ACEN/ARC-PA Joint APP Accreditation Interest Form

ACEN/ARC-PA Joint APP Accreditation Interest Form

Name(Required)
Company or Institution name
Email(Required)

About ACEN/ARC-PA Accreditation

Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) and Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA)  have partnered to offer APP Postgraduate Programs the opportunity to be simultaneously accredited for nurse practitioners (NP) and physician assistants (PA). This collaboration has been intentional and thorough to ensure the highest standard of quality and excellence in clinical specialty training for Advanced Practice Providers (APPs). 

ACEN/ARC-PA Accreditation
The Organizations

Accreditation Commission on Education in Nursing (ACEN)
The ACEN is a United States Department of Education (USDE) and Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) recognized accreditor. As the original and longest-serving nursing education accrediting agency, ACEN is the leading authority in nursing accreditation and is committed to quality improvement. 

Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA)
The ARC-PA is the only independent accrediting body authorized to accredit qualified physician assistant educational programs leading to the professional credential, PA. ARC-PA is a CHEA recognized accreditor and has a history of accrediting PA residency programs since 2008, with a period of abeyance, and reinstated the process in 2019.

Value of Accreditation

  • Ensures education provided by institutions meets acceptable levels of quality through its accreditation process by establishing and maintaining standards of quality for educational program.
  • Encourages institutions and programs to continuously evaluate and improve their processes and outcomes.
  • Helps prospective APP trainees identify programs that meet nationally accepted standards. 
  • Protects Postgraduate PA Programs from internal and external pressures to make changes that are not educationally sound. 
  • Involves program faculty and administrative staff in comprehensive self-assessment, evaluation, and planning. 

Accreditation Process

  • The ACEN/ARC-PA accreditation process is accomplished through one set of APP Standards, application, and site visit. 
  • The APP Accreditation Standards establish educational standards to foster excellence in APP programs serving NPs and PAs. The APP Accreditation Standards are not prescriptive and allow for flexibility of the program to meet the needs of the sponsoring organization and community served. 
  • The ACEN/ARC-PA Joint Commission will have collaborating organizations to establish, maintain, and promote appropriate standards of quality for residency program that include NPs and PAs and to provide recognition for APP residency programs that meet the requirements outlined in the APP Standards. 
  • The ACEN/ARC-PA policies, procedure, and process are transparent, guided by peers and contemporary practice, and have an intentional focus on outcomes. 

Back to top