Accreditation-Continued is an accreditation status granted when a currently accredited program is in compliance with the ARC-PA Standards.

Accreditation remains in effect until the program closes or withdraws from the accreditation process or until accreditation is withdrawn for failure to comply with the Standards. The approximate date for the next validation review of the program by the ARC-PA will be September 2026. The review date is contingent upon continued compliance with the Accreditation Standards and ARC-PA policy.

Program accreditation is a requirement for the Physician Assistant National Certification Exam (PANCE) as well as for physician assistant practice in the United States. Students enrolled in an accredited program are eligible to take the PANCE.

The program's accreditation history may be viewed on the ARC-PA site.

NCCPA Pass Rate 2019-2024

 


PA Program Enrollment & Graduation Data

Graduation Rate

Cohort Admitted Graduated Percentage
Class of 2019 35 35 100%
Class of 2020 34 32 94.1%
Class of 2021 35 34 97.1%
Class of 2022 35 33 94.3%
Class of 2023 36 (35 new + 1 decelerated) 34 94.4%
5 Year Average 175 168 96.0%

NCCPA Board Pass Rate

Cohort First Time Test Takers Number of Exams Passed on First Attempt Upstate First Time Pass Rate - % Upstate PA Program Overall Pass Rate - # candidates Upstate PA Program % of Candidates Who Ultimately Passed
Class of 2019 35 34 97% 35 100%
Class of 2020 32 28 88% 32 100%
Class of 2021 34 31 91% 33 100%
Class of 2022 33 32 97% 31 100%
Class of 2023 34 30 88% 34 100%
5 Year Average 168 155 92.2% 168 100%

 

Attrition Rate

Cohort Admitted Program Completion - # Students Program Attrition - # Students Percent Attrition
Class of 2019 35 35 0 0.0%
Class of 2020 34 32 2 5.9%
Class of 2021 35 34 1 2.9%
Class of 2022 35 33 2 5.7%
Class of 2023 36 (35 new + 1 decelerated) 34 2 5.6%
5 Year Average 175
168
7 4.0%

Employment Rate

(Of all graduates who sought employment, # employed within 4 months of graduation)

Cohort #  graduates employed / # graduates Percent of graduates employed
Class of 2019 35/35 100%
Class of 2020 32/32 100%
Class of 2021 34/34 100%
Class of 2022 33/33 100%
Class of 2023 34/34 100%
5 Year Average 168/168
100%

 

Graduate Employment in Primary Care

Primary Care includes Family Med, General Internal Medicine, OB/GYN and Pediatrics

(# employed in Primary Care within 12 months of graduation)

Cohort Primary Care: # grads working in primary care / total # graduates Primary Care: % graduates working in primary care
Class of 2019 7/35 20.0%
Class of 2020 5/35 15.6%
Class of 2021 6/34 17.6%
Class of 2022 5/33 15.2%
Class of 2023 8/34 23.5%
5 Year Average 31/168 18.5%

Graduates' Community of Origin & Community Setting for First PA Position

Community setting for first PA position within 12 months of graduation

Cohort Rural: # grads originating from rural communities / total # graduates Rural: % grads originating from rural communities Rural: # grads who return to rural / # grads who originate from rural Rural: % grads who return to rural hometown Rural: # grads working in rural communities Rural: % grads working in rural communities
Class of 2019 6/35 17.1% 4/6 66.7% 7/35 20.0%
Class of 2020 8/32 25.0% 3/8 37.5% 10/32 31.2%
Class of 2021 7/34 20.6% 5/7 66.7% 5/34 14.7%
Class of 2022 8/33 24.2% 5/8 62.5% 6/33 18.2%
Class of 2023 9/34 26.5% 3/9 33.3% 12/34 35.3%
5 Year Average 38/168 22.6% 20/38 52.6% 38/168 22.6%
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