§ 57.803 - Requirements.

A program for the training of physician assistants must:

(a)(1) Be accredited as an Educational Program for the Physician Assistant by the American Medical Association's Committee on Allied Health Education and Accreditation; or

(2) Have received a Letter of Review from the Accreditation Review Committee on Education for the Physician Assistant for its plans for a program for the training of physician assistants;

(b) Have a medical director who is licensed to practice medicine or osteopathic medicine in the State in which the program is located (or any State if the program is conducted by a Federal health facility) and who is experienced in the delivery of the type of health care services for which the program provides training;

(c) Have an enrollment of not less than eight full-time students in each class;

(d) Be a minimum of 1 academic year in length;

(e) Consist of supervised clinical practice and at least 4 months (in the aggregate) of classroom instruction;

(f) Provide training to students in the areas of primary care, health promotion, disease prevention, geriatric medicine and home health care;

(g) Develop and use methods designed to encourage graduates of the program to work in health professional shortage areas, such as periods of supervised clinical practice in those areas;

(h) Develop and use methods for placing graduates in positions for which they have been trained, including methods for placing graduates in positions in health professional shortage areas; and

(i) Develop and use a method for evaluating the effectiveness of the program in training physician assistants, including:

(1) Evaluation by faculty and students of the program in relation to its objectives;

(2) Evaluation of student performance in classroom instruction and supervised clinical practice; and

(3) Evaluation of the number of graduates employed and the characteristics of their employment, such as geographical location, setting, and functions performed; and

(4) Award a degree, diploma, or certificate of completion to individuals who have successfully completed the program.