Brescia University’s Physician Assistant (PA) Program will begin accepting applications for its inaugural cohort on October 1. Classes will begin in August 2026.
The Brescia University Physician Assistant Studies curriculum will educate students to become proficient and skilled healthcare providers. The program is 27-months, culminating in a Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies degree.
Brescia’s Physician Assistant Program Director, Blair Whitaker, MPAS, PA-C, said “After completing the program and passing the national board certification exam, graduates can be medical providers in primary care and specialty practices. This will advance access to healthcare in Western Kentucky and beyond.”
Through a 16-month didactic phase and 11-month clinical phase, the program prepares students to deliver high-quality healthcare, instills medical knowledge, emphasizes critical thinking, and develops clinical and interpersonal skills.
Dr. Brent Hayden, Physician Assistant Program Medical Director for the University, said he is thrilled to have a PA program in our community. “It will offer students the unique opportunity to learn alongside local healthcare professionals, strengthening both education and patient care,” he said. “The program will benefit our community by supporting the growth of a skilled, homegrown healthcare workforce.”
Applications will be submitted via CASPA, a service of the PA Education Association (PAEA), the only national organization representing physician assistant educational programs since 2001, which can also be accessed through Brescia University’s website.
Brescia received start-up funding in 2023 from HealthForce Kentucky to launch the new PA program. This was a collaborative effort to help address the statewide shortage of healthcare workers. Bruce Williams, President and CEO of HealthForce Kentucky, emphasized the importance of such initiatives, stating, “Kentucky faces a serious healthcare workforce shortage, and innovative programs like Brescia’s are exactly what we need. This partnership reflects our shared mission to build sustainable healthcare capacity across the Commonwealth.”
“At Brescia University, our mission has always been to form compassionate, critical thinkers, rooted in our call to love one another,” said President Madison Silvert. “Our new Physician Assistant program carries that mission forward in a profound way. By preparing students not only in clinical excellence but also in recognizing the dignity of every person they serve, Brescia will help shape physician assistants who bring both skill and humanity to the communities that need them most.”
Brescia University Physician Assistant Program has applied for Accreditation–Provisional from the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). Brescia University Physician Assistant Program anticipates matriculating its first class in August 2026, pending achieving Accreditation–Provisional status at the April 2026 ARC-PA meeting. 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 of the first class (cohort) of students. It should be noted that Brescia University’s Physician Assistant Program will not commence in the event that provisional accreditation is not received, and the enrollment deposit will be refunded in full.
For more information on Brescia University’s Physician Assistant Program or the admissions process, visit brescia.edu/program/physician-assistant-program/ or contact the Brescia University graduate admissions office at [email protected] or 270-686-4252.