Academic Review Department of Physician Assistant Studies School of Allied Health Sciences University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston

Transcription

1 Academic Review Team Academic Review Department of Physician Assistant Studies School of Allied Health Sciences University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston Donald M. Pedersen, PhD, PA-C (Chair) Professor and Director University of Utah PA Program 375 Chipeta Way, Suite A Salt Lake City, UT (801) dpedersen@upap.utah.edu February 17-19, 2002 Reginald D. Carter, PhD, PA Director Emeritus Duke University PA Program CFM Box 3848 Durham, NC (919) reginald.carter@duke.edu Linda G. Phillips, M.D. Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston 301 University Boulevard Galveston, TX (409) lphillip@utmb.edu The Mission Statement of the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston includes the following priorities: 1. Provide scholarly teaching, 2. Innovative scientific investigation, and 3. State-of-the-art patient care. The mission of the School of Allied Health Sciences at the University of Texas Medical Branch is to provide or promote quality education, research, and service in an environment that fosters collaboration and mutual respect. 1

2 As the Academic Review Team we have critically examined the success of the Department of Physician Assistant Studies in achieving their stated mission and goals. This report was based on interviews and discussions with Program faculty, students and staff, UTMB administrative officials, and written materials including an academic selfstudy, an annual report, documents and forms used for Program operation, and the CVs of Program faculty. National comparison data comes from the 17 th Annual Report of the Association of Physician Assistant Programs for We also drew upon our own collective experience as educators and leaders in various professional organizations. Evidence of scholarly teaching: Ability to recruit, retain, and graduate the best-qualified students Reputation of the faculty both locally and nationally for scholarly teaching and innovation (invited lectures and keynote addresses) Development and dissemination of innovative educational methods and curriculum materials Success of graduates in finding employment and becoming leaders Despite a declining applicant pool the UTMB PA Program continues to attract students with average GPAs 3.49, which compares favorably with a national mean GPA of Additionally, entering UTMB PA Program students have GRE scores of 472 (verbal), 589 (Quantitative), and 590 (analytical) which compares quite favorable given the diversity of the student body. Recruitment of a diverse student body is reflected in the nearly 30-40% five-year average of ethnic minority and disadvantaged students. Involvement in an HCOP program and the creation of an alternate three-year curriculum to nurture at risk students are examples of the UTMB PA Program s commitment to diversity and reflective of the University s desire to maintain a student body more representative of the population of Texas. These activities have contributed to a five-year attrition rate that is consistent with the national average. All UTMB PA Program faculty members actively teach and coordinate major portions of the curriculum with many individuals recognized over the years by the students with the Outstanding Teacher award. Collaborating with the medical school in the Great Syndromes program as instructors and coordinators, UTMB PA Program faculty share their experience and expertise with both medical and PA students in a case-based small-group format. This is unique among PA programs nationally and speaks to the collaborative atmosphere present on the campus. School of Medicine faculty is pleased with the contribution of PA students to the problem-solving sessions and believe their addition provides added value to the education of medical students. The UTMB PA Program faculty combined for a total of 45 outside presentations over the past 5 years. In spite of recent turnover of senior faculty outside presentations remain exemplary. The PA Exam review book created and continually updated by UTMB PA Program faculty is a standard in PA education as an excellent reference for new graduates preparing for the national board examination. 2

3 Contributions of UTMB PA Program faculty to two new textbooks involving the areas of research and problem-based learning underscores faculty commitment to disseminating innovative educational materials. The establishment of the IDEAL curriculum as a collaborative effort across all departments in the School of Allied Health Sciences is an excellent addition to the curriculum, which addresses a multitude of professional issues that cut across all of the professions represented in the School. Both first and second year PA students express appreciation for faculty who are accessible, open and candid about curricular changes and who work hard to maintain a positive environment conducive to collaborative learning. Alumni data suggests that new graduates have little difficulty finding employment and that the majority continues to enter primary care practices with many located in underserved areas. Eight percent of UTMB PA Program graduates have gone on to leadership positions in PA education and into other advanced health occupations. UTMB PA students are highly regarded as excellent learners by professors across the School of Allied Health Sciences and in the School of Medicine. The recent five-year average pass rate on the national board examination is 90.2% for UTMB PA Program graduates which compares favorably to national averages. There is universal high regard for the UTMB PA Program and its faculty by the other departments in the School of Allied Health Sciences. UTMB PA Program faculty holds numerous memberships on notable state and national committees and boards. The director is a Past President of the National Association of Physician Assistant Programs (APAP) and has been honored by this organization with its highest award for Lifetime Achievement. Evidence of innovative scholarly and scientific accomplishments: Publications in respected peer reviewed journals Externally funded research/demonstration/training projects Scholarly products generated by faculty/student collaborations Awards and honors associated with research and scholarly productivity (grant reviewer, editor, editorial board member) The UTMB PA Program faculty has amassed an impressive record of scholarly works over the history of the program. Most notable, over the past 5 years 81 scholarly works have been produced including articles in peer-reviewed journals, book chapters and textbooks. The leadership of the UTMB PA Program with support from the Dean have fostered an atmosphere that values scholarly activity and has resulted in scholarly productivity that ranks, by our estimate, in the top 10% of PA programs nationwide. The UTMB PA Program faculty are leaders in the use of distance learning technologies and they have shared their experiences and expertise with other PA programs on a national level through journal articles, presentations and workshops. 3

