Physician Associate Studies
Southwestern College is proud to announce the development of the brand-new Physician Associate program here in Winfield! The program aims to educate future healthcare providers that will help to fill the healthcare gaps, particularly in rural areas of the state.
Currently, the program is working towards achieving provisional accreditation from ARC-PA (see statement below) and plans to matriculate the first cohort in January 2027.
Ways to get involved:
Teaching/Faculty Positions
We are currently hiring full-time faculty for 12-month, in-person contracts. Teaching experience is preferred but not required. The institution is dedicated to providing support and resources for faculty development. View Details »
Administrative/Faculty Assistant
We are currently looking for a full-time administrative assistant (faculty assistant) to work with the program. This is a 12-month contract and would involve working directly with the program director and faculty managing budget, scheduling, and other administrative tasks. View Details »
Become a Clinical Preceptor
If you are interested in becoming a clinical preceptor, please contact the program director, Chandra Lynch, at Chandra.Lynch@sckans.edu.
The program plans to apply to become a CME provider and offer Category I CME for clinical preceptors in accordance with AAPA guidelines.
ARC-PA Accreditation - Provisional Status
The College has applied for Accreditation-Provisional from the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) and anticipates matriculating its first class, a cohort of up to 40, in January 2027, pending the achievement of “Accreditation – Provisional” status at the June 2026 ARC-PA Commission 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.
Additionally, the College has applied for approval of the Master of Physician Assistant Studies by the Higher Learning Commission and is pending approval.
Director for new Physician Associate Studies Program Selected
Chandra Lynch, MSHS, MBA, Pa-C has begun work as the inaugural director of Southwestern College’s PA program. Lynch has moved to Winfield and has already begun work on meeting the next requirements as outlined by the accreditation pathway standards.
“Chandra has an incredible depth of experience as a PA program director and as a healthcare provider and she is uniquely positioned to lead the continued development of our PA program forward,” said J.K. Campbell, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty at Southwestern College. “It was clear during the selection process that Chandra is a dedicated educator and a knowledgeable practitioner, she is an exceptional fit.”
Lynch comes to Southwestern College from Baldwin Wallace University’s physician assistant program, where she has served since 2012. She has led the program at Baldwin Wallace for the past two years as director. Lynch is a licensed physician assistant with a range of medical experience, including neurology and family practice. She has maintained a PRN position as a clinical physician assistant, treating primary care patients since entering academia.
Lynch earned her bachelor of science in biology from Cleveland State University. She attended Cuyahoga Community Program for Physician Assistant Studies before earning her master of science in health science at Cleveland State University. Additionally, Lynch holds an MBA from Baldwin Wallace University and is working to complete her Ph.D in leadership in higher education at Concordia University in Chicago.
“We have made great progress toward launching a PA program at Southwestern College, but one of the most challenging tasks when opening a new PA program is finding a highly qualified and experienced program director,” said Dr. Frombgen. “We are thrilled to have found Chandra during a national search process. Her approach to educating and preparing PAs and her network will serve our college and students well in the coming years.”
Gaining acceptance to PA programs is highly competitive, it is reported that approximately 20% of all program applicants across the nation gain acceptance to a PA program in any admissions cycle and the demand for PAs in the workforce is growing steadily growing according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. PA programs generally take 24-27 months to complete and PA candidates must engage in 2,000 hours of clinical rotations and pass a certification exam.
ARC-PA summarizes the work of PAs as members of collaborative healthcare teams, PAs make clinical decisions and provide a broad range of diagnostic, therapeutic, preventive, and health maintenance services. The clinical role of PAs includes primary and specialty care in medical and surgical practice settings.
“Physician Assistants/Associates are a highly sought piece of the healthcare delivery model and in rural communities in Kansas and across the country they will play an increasingly important role,” said Dr. Frombgen. “We are excited to lean into historic institutional strength in the sciences as we’ve reestablished a bachelor of science in nursing program and work to launch a PA program at Southwestern College.”
