Succession Planning in PA Education

Welcome back, everyone! As PA programs begin to work through the ARC-PA 6th Edition Standards, many leaders are encountering expectations that seem new, are broadly worded, or are only partially explained. One of those expectations is Succession Planning.

For some program directors and faculty, the term itself can raise questions or even anxiety. Creating a Succession Plan may sound like yet another task to an already overflowing to-do list for a program’s administration. Does ARC-PA expect program leaders to plan their exit? Does ARC-PA anticipate increasing turnover?

The short answer is no. Succession Planning is not about preparing to leave. It’s about ensuring continuity, stability, and leadership readiness in PA programs. ARC-PA’s emphasis reflects very real changes happening across PA education nationally.

To clarify this expectation, I want to highlight insights from two of our outstanding consultants, Drs. Tina Butler and Jennifer Eames, who presented a November 18 webinar focused on Succession Planning under the 6th Edition Standards. Their presentation brought much-needed clarity on why ARC-PA is focusing on this issue and how programs should approach it.

What Succession Planning Really Is

At its core, Succession Planning is a proactive, strategic process. Drs. Butler and Eames clarified that Succession Planning ensures continuity of leadership and coverage of critical roles by intentionally identifying and developing potential successors within a program or institution.

However, it is important to remember:

• Succession Planning is not a signal that leadership is expected to leave.

• Nor is it an emergency-only response to sudden vacancies.

• Finally, it does not place the burden of transition on a single individual.

Instead, Succession Planning reflects organizational maturity. It assumes that, whether they are planned or unexpected, leadership transitions are a normal part of program life. Strong programs prepare for them thoughtfully rather than reactively.

One of the most compelling ideas raised in the webinar was this:

If you are in a leadership role (or hope to be), you should begin training your replacement on day one.

That mindset reframes Succession Planning as stewardship, as leaders actively build something that will outlast them.

Why ARC-PA Is Emphasizing Succession Planning Now

ARC-PA’s increased attention to Succession Planning did not emerge in a vacuum. PA education is rapidly changing.

National data show growing numbers of accredited programs, alongside increasing leadership turnover. According to recent program reports, a meaningful percentage of PA programs currently have vacant program director positions, and many others are navigating frequent leadership transitions. Meanwhile, new programs continue to launch, further stretching the pool of experienced leaders.

From an accreditation perspective, leadership instability creates risks like:

• gaps in decision-making authority

• delays in required reporting

• loss of institutional knowledge

• and, in some cases, cascading citations across multiple standards

Succession Planning is ARC-PA’s way of encouraging programs and institutions to reduce those risks before they materialize.

Importantly, this expectation shifts responsibility beyond the program director alone. ARC-PA signals that sponsoring institutions must share accountability for leadership continuity. A program cannot demonstrate compliance if institutional leaders are unaware or unprepared for leadership transitions.

The Cultural Shift

For many PA programs, Succession Planning represents a change in “how business is done.”

Historically, long-tenured program directors carried enormous responsibility, often serving as the single point of knowledge and authority. While that model once felt normal and collegiate, it is no longer sustainable, nor is it aligned with current accreditation expectations.

But let’s admit the reality: most of us have faced a situation where suddenly and unexpectedly, the person who knew how to certain things done is unavailable. To be fair, that is sort of the ordinary course of things for a team. Everyone has a specialty, something they shine at, and in trusting them to do it, we may forget that permanence is never guaranteed. If you have ever lived through a few days of that chaos, you’ll remember why Succession Planning is so important.

Additionally, Succession Planning encourages programs to make adjustments that benefit the entire program at once, not just in the future or in case of absence. With Succession Planning, programs:

• distribute leadership responsibilities

• identify and mentor future leaders

• recognize that no one person must (or should) do everything

This shift acknowledges that strong leadership should be a team effort. ARC-PA’s accreditation demands alone would prove that one person simply cannot be expected to cover every aspect of running a PA program. Effective programs should cultivate leadership capacity intentionally over time.

As Drs. Butler and Eames emphasized, programs should be asking these questions:

• Who else understands the operational, administrative, and compliance responsibilities of leadership?

• Who is being mentored for expanded roles?

• What systems exist to preserve knowledge when roles change?

Succession Planning is actually planning for success, even during transitions.

In our next blog…

This first blog set the foundation by addressing the why behind Succession Planning under the 6th Edition Standards. In the next blog, we will look more closely at how specific ARC-PA A and E Standards collectively drive this expectation, even though no single standard is labeled “Succession Planning.”

For now, the key takeaway is this: Succession Planning is not an added burden. It is an opportunity for PA programs to demonstrate foresight, shared leadership, and long-term stability. Those qualities ultimately serve students, institutions, and the profession as a whole.