What’s New in ARC-PA’s 6th Edition Standards?

As I’m sure you know, ARC-PA’s 6th Edition Standards became effective on September 1, 2025. On October 21, I held a webinar to unpack what is new. We’ll spend this and the following few blogs reviewing the highlights of that webinar. Beginning next week, I intend to cover the following:

• Share key concepts presented by members of the commission at the PAEA conference.

• Review the data expectations and requirements for standards C1.01–C1.02.

• Review the updated nuances and expectations for data exhibits and triangulation of data points.

• Present an introduction to the ARC-PA SSR Excel templates for standards C1.01–C1.02.

• Articulate the pros and cons of the new assessment standards and some potential pitfalls to avoid.

Why the update matters

The 5th Edition of ARC-PA Standards (in effect since September 1, 2020) was a major update when it launched. It incorporated a new emphasis on diversity, clarified terminology around learning outcomes, and reorganized core sections of the Standards.

In 2025, however, the landscape of PA education and clinical practice is evolving regarding telehealth, new practice models, changing preceptor roles, competency-based education, and workforce demands. ARC-PA signals that the 6th Edition is intended to reflect those changes while reinforcing the fundamentals of rigorous program governance, curriculum design, student outcomes, and continuous improvement. For PA programs, that means the update is not optional: planning now for how you align your program to the new Standards is critical for upcoming accreditation reviews.

The core structure of the Standards remains intact. The same emphasis on program goals, mission, governance, resources, faculty qualifications, curriculum breadth, and outcomes remains fundamental. Suppose your program maintains a strong self-study process, faculty development, data collection (e.g., PANCE pass-rates, retention, diversity metrics), and evidence of continuous improvement. In that case, you are starting from a solid foundation.

What’s new and what’s changed

Although many standards carry over, several changes in the 6th Edition are interesting and worth flagging up front. Below are some of the notable updates:

Telehealth / virtual care incorporated

One of the most visible additions is that the 6th Edition explicitly allows and expects instruction and supervised experiences in telehealth / virtual care models. This is an important update given the increasing role of telemedicine and remote patient interactions. Programs will want to review their curriculum and SCPE portfolio to ensure that telehealth instruction is integrated into didactic content, competency development, and clinical practice experiences, not simply as a “nice to have,” but as a traceable component of the Standards.

Preceptor and instructional-faculty criteria refined.

The 6th Edition revises how preceptors and instructional faculty are defined, including clearer expectations for licensure, credentialing, and supervision of students in the clinical setting. For example, documentation such as preceptor license certification templates is now referenced in the 6th Edition application materials. For program leaders, this means reviewing contracts, preceptor orientation, oversight procedures, and ensuring that your portfolio of clinical sites meets the updated expectations.

Structural refinements & clarification of language

• A clearer cross-walk document is available to map 5th Edition standard numbers to 6th Edition equivalents.

• Some sub-standards have been split or re-grouped (for example, separating “program faculty” from “administrative staff” under certain standards)

• Clarified language around “program-defined learning outcomes”, “instructional objectives”, and “competencies,” terms that had been refined in the 5th Edition but were further tightened in the 6th.

• Updated compliance manual references: the 6th Edition Compliance Manual was published in October 2025.

Improvements for programs.

As noted on ARC-PA’s LinkedIn feed, some of the upgrades include:

· Full payment for principal faculty board certification and licensure

· Principal faculty may hold PA-C emeritus status

· Protected 50% effort for program director administrative responsibilities.

· Medical directors may be currently or previously certified PAs or physicians

· Preceptors may be currently or previously board-certified

· Added maintenance of personal wellness didactic instruction

Emphasis on continued quality improvement, but with updated expectations

The 5th Edition Standards introduced significant additions (for example, the Diversity & Inclusion standard A1.11) and enhanced focus on assessment, learning outcomes, and accreditation maintenance. The 6th Edition retains those elements but reinforces them with updated language and expectations for how programs demonstrate continuous improvement, review curriculum relevance, and ensure that graduates are prepared for contemporary practice.

Looking Ahead

The update to the 6th Edition of ARC-PA reflects shifts in how physician assistant education must adapt to evolving models of care. But, the core expectations remain: sound governance, clear program mission and goals, qualified faculty, robust curriculum, meaningful clinical experiences, graduate readiness, and continuous improvement.

As always, I aim to help you understand what is expected to maintain compliance with the SSR and accreditation requirements. We have spent quite a bit of time together, detailing the factors necessary to comply with the 5th Edition Standards (language, triangulation, statistics, among many others!). Thankfully, we are not starting from scratch, but the changes are noteworthy and must be addressed. The first programs to be reviewed per the 6th Edition Standards will be those that received their applications in Fall 2025. So, we’ll begin next week with a targeted review, starting with key observations presented at this year's PAEA conference. I’ll see you then!

References: www.arc-pa.org

https://www.linkedin.com/company/arc-pa