Butler University PA Program

History

In the early 1990s, the report of the Indiana Health Care Commission noted that many areas of Indiana were medically underserved. During this same period, Methodist Hospital expanded its mission of “curing disease and rescuing from disaster” to include “delivering primary care services” and the Butler University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences recognized an educational void in Indiana. The creation of the PA Program, co-sponsored by Methodist Hospital and Butler University, was recognized as a way to address all of these issues and program development commenced in 1992.

The PA Program admitted its first class of nine students in January 1995 and this class graduated in August 1996 with a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences. In 2006, the Program matriculated its first

Master’s degree granting class. Graduates have been awarded a Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS) degree since 2006. (Accreditation Standard A1.02e)

Today, the PA Program is operated solely by Butler University (Accreditation Standard A1.01) and most aspects of didactic training occur on the Butler University campus. (Accreditation Standard A1.08) Beginning with the 2015 summer term, the PA Program transitioned to a class size of 75 and a 24-month graduate only program awarding the MPAS degree. The new MPAS program replaced the previous 33-month undergraduate-graduate program. The transition to a graduate only curriculum was designed to maintain a strong academic curriculum, address the cost of education, and promote opportunities for graduate scholarships while continuing to exceed accreditation standards.

The PA Program is fully accredited by the ARC-PA. (Accreditation Standard A3.12a) Upon completion of the Program, graduates are eligible to sit for the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE) administered by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA).

The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status to the Butler University Physician Assistant Program sponsored by Butler University. 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remains in effect until the program closes or withdraws from the accreditation process or until accreditation is withdrawn for failure to comply with the Standards.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 March 2027. The review date is contingent upon continued compliance with the Accreditation Standards and ARC-PA policy.

Program of Study

The PA Program is designed to provide an understanding of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes used as a PA. The MPAS graduate-only curriculum is twenty-four consecutive months. The first twelve months of the Program are devoted to didactic studies in the basic medical, clinical, and behavioral sciences. The remaining twelve months focus on the clinical experiences in primary care, and medical and surgical specialties.

The didactic curriculum is integrated to introduce the student to medical sciences as they relate to specific organ systems and clinical problems. Learning strategies include the traditional lecture format, interactive classroom activities, basic science laboratory, hybrid classes, small group tutorials, and patient case discussions. Regular patient contact is an important part of the Program. Students begin to see patients early during the didactic year. Standardized patient evaluations, through simulation and actors, are also a part of the didactic curriculum.

As part of the clinical curriculum, students participate in rotations and didactic course work. Students are required to participate in core rotations in Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, General Surgery, Internal Medicine, Mental Health, Pediatrics, and Women’s Health in addition to one elective. In the clinical year, students also participate in Core Topics, Issues of Professional Practice, and the Summative Practicum to prepare them for transition into clinical practice. Because the clinical teaching is carried out in many practice settings throughout the country, students should anticipate travel, at their own cost, to sites in and around Central Indiana for their clinical experiences to fulfill these requirements.

Mission Statement

The Butler University PA Program mission is to produce graduates with a foundation in primary care to deliver high quality, patient-centered care in a wide variety of clinical settings.

Goals

(Approved by PA faculty on 08/20/2024)

  1. Select highly qualified applicants through the admissions process who will successfully complete our PA Program.
  2. Ensure entry-level competency in primary care.
  3. Prepare students to care for a diverse patient population.
  4. Foster interprofessional collaborations in clinical practice.
  5. Cultivate an atmosphere of professionalism.