Our Mission

The mission of the University of New Mexico Physician Assistant (PA) Program is to educate PA students to become exemplary providers with a focus on primary care medicine for the underserved and rural populations of New Mexico.

We have a need for primary care providers in these areas. New Mexico is the fifth largest state, yet only nine New Mexico cities have populations in excess of 30,000. Of New Mexico's 33 counties:

32 are classified as fully or partially medically underserved
16 are classified as rural
15 are classified as frontier (fewer than 6 people/square mile)

New Mexico communities are primarily small, rural and diverse. There are language, cultural and access barriers that reflect the need for competent, equitable, accessible and evenly distributed health care in the state.

What is a Physician Assistant?

Physician assistants (PAs) are health professionals licensed to practice medicine with MD or DO supervision. PAs are qualified through graduation from an accredited physician assistant educational program and certification by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants.

Within the physician/PA relationship, PAs exercise autonomy in medical decision-making and provide a broad range of diagnostic and therapeutic services. The clinical role of PAs includes primary and specialty care in rural or urban medical and surgical practice settings.

A commitment to quality patient care is the foundation of the PA profession. By assuming some of the duties traditionally performed by a physician, the PA enables the supervising physician to spend more time with patients who have serious or more complicated problems. While the PA practice is centered on patient care, it may include educational, research and administrative activities.

For over 40 years, PAs have been integral members of the health care team. In New Mexico, PAs have been providing patient care since the early 1970s and have had prescriptive authority since 1989. Responding to the rural health care needs of the state, the legislature in 1994 funded the development of a Physician Assistant Program at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine.

UNM PA Program Mission, Goals and Data

Accreditation

The UNM PA Program is accredited by ARC-PA. The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) has granted accreditation-continued status to the University of New Mexico Physician Assistant Program sponsored by the University of New Mexico. Accreditation-continued is an accreditation status granted when a currently accredited program follows the ARC-PA standards.

The approximate date for the next validation review of the program by the ARC-PA will be in 2024. The review date is contingent upon continued compliance with the Accreditation Standards and ARC-PA policy. Accreditation history can be viewed on the ARC-PA website.

Mission Overview

The UNM PA Program provides students with the resources and support necessary to attain the knowledge, skills and ability to become competent physician assistants as evidenced by our success rates.

The curriculum is designed to comply with the national standards for PA education as described in the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc.

In keeping with the program’s mission, much of the curriculum is devoted to preparing the student for eventual service in the underserved and rural areas of New Mexico. Many of the clinical clerkships are in rural communities and require students to be away from metropolitan areas for as much as half of their clinical time.

Program Goals

Educate a competent, diverse student body.
To help achieve our program mission, we are committed to selecting a student body that represents the rich diversity of New Mexico’s population. Our students are culturally aware and recognize the need to care for the underserved patients in our state.

Each year, we receive over 500 applications. This provides a strong pool of candidates that are selected for an interview. We typically interview about 90 applicants for the available seats.

PA students integrate with UNM School of Medicine students for the first year and a half of their didactic training. The coursework is challenging, and our students’ success is based on recruiting and attracting highly qualified applicants, both academically and clinically, who will be able to handle the rigor of the program.

Maintain a first time PANCE pass rate within 10% of the national average first time PANCE pass rate.
The UNM PA Program is committed to providing training that will prepare our students to become competent providers. This is reflected in our students’ exceptional PANCE pass rates. See Program Data tab below for more information.

Prepare graduates to work in rural and underserved areas of NM.
All UNM PA Program students are exposed to primary care and rural and underserved areas of New Mexico during their clinical rotations. Approximately half of every graduating class is moved by our mission and choose to provide healthcare in primary care, rural or underserved areas.

Maintain a student attrition rate below the national average.
Our high graduation rates can be attributed to our low student to faculty ratio per cohort. We invest in our students’ futures and help in any way we can.

Core Values

Diligence
Demonstrates persistent work and effort with honest self-assessment and correction to accomplish goal with excellence; shows tenacity and perseverance.

Kindness
The quality of being empathetic, genuine and respectful of others as demonstrated through service, words and actions.

Respect
Way of treating or thinking about others that encompasses humility and social competency.

Collaboration
Action of working together with a cooperative spirit and mutual respect to produce or create something.

Resilience
Action of working together with a cooperative spirit and mutual respect to produce or create something.

Integrity
Facet of moral character that embodies honesty and personal accountability; guided by moral principles and willing to do what is right regardless of the consequences.

Ambition
Drive that is materialized into action with intense enthusiasm to accomplish something that is personally meaningful.

Program Data

26 Students in Each PA Cohort
31% Estimated Growth of PA Profession by 2031 (Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics)
27 Months Length of UNM’s PA Program
3.75 Average GPA of Incoming PA Students
6,047 Average Clinic Hours Incoming Students Complete Before School

Contact

Physician Assistant Program

Domenici 3010
MSC 09 5040
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131

Phone: 505.272.9864

Email: HSC-PAProgram@salud.unm.edu

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