Postgraduate Accreditation Process
Accreditation of postgraduate residency programs is voluntary and serves as one method of external validation and quality assessment. It’s important to note that additional specialty education and training acquired through formal postgraduate PA programs or residencies are not mandatory for successful physician-PA teams to deliver specialty medical and/or surgical care.
The ARC-PA recognizes that the current accreditation process demands significant labor and resources from programs and may not be the primary focus for the sponsoring institution. Program directors, given their other responsibilities in patient care and workload, may face challenges in dedicating their full time and resources to develop and sustain a successful program.
Postgraduate Residency Programs* interested in applying for accreditation must inform the ARC-PA by submitting the Postgraduate Applicant Information Form. Upon receipt of this notification the program will be placed on a subcommission agenda and will receive an official application. The ARC-PA Postgraduate Accreditation Sub-Commission will review the program’s applications and determine whether the program may be awarded Provisional Accreditation.
If the program is awarded Provisional Accreditation, the program will be scheduled for a more thorough review and determination of Continued Accreditation status. This subsequent review will include an additional application, self-study report and site visit. The information obtained through this process will be reviewed by the subcommission and an accreditation determination will be made.
Flowchart of the Accreditation Process
*Institutions with multiple clinical postgraduate programs will need to undergo separate accreditation processes for each program in which it seeks accreditation.