Yale University Online Physicians Assistant Degree?

[clep3705]

I'm implying that Georgetown was able to incorporate clinicals. Yale was proposing something similar. The license has nothing to do with it.

The license has everything to do with it. A nurse in graduate school has a lot of knowledge and a lot of clinical experience that was obtained on the way to that initial licensure. The graduate level clinical training is additional training, not initial training. The entry level PA student doesn't have that initial foundational knowledge.

There is a reason the onsite in-person clinical model persists. When students do clinicals in the same locale as the school, the quality control of clinical training is much easier to scale and maintain. That is lost when individual students are having clinical experiences in remote locations. When a clinical cohort is supervised by a faculty member at a hospital, there are conferences right before reporting to the floor and right after. That's not going to happen in the remote model. There's a lot of learning that takes place student to student at large university affiliated hospitals. Having peers to discuss things with is important.

Direct entry MSN programs first put the student through either a BSN program or the equivalent thereof. The student becomes an RN before beginning advanced practice training. Some programs grant the BSN along the way, others don't and grant only the MSN at the end. The total number of semester hours might be less than a traditional BSN followed by a traditional MSN, but there aren't any clinical shortcuts.

[sanantone]

I'd expect to see THIS kind of model ahead of anything else. It used to be that PA programs were typically not graduate level, so there were (are) tons of PAs that don't hold master's degrees (as is true with nurses who are RNs) so offering the grad degree is really just credentialing those already doing the job (as opposed to starting them from scratch and providing the training).

Stanford currently uses this exact model. They offer an ASSOCIATES DEGREE (!) for PAs General Information - Primary Care Associate Program - Stanford University School of Medicine and then if you want your masters, you take it completely online Online Master of Medical Science - Pennsylvania | Saint Francis University.

I assume somewhere along the way the person must pick up their bachelor's (maybe TESC LOL?)

That would be more like the model they have for pharmacists, physical therapists, and occupational therapists. When those programs were moved up to the masters and doctoral level, transition programs started springing up everywhere so that those who were licensed with undergraduate degrees or certificates could make themselves more competitive. There are actually quite a few online transition programs for pharmacists. Nursing is different because you can still become licensed with an associate's degree. But, all of this is moot because there are distance learning nursing programs for those who aren't licensed.

[Prloko]

Update:

I had sent a request for info to Yale on the program a couple weeks back. Apparently, they are still working on getting approval for the program. Here is the email that was sent to me:

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Dear XXXXX,


Thank you for your interest in the new online PA degree from the Yale School of Medicine Physician Associate Program. We are excited to offer a new program to aspiring PAs that will be of the same quality and rigor as Yale’s renowned on-campus program.



More information about the admissions requirements, curriculum, accreditation, and online learning experience will be available on our website in the future. We will let you know once the exact date has been determined.



In the interim, we have provided answers to several frequently asked questions based on the information currently available:



When will the program be accredited?

We are in the process of developing a plan to present to the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) for program accreditation.



In which states will this program be authorized to operate?

We strive to offer students across the country the chance to earn a Master of Medical Science from the Yale School of Medicine Physician Associate Program. However, because of state laws and regulations, we are required to register with each state agency and seek approval to offer our program to their residents. We will be seeking approval in all states. When we begin formally recruiting for the program, we will have more information on a state-by-state basis.



What are the admissions requirements?

The admissions requirements for PA Online are identical to those of Yale’s on-campus program and can be found on the main PA Program website at paprogram.yale.edu.



Will there be a requirement to come to campus at any time?

Yes, students will attend three immersion experiences at the main campus located in New Haven, CT. These immersions will allow students to develop hands-on clinical skills, work in small groups, and meet classmates and faculty in person. More information on the immersion experience will be available on our website once we begin recruiting for the program.



Where will clinical rotations take place?

PA Online placement specialists will work with students to secure clinical rotation sites in or near their communities. Students will be supervised by a preceptor who is selected and approved by the Yale PA Program and will complete their rotations in health care settings such as inpatient hospitals, operating rooms, emergency rooms, private practice offices, nursing homes/long-term care facilities, and psychiatric facilities.



We look forward to providing more information in the near future. If you have additional questions in the interim, please contact the admissions team at admissions@pa.yale.edu or 844-433-9253.



Sincerely,



PA Online Admissions

Yale School of Medicine Physician Associate Program

admissions@pa.yale.edu

844-433-9253

[Prloko]

Just thought I'd update this. It seems Yale has now received provisional accreditation for the program.

https://paonline.yale.edu/