Program Goals and Outcomes

Mission Statement

The mission of the Physician Assistant Program is to educate capable students to meet the challenges of practicing medicine in collaboration with physicians and other members of the health care team. The curricula are formulated to sensitize the student to the complexities of healthcare delivery that influence patients and their families. Students engage in community service to foster effective communication, compassion, and dedication. We encourage research and create life-long learners trained to utilize evidence to deliver safe, effective patient-centered care to patients and their communities.

Goals

1. Recruit capable applicants for PA education who will provide healthcare services as part of the healthcare team 
2. Deliver a quality educational experience that provides students with knowledge and skills for employment and entry into clinical practice
3. Encourage and prepare graduates to work with patients from all populations
4. Foster research and the use of evidence-based scientific information to improve patient-centered care and promote life-long learning
5. Provide students with the requisite knowledge to pass the PANCE and have a Five Year First Time Taker average PANCE pass rate that is at or above the national average 

The program’s success in achieving these goals will be published following the graduation of the first cohort of students.
Survey ratings reported are on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest.
The program survey Likert benchmark for meeting these goals is > 3.0.

Outcomes

Program data indicators to assess outcomes are listed below. 

1. Recruit capable applicants for PA education who will provide healthcare services as part of the healthcare team
   1. Incoming overall and science GPAs (benchmark for each: > 3.0)
   2. Preceptor end of rotation student evaluations
   3. Preceptor evaluation of student preparedness for clinical rotations
   4. Student exit survey

2. Deliver a quality educational experience that provides students with knowledge and skills for employment and entry into clinical practice
   1. Student evaluation of courses and instructors
   2. Student exit and graduate surveys
   3. Preceptor evaluation of student preparedness for clinical rotations
   4. Preceptor rating of student’s preparedness for entry into clinical practice
   5. Preceptor rating of student’s performance in clinical skills

3. Encourage and prepare graduates to work with patients from all populations
   1. Exit and graduate surveys
   2. Preceptors rating of students interpersonal and communication skills
4. Foster research and the use of evidence-based scientific information to improve patient-centered care and life-long learning
   1. Student evaluation of courses and instructors
   2. Student exit and graduate surveys

5. Provide students with the requisite knowledge to pass the PANCE and have a Five-Year First-Time Taker average PANCE pass rate that is at or above the national average
   
   1. Program Five Year First Time Taker average PANCE (at, or above, the national average)
   2. Exit and graduate surveys