Challenger Expands into Physician Assistant Training

Memphis, Tennessee, 01/20/05 - Challenger Corporation announced today the publication of Med-Challenger OBGYNPA, a sophisticated and comprehensive review course for physician assistants (PAs) in the specialty of obstetrics/gynecology. The course is based on a previously published program for physicians developed by Larry Rand, MD, and a team of expert clinicians based primarily at Harvard Medical School and Mt. Sinai School of Medicine.

With this publication, Challenger now offers specialty-wide training for PAs in family medicine, emergency medicine, and obstetrics/gynecology. The corporation will release comparable courses for PAs in pediatrics and internal medicine later this year. In addition, the company library provides basic training in dermatology and drug therapy for PAs in all disciplines. There are 136 PA training programs in the United States and approximately 67, 000 practicing PAs in various specialty areas. As with other clinicians, graduating PAs must pass certification exams when they enter practice and then re-certify every six years.

According to Nicole Romano, Senior Representative for Clinical Assemblies, Challenger is now the only significant provider of electronic training and testing media for PAs on a broad specialty basis in the United States. "Our approach has been endorsed by two key PA specialty societies for career training in emergency and family practices, and we are currently seeking a similar endorsement in other clinical specialties. Our learning library has become a popular preparatory curriculum for PAs studying for the National Certification and National Re-certification Exams. The content has even been adopted by the PA faculty at Texas Tech University for part of their syllabus. We expect growth in double digits for the next several years in retail and institutional revenues from PA courses," observed Ms. Romano.

Challenger owns the world's largest collection of approved electronic CME media with over 2,800 approved hours of credit. Thousands of practicing physicians, residents, and PAs rely upon Challenger material to prepare for specialty boards exams, re-certification, and continuous competency testing; to fulfill ongoing CME requirements; and to provide reference and patient-care decision support. Challenger products are approved for physician and PA CME credit through joint sponsorships with nine prominent medical schools and three specialty societies.

Media Contact:

Nicole Romano
Senior Representative for Clinical Assemblies
Challenger Corporation
5100 Poplar Ave, Suite 310
Memphis, TN 38137
Tel: (901) 762-8444
E-mail: nromano@chall.com