Carson-Newman introduces physician assistant program

^{Byron Turkett, founding director of Carson-Newman University’s physician assistant program, talks with Khya Allen, a senior biochemistry major from Etowah who is interested in applying.}

(May 2, 2019) JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — Carson-Newman University is offering graduate students the opportunity to enter high-wage jobs within the burgeoning healthcare field.

The University’s new Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies is now accepting students for the first cohort, which begins May 2020, pending provisional accreditation by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant.

The program will be the only physician assistant program in the state that students could complete in just 24 months, according to Founding Director Byron Turkett.

“Physician assistants are in high demand, and even at entry level, these are high-paying opportunities,” Turkett said. “Our prayer is that this program benefits not only the students who enroll but the communities they will serve as well.”

The program’s mission is to prepare and graduate well-trained, competent, patient-centric medical professionals in a Christian community who are compassionate servant-leaders and advocates for their patients, profession and community.

Enrolled students will complete a year of pre-clinical education before a final year in various clinical environments.

Graduates will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination and will be able to apply for licensure through the Board of Medical Examiners in the state in which they desire to practice medicine.

For additional information, call 865-471-4468, email paprogram@cn.edu or visit: cn.edu/pa

Founded in 1851, Carson-Newman is a Christian liberal arts university located in Jefferson City, Tennessee, among the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. The University has over 2,500 students and offers 50 undergraduate majors, as well as associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees.