Program Goals and Outcomes

The primary goal of the Missouri State University Physician Assistant Program is to produce highly competent physician assistants as indicated in our Mission Statement. In working towards this goal, the Program considers there to be 3 main components to our Mission: Medical Practice Competency, Advancement of the Physician Assistant Profession, and Service to Society. These components and related secondary goals, together with our Program’s recent progress in fulfilling them are described, as collected from the annual Graduating Student Exit survey and Alumni survey administered every two years.

Medical Practice Competency

In meeting the goals of this component, our graduates will:

Acquire the requisite knowledge and skills conducive to optimal patient care
- Measure: Graduates with current NCCPA certification
  - Benchmark: Greater than 80% of Alumni maintain NCCPA certification
  - Success: Percentage of surveyed alumni currently certified: 100%
- Measure: 5-year program PANCE pass rate
  - Benchmark: 5-year program PANCE pass rate equal to or above the national average
  - Success: First time PANCE pass rate for Program graduates over the last 5 years: 99%
    National first time PANCE pass rate over the last 5 years: 93%
- Measure: Program Comprehensive examination
  - Benchmark: 100% graduating student pass rate on Program Comprehensive examination
  - Success: Class of 2023 pass rate of the Program’s comprehensive written examination and evaluation of clinical skills: 100%
Be prepared to practice in a competent and ethical manner
- Measure: Curricular preparation to begin medical practice
  - Benchmark: 90% of graduating students report being prepared to begin medical practice
  - Success: Percentage of graduating students who report they are prepared to begin practice: 97%
Be prepared to promote health enhancing behaviors and preventative health care
- Measure: Alumni promote health enhancing behaviors
  - Benchmark: 75% of graduates report regular promotion of health enhancing behaviors
  - Success: Percentage of recently surveyed alumni reporting regular promotion of health enhancing behaviors and preventative health care: 93%

Advancement of the Physician Assistant Profession

In meeting the goals of this component, our graduates will be prepared to:

Develop a commitment to personal and professional growth
- Measure: Alumni involvement in PA professional organizations
  - Benchmark: Greater than 50% of alumni report active involvement in PA professional organizations
  - Success: Percentage of recently surveyed alumni reporting active involvement in PA professional organizations: 66%
- Measure: Alumni satisfaction with becoming a Physician Assistant
  - Benchmark: Greater than 80% of alumni report satisfaction with their decision to become a physician assistant.
  - Success: Percentage of recently surveyed alumni who reported satisfaction with their decision to become a physician assistant: 95%
- Measure: Alumni recommendation of the MSU PA Program
  - Benchmark: Greater than 90% of alumni recommend the MSU PA program
  - Success: Percentage of alumni who report recommending the MSU PA Program to others: 96%
Contribute to the profession and community through teaching, leadership, service, and research
- Measure: Alumni involvement in leadership roles in PA professional organizations.
  - Benchmark: Greater than 10% of alumni report having leadership roles in PA professional organizations.
  - Success: Percentage of recently surveyed alumni reporting leadership roles in PA professional organizations: 21%
- Measure: Impact of the curriculum on graduating students decision to be involved in PA professional organizations.
  - Benchmark: Greater than 70% of graduating students report that training at MSU positively impacted their desires to be active in PA professional organizations.
  - Success: Percentage of recent graduates who report they are more inclined to become involved in PA professional organizations as a result of their training at MSU: 90%
- Measure: Impact of the curriculum on the decision to be involved in PA leadership.
  - Benchmark: Greater than 60% of graduating students report that training at MSU positively impacted their desires to be involved in PA leadership.
  - Success: Percentage of graduating students who report they are more inclined to become involved in PA leadership as a result of their training at MSU: 83%
- Measure: Impact of the curriculum on the decision to be involved in teaching activities.
  - Benchmark: Greater than 70% of graduating students report that training at MSU positively impacted their desires to be involved in teaching activities.
  - Success: Percentage of graduating students who report they are more inclined to become involved in teaching activities as a result of their training at MSU: 80%
- Measure: Impact of the curriculum on the decision to be involved in research activities.
  - Benchmark: Greater than 10% of graduating students report that training at MSU positively impacted their desires to be involved in research activities.
  - Success: Percentage of recent graduates who report they are more inclined to become involved in research activities as a result of the training at MSU: 50%
Communicate & work effectively with other members of the health care team & the patient’s family
- Measure: Communication with other members of the health care team.
  - Benchmark: Greater than 90% of alumni report that they communicate regularly with other members of the health care team
  - Success: Percentage of recently surveyed alumni who reported communicating regularly with other members of the health care team: 96%

Service to Society

In meeting the goals of this component, our graduates will be prepared to:

Foster an appreciation for the social & ethical issues
- Measure: Involvement in community service.
  - Benchmark: Greater than 33% of alumni report involvement in community service.
  - Success: Percentage of recently surveyed alumni reporting involvement in community service: 50%
- Measure: Impact of the curriculum on the decision to be involved in community service.
  - Benchmark: Greater than 50% of graduating students report that they were more inclined to become involved in community service as a result of their training at MSU.
  - Success: Percentage of graduating students who report they are more inclined to become involved in community service as a result of their training at MSU: 80%
Utilize community health resources in a cost-effective manner
- Measure: Utilization and support community health resources.
  - Benchmark: Greater than 33% of alumni will report utilize and support community health resources.
  - Success: Percentage of recently surveyed alumni reporting the utilization & support of community health resources to enhance patient care: 47%
Serve in areas of need, particularly in rural & inner-city health professional shortage areas
- Measure: Alumni practicing in health provider shortage areas (HPSA), federally qualified health centers (FQHC), or with a medically underserved population.
  - Benchmark: Percentage of alumni practicing in HPSA, FQHC, or with medically underserved populations at or above 30%.
  - Success: Percentage of alumni practicing in HPSAs, FQHCs, or with medically underserved populations: 45%.
- Measure: Alumni practicing in rural areas.
  - Benchmark: Percentage of alumni practicing in rural areas at or above national average (2021 AAPA data: 19%)
  - Success: Percentage of recently surveyed program alumni practicing in rural areas: 23%
- Measure: Curricular preparation to provide primary care services to underserved populations.
  - Benchmark: 75% of graduating students will report feeling prepared to provide primary care service to underserved populations
  - Success: Percentage of graduating students who report they felt prepared to provide primary care service to underserved populations as a result of their PA training at MSU: 87%