Physician Assistants
Physician Assistants (PAs), as defined by the American Academy of Physician Assistants, are "health professionals licensed to practice medicine with the supervision of licensed physicians. Physician assistants are qualified by graduation from an accredited physician assistant educational program and certification by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants. Within the physician/PA relationship, physician assistants exercise autonomy in medical decision-making and provide a broad range of diagnostic and therapeutic services.”
The JH Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County/Malcolm X College PA Program
Malcolm X College (MXC), the "beacon college for health sciences education" among the City Colleges of Chicago, is a comprehensive community college. Founded in 1911, it was the first college to be included in the City Colleges of Chicago system. There are eleven allied health professions educational and nursing programs at the college.
The MXC Physician Assistant Program, established in 1987 as a jointly sponsored program between John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County (formerly known as Cook County Hospital) and the City Colleges of Chicago, joined the Health Sciences Department at Malcolm X College in 1992. The Cook County Health and Hospital Systems provide the settings for the majority of clinical instruction for Physician Assistant students. John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County, (JHS) the largest public teaching hospital in the Chicago metropolitan area, is a major tertiary care teaching hospital with a network of ambulatory primary care and specialty clinics. It is accredited by the Joint Commission (JC). Its post-graduate medical education programs, of which there are over twenty-two, are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and the individual Residency Review Committees.
Sponsorship
The Cook County Health and Hospital Systems provides the settings for the majority of clinical instruction for Physician Assistant students. John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County, (JSH) the largest public teaching hospital in the Chicago metropolitan area, is a major tertiary care teaching hospital with a network of ambulatory primary care and specialty clinics. It is accredited by the Joint Commission (JC). Its post-graduate medical education programs, of which there are over twenty-two, are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and the individual Residency Review Committees.
Malcolm X College, the "beacon college for health sciences education" among the City Colleges of Chicago, is a comprehensive community college. Founded in 1911, it was the first college to be included in the City Colleges of Chicago system. There are eleven allied health professions educational and nursing programs at the college.
Accreditation
CHANGE IN ACCREDITATION STATUS
At its March 8, 2012 meeting, the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant ("ARC-PA" or "Commission") reviewed all application documents submitted by the Malcolm X College Physician Assistant Program for continuing accreditation. The Commission voted to continue the Malcolm X College Physician Assistant Program on probationary accreditation until its next comprehensive review in September 2013.
Probation is a temporary status of accreditation conferred when a program does not meet accreditation standards and when the capability of the program to provide an acceptable educational experience for its students is threatened. If the Malcolm X College Physician Assistant Program does not demonstrate substantial compliance with accreditation standards at the time of its next comprehensive review in June 2013, the Commission will withdraw accreditation from the Malcolm X College Physician Assistant Program. There will be no further period of probation. It is possible that the loss of accreditation by the Program may impact the ability of students enrolled in the Program at the time of withdrawal to practice as physicians assistants in some states.
Specific questions regarding the Program and its plans should be directed to the Program Director and/or the appropriate institutional official(s).
Selection Factors:
Evaluation of applicants is based on academic history, references, healthcare experience, completion of a supplemental application to be provided by the Program, personal statements/short essays, personal interviews, and a preadmission exam. Priority is given to applicants who live in the City of Chicago, the State of Illinois and to those with a documented commitment to primary care and an underserved community practice. Applicants should note that the tuition differs among residents of the City of Chicago, the State of Illinois and out of state residents.