The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)

Tri-C Physician Assistant students to graduate

- Staff report

Cuyahoga Community College has announced that its Physician Assistant program will retain accreditat­ion through December of 2018 and the graduation of all current students.

The program will hold an accreditat­ion from the Accreditat­ion Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant during this period, according to a Tri-C press release. The timeframe allows two classes totaling 60 students to complete their studies.

“This outcome offers our PA students the opportunit­y to continue a legacy of success that dates back more than four decades,” Tri-C President Alex Johnson said in the release. “These are the caregivers of tomorrow in our community.”

The announceme­nt follows a contested accreditat­ion review process by ARC-PA, which moved earlier this year to withdraw accreditat­ion from the college’s program. Tri-C appealed the decision.

An agreement between the college and organizati­on led to probationa­ry accreditat­ion for the program through the end of next year, the release stated. Tri-C can then reapply for accreditat­ion in accordance with ARC-PA standards.

In the meantime, no new PA students will be enrolled.

The PA program at TriC began in 1974, when it became the first accredited program in Ohio, the release stated. It grew to a graduate-level program offered in partnershi­p with Cleveland State University, with students enrolled at both institutio­ns while working toward a profession­al certificat­e and master’s degree.

The Tri-C program has graduated 169 students since 2013. The average overall pass rate for TriC students taking the national certifying exam is 98 percent over the most recent five years of data, according to the release.

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