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.

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. 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) 

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

The University of New Mexico Physician Assistant Program strives to meet the following goals:

Recruit and enroll a diverse student body consisting of an average of at least 50% of matriculated students from one or more of the following, based on self-reported data, from the 3 most recently matriculated cohorts (UNM PA 3-year HRSA Goal Table):

•  The first generation in the family to attend college (neither mother nor father attended college)
• Graduated from a high school from which a low percentage of seniors receive a high school diploma
• Graduated from a high school at which many of the enrolled students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches
• From a family that receives public assistance (g. Aid to Families with Dependent Children, food stamps, Medicaid, public housing) or the individual receives public assistance
• From a family that lives in an area that is designated as a Health Professional Shortage Area or a Medically Underserved Area
• Participated in an academic enrichment program funded in whole or in part by the Health Careers Opportunity Program
• High-school drop-out who received AHS diploma or GED
• From a school district where 50% or less of graduates go to college or where college education is not encouraged
• Economically disadvantaged background based on parent's family income
• English is not primary language
• From isolated rural (population <2,500) geographic area
• Have served in the United States Military

The UNM PA Program has met this goal based on self-reported data from the three most recently matriculated cohorts, as shown in this table.

The PA Program faculty and staff participate in a minimum of six outreach activities per year targeted toward sharing information with prospective students from rural and underserved backgrounds.

Additionally, the PA Program offers individual pre-application and post-application advisement appointments for all New Mexico residents, in alignment with our mission, to support prospective PA students from across our state in achieving their educational goals.

UNM PA Program students receive training on work with rural and underserved populations throughout the didactic curriculum. Students participate in the Health of New Mexico course at the start of the PA curriculum.  This course focuses on identifying some of the major health problems in New Mexico, the history of the efforts to improve health in the state, and the role of PAs in addressing these issues.  Students also discuss the social determinants in causes and solutions for major health concerns in New Mexico.  Throughout the remainder of the didactic curriculum, instruction on caring for and communicating with the demographic populations and ethnic diversity of New Mexicans is woven into courses such as the Geriatrics and Clinical Skills series courses.   

UNM PA students’ clinical curriculum includes a significant focus on training for rural and underserved populations. To best prepare UNM PA graduates to work in rural and underserved areas, each student partakes in a minimum of two or more rural and/or underserved rotations. While this is the minimum, students often complete significantly more clinical rotations in rural or inderserved areas. Through this, not only do students become acquainted with the socioeconomic difficulties of underserved, rural areas, but the experiences encourage them to become invested in the communities in which they serve and grow. Furthermore, UNM PA students participate in a HRSA grant project awarded to the UNM PA Program, titled “Enhancing Physician Assistant Training to Serve Rural and Underserved Communities of New Mexico.” As part of this project, we have partnered with five underserved healthcare communities throughout the state, allowing students to remain in the same rural, underserved location for three consecutive months, creating an even more robust learning experience. In return, our program and students are developing future clinician hiring and community investment pipelines within these rural and underserved areas. 

The UNM PA Program has met this goal through the education delivered to students in the didactic and clinical curriculum as described above. The program’s focus on rural and underserved communities is clear in the post-graduation survey data collected by the program UNM PA 5-year Post Grad/Alumni Profiles Table, showing a large portion of graduates who provide care to these populations following graduation. 

The UNM PA Program’s average graduation rate for the Cohorts 2021, 2022, and 2023 is currently 100%, as seen in the program’s post-graduation survey data.  

Note: students are considered graduated at the time all program components have been completed and all requirements have been met. In the case of decelerated students, students are considered part of the cohort with which they initially matriculated and are considered graduated once all requirements have been satisfied.

The UNM PA Program’s first time PANCE pass rate, averaged over the past 5 years, is 92% (cohorts 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023). PA NCCPA PANCE Pass Rates This is within 5% of the national average, which is currently 92%.

Core Values

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

Program Data

• PA Admissions Statistics
• PA ARC-PA Attrition Table
• PA 5-year Employment, Deceleration and Attrition
• PA NCCPA PANCE Pass Rates