Mission, Goals & Outcomes

Mission Statement

The mission of the Physician Assistant Programs is to educate capable students from diverse backgrounds 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 diverse populations and 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 and Outcomes

*ratings reported are on a scale from 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest. The program benchmark for meeting these goals is > 3.0.

1. Recruit capable applicants for PA education who will provide healthcare services as part of the healthcare team
1. Average incoming overall and science GPAs for the class of 2023 are 3.70 and 3.61 and are above the national averages (3.58 and 3.52) as reported in the PAEA 35th annual report.
2. Preceptor evaluation of student ability to provide patient care 2020-2021 is rated 4.7/5.0*    
3. Preceptor evaluations 2020-2021 of the student's ability to work collaboratively on a healthcare team 4.9/5.0*
4. Exit survey 2021 results rate the development of interpersonal skills and preparation for working as part of a healthcare team 4.3/5.0*
2. Deliver a quality educational experience that provides students with knowledge and skills for employment and entry into clinical practice
1. In 2020-2021, students' average rating of curriculum from course and instructor evaluations was 4.03/5.0*
2. Graduate and Exit 2020-2021 survey results rate the didactic education 4.2/5.0*, clinical education 4.3/5.0* and overall education experience 4.1/5.0*
3. Graduate and Exit 2020-2021 survey results rate the educational preparation for entry into clinical practice 4.22/5.0*
4. Preceptor compiled rating 2020-2021 of student’s preparedness for entry into clinical practice 4.7/5.0*
5. Preceptor survey results 2020-2021 rate student performance in clinical skills 4.7/5.0*
6. Graduate survey results 2020-2021 report employment rates of 90% within 3 months of graduation.
3. Engage all students in community outreach activity to foster community service
1. 100% of our students participate in community outreach
4.  Encourage and prepare graduates to work with patients from diverse populations
1. Graduate 2020-2021 survey results show that 98% of respondents are working clinically and 80% work with diverse populations
2. Graduate and Exit 2020-2021 survey results show that students rate their ability to care for and communicate effectively with diverse populations 4.1/5.0*
3. Preceptors surveys rate the student's interpersonal and communication skills 4.9/5.0* 
5. Foster research and the application of evidence-based scientific information to improve patient-centered care and promote lifelong learning

   1. 2021 Exit survey results rate the instruction in preparation for the Master Project as 4.0/5.0*

   2. 2021 Exit survey results rate the program preparation to critically appraise research as 4.0/5.0

6. Provide students with the requisite knowledge to pass the PANCE and have a Five Year First Time Taker average PANCE pass rate that is within 5% of the national average.
1. Program Five-Year First-Time Taker average PANCE rate is 98% which surpasses the national average of 93%.
2. Graduate and Exit 2020-2021 survey results rate the program preparation for PANCE 4.2/5.0*