University of Utah’s PA program (UPAP) is one of the oldest in the country. UPAP faculty possess decades of clinical experience and have dedicated extensive effort to develop and hone classroom and small group teaching skills. Numerous PA programs share the strength of faculty expertise and meet their differing missions; however, the clinical exposure Utah’s first-year students receive is carefully planned, extensive, and remains one of UPAP’s more distinctive attributes. Students have the opportunity to do international training including programs in Guatemala, Thailand, and Nepal.
At the same time, the school has a strong mission to train PAs to work in rural and underserved areas domestically, including participating in a student-run clinic at the Maliheh Free Clinic, Doctors Volunteer Clinic (DVC) in St. George, and a required rural rotation at community health centers and tribal communities around the state. Expansion to St. George on the newly renamed Utah Tech University has successfully graduated two cohorts of students who meet our mission and our goals to practice in primary care and/or in rural Southern Utah.
UPAP has been consistently ranked as a Top 10 PA Program in the country by the US News and World Report since rankings have been provided in 2004. The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status with the next validation review scheduled in 2026.
For more information on the University of Utah PA Program, please click here!
