Marietta's Physician Assistant Program approved to expand to 40 graduate students per cohort
Marietta, OH (12/15/2023) — From the moment she started as director in 2022, Christi Gierhart knew one of her top goals was growing Marietta College's Physician Assistant Studies Program from 36 to 40 students.
Just 17 months later, Gierhart's vision became reality when the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) approved a proposal allowing the College to enroll 40 PA graduate students starting in June 2024.
"This was no small accomplishment," Gierhart says. "It demonstrates ARC-PA's recognition of the exceptional caliber and quality of Marietta's PA program and the strong outcomes of our students and graduates. This program has a long tradition of excellence, and increasing enrollment allows us to further align with the mission and goals that Dr. Gloria Stewart founded the program on in 2001." The competitive 26-month PA program entails rigorous medical training and clinical rotations. By expanding the cohort size while maintaining Marietta's high standards, the College can fulfill its mission of preparing more qualified PAs to serve regional healthcare needs.
Gierhart credits the program's dedicated faculty and staff for helping secure this enrollment increase through their commitment to student success. She also thanks the many healthcare partners who provide exceptional clinical training experiences across Ohio, West Virginia, and beyond.
"We are excited to increase our cohort size to 40," says Dr. John Grosel, Medical Director for the PA Program. "It will further our mission of training physician assistants to provide excellent care to patients in the Appalachian region and Ohio."
After joining Marietta, Gierhart quickly immersed herself in learning about the PA program while also stabilizing key aspects of it. This understanding allowed her to develop a strong proposal and timeline that she presented to the College's Trustees in July 2022.
The goal was to make the program even more competitive for a successful application to expand enrollment. The proposal outlined classroom adjustments, hiring additional faculty and staff, increasing trainers and manikins for skills labs, and building new clinical preceptor sites to support 40 students.
Thanks to a generous anonymous donation, the program secured funding for these improvements. With a total team effort, Marietta submitted its application in May for consideration at the ARC-PA's September meeting. This thoughtful planning and preparation paid off when the ARC-PA approved the expansion.
"This growth is a testament to the hard work of our team and the quality education we provide to equip PA graduates for outstanding medical careers," Gierhart says.
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Graduate students Katie Stomski PA’25 (left) and Chelsey Ward PA’25 practice patient exams in one of the clinical rooms in the Physician Assistant Studies Building.