4 The UTMB PA Program faculty has a national reputation of excellence as evidenced by numerous honors and awards profiled on their CVs. Of note, the director was recently recognized as the PA Educator of the Year by the American Academy of Physician Assistants. The recent conversion to a Master s degree underscores the dedication of Department leadership to joint scholarly pursuits between program faculty and students. The UTMB PA Program faculty have served in various editorial capacities for PA and other peer-reviewed journals and as grant reviewers over many years. Evidence of state-of-the-art clinical practice and/or community involvement: Community visibility and involvement Impact of scholarship and teaching on local/national health care practices and/or policies Currently, greater that 50% of the UTMB physician assistant faculty are practicing clinically which compares favorably with 51% reported nationally. Clinically practicing faculty precept students and create a revenue stream for the Program to purchase equipment, supplies and to fund faculty development activities. The UTMB PA Program Director has been an active participant in numerous faculty development activities nationally and has also served as a consultant providing guidance to both developing and established PA programs through the Program Assistance and Technical Help (PATH) program offered by the Association of Physician Assistant Programs (APAP). UTMB PA Program faculty participate on numerous Department, School and University committees. For example the Program Director recently served as Chair of the UTMB Faculty Senate and is currently a member of the University s Development Board. Additionally, other faculty members are active on the planning committee for the Great Syndromes course, the APT process, the HCOP program, the IRB, the Faculty Assembly and the Core Committee for Underrepresented Minority Faculty. It is evident that faculty serve as rolemodels to students by participating in numerous community activities including civic, school, church and public health related programs. Evidence of effective leadership and administrative structure: National reputation of departmental programs and faculty Interdisciplinary collaboration with UTMB departments and other institutions Efficient and innovative management of departmental resources Success in recruiting, retaining, and promoting high quality faculty members The UTMB PA Program has national visibility with faculty involved in all key professional organizations including: the American Academy of Physician 4

5 Assistants, the Association of Physician Assistant Programs, the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants. The UTMB PA Program has been successful in obtaining HRSA federal training grant funding since its inception. Over the past 5 year period this has amounted to nearly 1.5 million dollars in extramural funding. The Program director was also selected to Chair a HRSA advisory committee to look at the future of the PA profession. The UTMB PA Program has had a history of strong collaboration with other PA programs in Texas and throughout the country. This was recently evidenced through the collective move to Master s level education by four Texas PA programs. Collectively there is over 100 yrs of faculty experience with the UTMB PA Program among current faculty. Nationally, only 18.6% of PA program directors have achieved the Professor rank as faculty. The UTMB PA Program is fortunate to have its director included as a full Professor with tenure. Additionally, it is commendable that the School is supportive of the APT process and that the UTMB PA Program has four additional faculty at the Associate Professor level and one at the Assistant Professor level. Two new faculty members are entering at the Instructor level. Nationally, 36.8% of PA program directors and only 10.9% of other program faculty have doctoral degrees. At UTMB not only is the director at the doctoral level but 2 of the remaining 7 faculty members have also obtained their doctoral degrees as well. It is notable that two faculty members who have left the UTMB PA Program over the past few years have gone on to establish themselves as leaders at other programs one as a Director and one as an Associate Director. The UTMB PA Program is known to develop faculty for leadership roles. The UTMB Program s Strategic Plan provides a useful blueprint for the successful transition to the Master s degree and the document will serve as a useful instrument for other departments within the SAHS and with other PA programs making similar transitions in their curricula. There is a growing sense of cooperation among the chairs of the various departments in the School that is manifested in increased opportunities for collaborative teaching, research, and faculty development. The UTMB PA Program has held continual accreditation from the ARC-PA and its predecessor organizations since its inception. The last accreditation period granted was for the maximum allowable timeframe of seven years. Student to faculty ratio nationally is 8.08 to 1 across PA programs nationwide. The UTMB PA Program ratio is slightly above at 12 to 1 given both first and second-year classes. If the alternate class were included the ratio would be 14 to 1. 5

6 Summary and Recommendations The fair and objective ranking of PA programs is currently problematic given the existence of sparse national data. There are a multitude of program missions, which make comparisons and benchmarking difficult. In a recent study by Blessing, Hooker, Jones, and Rahr (1), PA faculty nationally identified the following program characteristics as those that would best objectify institutional reputations: Faculty/student ratio Graduation rate Length of program accreditation National board exam pass rates Educational level of the faculty Faculty in clinical practice If indeed these characteristics are fair and appropriate measures of program success the UTMB PA Program has an outstanding track record in most areas. The right-sizing of program personnel represents an ongoing problem for PA programs across the country. Balancing available time with the need for faculty to engage in teaching, research, clinical activities and community service will continue to be a challenge for the UTMB PA Program. An impending added burden for program faculty will be the addition of graduate student Master s projects with the need for substantial faculty mentorship. Additionally, there has been recent attrition from the faculty. As these individuals are replaced, the burden of faculty mentorship will be lessened for the individual faculty member, however, even when these individuals are replaced the Program s student/faculty ratio will still be skewed when compared to the national student/faculty ratio. Attention should be paid to the following areas: Adjusting the student/faculty ratio in a positive direction will allow faculty members to continue to be leaders in the field of PA education and help the UTMB PA Program maintain the student-centered nature of this premier program. Recruitment of faculty with research backgrounds should be considered to help with the need for research mentorship of PA student master s projects. Continued opportunities for interdisciplinary teaching across the School of Allied Health Sciences and with the Schools of Medicine and Nursing should be explored. The PA program director should be considered for membership on the Medical School s curriculum committee to help with the modifications to the Great Syndromes course and to explore other possible collaborative teaching efforts. The faculty should be encouraged to continue to provide clinical care in the hospital or clinics where they serve as role models for their students. This will keep their skills well-honed and help mold the culture of interdisciplinary patient care. The UTMB PA Program has a history of excellence, a legacy of leadership and a bright future. 6

7 1. Blessing, DJ; Hooker, R; Jones, PE; Rahr, RR. An Investigation of Potential Criteria for Ranking Physician Assistant Programs. Perspective on Physician Assistant Education. 2002;12:3,