South College Asheville

Physician Assistant Studies

A student nurse anesthetist wearing a mask and gloves is preparing a syringe with a vaccine. The focus is on the needle and vial, with the person's face blurred in the background.

Welcome to the South College Asheville Physician Assistant Program!

Welcome to the South College Asheville Physician Assistant Program! We are so glad that you have come to our website seeking information. We are located in the Biltmore Village area in the city of Asheville, NC. Our beautiful Western NC region is home to a multitude of outdoor activities, art, music, and is a haven for ‘foodies’. Please explore our website to learn more about the program.

Here Are Some Fast Facts About Our Program:

We are a 27-month program with a 15-month didactic curriculum and a 12-month clinical curriculum.
Our student cohorts start in January and graduate in March.
Our maximum class size is 85 students per year.
Our program requires successful completion of a total of 163 credits with 88 credits in the didactic curriculum and 75 credits in the clinical curriculum earning students a Master of Health Science in Physician Assistant Studies degree.
Our prospective student application is managed through CASPA.
We schedule PA Program classes based on a 4-day week with 1 additional day per week for student catch-up, information assimilation, studying for exams, project completion or special seminars.
We are a welcoming community working to create a program environment that fosters belonging and mutual respect.

Link to our 2025-2026 Supplemental Application:

https://dynamicforms.ngwebsolutions.com/Submit/Start/487b07b4-05c0-4829-9e78-8f3548b188a3

REGISTER NOW

Mission of the South College Asheville Physician Assistant Program

The mission of the South College Master of Health Science in Physician Assistant Studies program is to educate highly qualified physician assistants, preparing them to become competent, compassionate, and comprehensive healthcare providers for clinical practice.

Endeavoring to provide students with a comprehensive evidence-based medical education that focuses on the future delivery of excellent healthcare, the program promotes the importance of health maintenance, health education, the prevention of disease, and the need for a lifelong path dedicated to continuous learning. The faculty strive for educational excellence as they prepare physician assistant students to think critically, communicate compassionately, and understand the importance of collaborating in interdisciplinary healthcare teams to meet patient and family needs within an ever-changing healthcare delivery system.

Mission of South College

A diverse group of Physician Assistant students, including men and women, are standing together outside a building. They are wearing a mix of medical scrubs and white coats. Most are smiling and looking at the camera. The background features windows and part of the building.

A smiling student dressed in light blue medical scrubs stands in the foreground, holding a clipboard and a backpack. In the background, several other individuals also in medical scrubs are walking and talking in a brightly lit hallway.

Goals of the South College Asheville Physician Assistant Program

The program has six primary goals that are designed to achieve our mission for educating the next generation of highly qualified physician assistants.

Select highly qualified applicants for admission to the program.
Provide students with a curriculum that develops evidence-based medicine skills essential for clinical practice.
Prepare students to pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE) at a rate at or above the national average.
Prepare students to practice patient-centered care.
Ensure that graduates possess the technical skills needed to practice medicine.
Provide a curriculum that fosters interprofessional education and team-based health care.

Please see the Program Self-Assessment web page for more information.

Information Sessions

Please find our information session dates below. Email Sydney Lackey at sburnette@south.edu to sign up. The information sessions will be from 12:00pm – 1:00pm eastern time.

March 17th – Virtual
April 15th – Virtual
May 18th – Virtual
June 1st – Virtual

A group of students sit in a classroom setting, attentively looking towards the front. They have laptops open in front of them.

Program Competencies of the South College Asheville Physician Assistant Program

MK#1. Demonstrate knowledge of health screening and vaccination guidelines in the application of preventive care.  

MK#2. Utilize evidence-based medicine in patient care. 

MK#3. Utilize medical knowledge to select the most appropriate pharmacologic treatment, accurately write a prescription, and provide the appropriate patient education.  

MK#4. Demonstrate knowledge of effective treatment and management strategies for various conditions. 

MK#5. Utilize medical knowledge of acute and chronic conditions including etiology, anatomy, pathophysiology, incidence, risk factors, clinical presentation, differential diagnosis, and treatment strategies to effectively manage patients.  

IS#1. Provide patient-centered patient education.  

IS#2. Utilize empathetic communication skills in patient interactions.  

PB#1. Collaborate as an effective member of the interprofessional healthcare team.  

PB#2. Apply strategies for optimizing patient safety and reducing medical errors. 

PB#3. Demonstrate the ability to preserve patient autonomy and patient confidentiality.  

CS#1. Elicit a comprehensive and a problem-focused history.   

CS#2. Perform a focused physical examination.  

CS#3. Formulate and deliver concise and accurate oral patient presentations to other members of the healthcare team. 

CS#4. Provide accurate, thorough, and complete documentation of patient encounters.   

TS#1. Perform procedural skills commensurate with the role of the PA in clinical practice. 

CR#1. Order and interpret laboratory and other diagnostic studies.   

CR#2. Establish a diagnosis based on patient history, physical examination, and interpretation of clinical and diagnostic data. 

CR#3. Formulate individualized, comprehensive management plans relevant to the patient presentation.  

CR#4. Recognize conditions that require referral to or consultation with specialists. 

CR#5. Effectively triage patients based on their clinical presentation.  

ARC-PA Accreditation Status

The ARC-PA has granted Accreditation-Provisional status to the South College Asheville Physician Assistant Program sponsored by South College.

Accreditation-Provisional is an accreditation status granted when the plans and resource allocation, if fully implemented as planned, of a proposed program that has not yet enrolled students appear to demonstrate the program’s ability to meet the ARC-PA Standards or when a program holding Accreditation-Provisional status appears to demonstrate continued progress in complying with the Standards as it prepares for the graduation on the first class (cohort) of students.

Accreditation-Provisional does not ensure any subsequent accreditation status. It is limited to no more than five years from matriculation of the first class.

The program’s accreditation history can be viewed on the ARC-PA website at http://www.arc-pa.org/accreditation-history-south-college-asheville.

South College Institutional Accreditation

South College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award degrees at the doctorate, educational specialist, master’s, baccalaureate, and associate levels. Questions about the accreditation of South College may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (sacscoc.org).