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Chattanooga, Tennessee

Physician Assistant Program

Welcome to the Chattanooga PA Program

24 Months | 115 Credit Hours | January Start

Driven to Serve, Rooted in Community

Located in the vibrant and growing city of Chattanooga, Tennessee, the LMU–SMS Chattanooga PA Program offers students the opportunity to train in a region known for its strong healthcare systems and commitment to improving community health. Students benefit from access to experienced, dedicated faculty and clinical partners in a collaborative learning environment that fosters both academic and professional success. Faculty in the LMU–SMS Chattanooga PA Program are committed to mentoring the next generation of physician assistants through collaborative learning, case-based instruction, and clinical skill development. Graduates are prepared to practice in a wide range of healthcare settings and to meet the growing demand for skilled healthcare providers in communities across Appalachia and beyond.

Why Choose the Chattanooga PA Program?

The LMU–SMS Chattanooga Physician Assistant Program is designed around active learning, clinical application, and early opportunities to connect medical knowledge with patient care.


Students Prepare for PA Practice Through

  • Innovative, learner-centered curriculum focused on applying medical knowledge
  • Early patient-care experiences during the didactic phase
  • Application Labs combining clinical reasoning, diagnostics, and hands-on skills
  • Cadaver dissection experiences incorporated into anatomy education
  • Training in emerging healthcare topics, including health informatics and artificial intelligence
  • Eleven four-week clinical rotations offering broad patient-care experiences

 
Learn by Applying What You Know
Application Labs and active-learning experiences help students connect biomedical science, diagnostics, clinical decision-making, history and physical examination, and hands-on procedures rather than relying solely on traditional lecture-based instruction. 

Got Questions? Contact Us

Ready to take the next step?

 Explore the program, review admission information, or begin your application.
AcademicsAdmissions InformationCASPA Portal

 

Professional Accreditation

The Lincoln Memorial University Chattanooga PA Program has applied for Accreditation - Provisional from the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). The Lincoln Memorial University Chattanooga PA Program anticipates matriculating its first class in January 2027, pending achieving Accreditation - Provisional status at the October 2026 ARC-PA 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. Accreditation – Provisional does not ensure any subsequent accreditation status. It is limited to no more than five years from matriculation of the first class. Accreditation-provisional remains in effect until the program achieves accreditation-continued after its third review, closes or withdraws from the accreditation process, or until accreditation is withdrawn for failure to comply with the Standards. 

In the event the Lincoln Memorial University (LMU) Physician Assistant Program – Chattanooga is not granted Accreditation-Provisional status from the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA), the Program will not commence and will not matriculate a student cohort in January 2027 as planned. If the Program is not granted Accreditation-Provisional status, applicants will be notified in writing and receive a full refund for any tuition and fees paid to the Program within 30 days of the Program receiving notification of the ARC-PA decision. Fees paid by applicants to the program will be reimbursed.  Other expenses associated with the admissions process, such as interview travel, are not included in the LMU refund policy.