Program Goals

Mission Statement

To educate competent, compassionate, and culturally-aware physician assistants (PA) who are prepared to meet the healthcare needs of our community. Graduates will advance the physician assistant profession through clinical excellence, service and dedication to professional stewardship.

Vision Statement

The UMKC Master of Medical Science Physician Assistant Program will be a leader in PA education recognized by the quality of our graduates, community partnerships and academic excellence.

To Graduate Competent Physician Assistants

Measure 1a

PANCE Performance: first-time pass rate of each cohort

  • Benchmark: Each cohort’s first-time pass rate will be 93% or greater.
  • Outcome: 95% of the Class of 2024 passed the PANCE on the first attempt.

Measure 1b

Summative Exam Performance: Practical Exam first-time pass rate. Students take the summative exam in the last semester of the program to demonstrate competency in program learning outcomes. Students are tested on medical knowledge and communication and professionalism.

  • Benchmark: 93% of students achieve a passing practical exam score on the first attempt.
  • Outcome: 100% of students in the Class of 2024 achieved a passing practical exam score on the first attempt.

Measure 1c

Summative Exam Performance: Written Exam first-time pass rate. Students take the summative exam in the last semester of the program to demonstrate competency in program learning outcomes.

  • Benchmark: 93% of students achieve a passing written exam score on the first attempt. 
  • Outcome: 95% of students in the Class of 2024 achieved a passing written exam score on the first attempt.

Measure 1d

Preceptor evaluation of student clinical performance. The average rating across all required clerkships and students within a cohort is used as the measure. (Scale: 5= exceeds program expectations, 4= meets program expectations, and 3= below program expectations)  

  • Benchmark: A cohort’s mean rating for each competency in all supervised clinical practice experiences is greater than or equal to 4.0.
  • Outcome: For the Class of 2024, cohort averages in all competency areas were ≥4.0.

To Advance the Physician Assistant Profession

The advancement of the PA profession includes increasing the number of practicing PAs in our community, preparing our students to provide care to patients in our community, and faculty participation in professional service and stewardship. The program strives to achieve this goal through curriculum design and program culture.  

Measure 2a

Graduate job placement in the State of Missouri. (Data source: graduate survey and program records)

  • Benchmark: 50% of graduates in each cohort will take a post-graduate PA position in Missouri. 
  • Outcome: 52% of the Class of 2024 accepted a post-graduation PA position in the state of Missouri.

Measure 2b

Clinical rotation experiences in an urban medically underserved area (as defined by the Health Resources & Services Administration)

  • Benchmark: 90% of students in each cohort will complete at least one rotation in an urban medically underserved setting. 
  • Outcome: 100% of students in the Class of 2024 completed at least one rotation in an urban underserved setting.

Measure 2c

Graduate survey: Preparation to work in urban underserved areas 

  • Benchmark: 70% of each cohort’s graduates agree that the program prepares students to work in urban underserved areas.  
  • Outcome: 100% of survey respondents from the Class of 2024 agreed that the program prepared them to work in urban underserved areas. 

Measure 2d

Graduate survey: Preparation to work in rural areas 

  • Benchmark: 70% of each cohort’s graduates agree that the program prepares students to work in rural areas.
  • Outcome: 73% of survey respondents from the Class of 2024 agreed that the program prepared them to work in rural areas 

Measure 2e

Faculty participation in professional service and stewardship 

  • Benchmark: 100% of principal faculty, the medical director, and program director participate in professional committees at the School of Medicine or with regional or national professional organizations.  
  • Outcome: In 2024, 100% of the program’s principal faculty, medical director, and program director participated in professional service and stewardship.