Policies

General Policies

This page is intended to be a general overview of select physician assistant (PA) program policies. A complete guide to program policies is contained in the PA Program Student Handbook (PDF) which is distributed to all students.

Transfer Credit, Experiential Learning and Advanced Placement

Coursework in the PA program is different from most traditional graduate programs. Due to the knowledge base of each semester building on the knowledge base from the previous semester, it is vital that all students of the UMKC Physician Assistant program complete the required work in the prescribed sequence. No transfer credit, experiential learning credit or advanced placement credit is accepted. (ARC-PA Standard A3.13b-c)

Tuition and Fee Refunds

The UMKC Cashiers Office oversees the policies and procedures for tuition and fee refunds. Admissions fees including the UMKC General Application Fee and tuition deposits are non-refundable. (ARC-PA Standard A1.02k)

Student Employment

Employment outside of the program

Full or part-time employment is strongly discouraged while a student, but not prohibited. Due to the rigorous nature of the program, the demands placed on students are extremely high, particularly with respect to the clinical work schedule and associated study requirements. Non-program activities shall not interfere with academic or clinical requirements of the program.
(ARC-PA Standard: A3.15e)

Employment within the program

Students are not required to work for the program. Students may not, by position or responsibility, be employed or function as instructional faculty or substitute for clinical or administrative staff. An MMSPA student, credentialed or licensed in other non-PA professions cannot function in that role while in the role of an MMSPA student. Students must not accept payment while on rotation for work at clinical sites. The program does not consider stipends, scholarship money, or other financial support as payments. Rotation experiences are for educational purposes only. (ARC-PA Standard A3.04, A3.05a-b)

Clinical Experience Recruitment

Students are not required, nor are they allowed to arrange their own clinical experiences but may suggest potential opportunities to the clinical faculty. The program is committed to developing new relationships with preceptors and clinical sites that meet accreditation standards, further the program’s mission, and benefit our students. The clinical faculty makes all final decisions regarding the placement of students in sites throughout the clinical phase of the program. (ARC-PA Standard A3.03)

Assessment of Student Learning

Identification of academic difficulties

The program faculty continuously monitors students’ performance so interventions can be made early and academic success is more likely. Remediation assessments and plans are created when students do not meet threshold standards on an exam in any course.
(ARC-PA Standard A3.15c, B4.01b)

Remediation in the didactic phase

MEDPA 5501 Anatomy for the PA and MEDPA 5502 Foundations of Medicine: Students earning a final course grade of C- or below (< 70%) will be provided remediation assessment and plan with an opportunity to take a remediation exam to demonstrate their competence and knowledge of course material. The remediation exam will be a pass/fail cumulative exam covering material presented in the course. Students who pass this exam with a score of at least 70% will be awarded a C for the final course grade. Students who do not pass the remediation exam with at least 70% will retain their earned grade.

Science and Practice of Medicine I-IV: Students will be provided a remediation assessment and plan when an MMSPA student fails to successfully pass a module exam or clinical assessment/skill check-off in the following courses: MEDPA 5531, MEDPA 5532, MEDPA 5533 and MEDPA 5534.

The course director will notify the student if a student fails a module exam (<70%). The student will then meet with their advisor to participate in a remediation assessment, and a remediation plan will be developed. The remediation plan will be tailored to the failed learning outcomes and may consist of appropriate reading, other applicable learning activities, working with relevant instructional faculty, and accessing School of Medicine academic resources for assistance.

The student will have the opportunity to take a remediation exam and must earn a score of at least 70% to pass. A student is allowed only one attempt at the remediation exam. The maximum recorded score for any remediation exam will be 70%. Students who do not pass the remediation exam (<70%) will receive a course grade of F.

A student may not remediate more than 50% of the module exams in any semester. Achieving less than 70% on more than 50% of the module exams in a semester will result in failure of the course.

If a student fails a module clinical assessment or skills exam by scoring below the program-set passing score, they will meet with their advisor to formulate a remediation plan. The student will have the opportunity to take a remediation clinical assessment and/or skills exam and must score the program’s set expectation to pass. The student is allowed only one attempt at the remediation exam. Regardless of the remediation clinical assessment or skill exam score, the minimum passing score for the exam will be awarded.

Students must complete all remediation exams before the end of the course. Students who fail to successfully complete a remediation plan and/or exam will be referred to the Committee on Progression for further determination.

Remediation in the clinical phase

Remediation in the clinical phase occurs when a student fails to pass the End of Rotation Exam (EORE) on the first attempt in the following courses: MEDPA 5611 Family Medicine II, MEDPA 5620/21 Internal Medicine II, MEDPA 5630 Emergency Medicine, MEDPA 5640 Women’s Health, MEDPA 5650 Pediatrics, MEDPA 5660 Surgery, and MEDPA 5670 Behavioral Health.

Students must pass the EORE to pass the course. Failure to achieve the program defined pass rate of 70% (without rounding) on an EOR exam on the first attempt will require the student to participate in remediation and retake the failed EOR exam. The second attempt must be completed after remediation and within two rotation blocks of the failed attempt. The clinical faculty has final approval of exam scheduling; this determination will be included in the student’s remediation plan.

Students who fail a first attempt EOR exam are ineligible to earn higher than a 70% for the repeated EOR exam. Failure to obtain the program defined pass rate on the second attempt will result in failure of the course. Students must pass the EOR exam to pass the course.

Any student with two outstanding EOREs will be required to enroll in a 4-week directed studies course in lieu of their scheduled clinical rotation. The program will attempt to schedule the directed studies course within one rotation of the second failed EOR exam. Successful completion of both outstanding exams must be completed by the end of the directed studies course to avoid failure of the respective courses.

Students failing an EORE in the last two rotations of the clinical phase must complete the second attempt exam(s) before the program completion date or elect to take a directed studies course. Enrollment in a directed studies course will result in the extension of the student’s program of study and delay of program completion. Financial costs associated with an extended program of study are the student’s responsibility.

Remediation of the summative evaluations

Two summative exams, one written and another practical, are given near the completion of the program. Students must pass these summative exams to complete the program.

Students who fail to meet the program-set passing score for passage of the summative exam will be given one opportunity to remediate each exam. Students who fail to achieve a passing score will be notified by the program director. Students will then meet with the program director, medical director and the student’s academic advisor to complete a remediation assessment and formulate a remediation plan. The remediation plan may consist of appropriate reading and activities relative to subject areas of need, scheduled meetings with identified faculty and identification of School of Medicine resources for assistance.

The time required to remediate either exam may result in a delay in program completion and graduation. Students who fail to successfully remediate the promotion and/or summative exam will appear before the Committee on Progression for further determination.