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PA Omaha Program Goals

Five Program Goals for the Physician Assistant Omaha Program

Goal 1: Increase the diversity of the PA workforce by recruiting, retaining, and graduating students from diverse backgrounds

Creighton is committed to improving the diversity of the healthcare workforce. The PA program values and embraces a diverse community that reflects different races and national origin, ethnicity, age, culture, sexual orientation, sexual identity, gender identity and expression, socioeconomic status, religious affiliation, spiritual practice, and mental and physical ability/disability.

Recruitment and outreach efforts are targeted to reach a broadly diverse pool of potential applicants. The program’s rolling admission process allows each application reviewed to be evaluated in its totality before decisions are made. This provides a holistic review of each applicant on all of their merits, without cut scores (beyond published minimum requirements) or other factors that may procedurally disadvantage an applicant based on an individual metric. The university provides support, programs and services that promote diversity, equity and inclusion and a positive learning environment for diverse and disadvantaged students.

The program will initially gather data and demonstrate outcomes involving non-white and first-generation college students with an intent to broaden the scope of diversity metrics in the future.

OUTCOMES:

  • Recruitment at Institutions with Greater than 20% Non-White Student Population

Percentage of Recruitment at Institutions with a greater than 20% Non-White Student Population

Benchmark

2021

2022

2023

2024

4-year Aggregate

>50%

61%

82%

87%

77%

76.7

Benchmark: The program's benchmark >50% for recruiting non-white students at institutions with a greater than 20% student population is based on statistics form the U.S. News & World Report Best College Rankings, Fall 2021 and was evaluated and decided by the program faculty. This benchmark will be evaluated annually at the Annual Curriculum Review meeting attended by all program faculty and staff.

  • Percentage of Recruitment at First-Generation Forward Institutions

Percentage of Recruitment at First-Generation Forward Institutions

Benchmark

2021

2022

2023

2024

4-year Aggregate

>50%

61%

45%

47%

76%

58.3%

Benchmark: Based on average of First-Generation Forward students recruited in the past four cohorts. Program benchmark is supported by data from the Center for First-Generation Student Success

  • Percentage of Matriculation, Non-White Students

Percentage of Matriculation, Non-White Students

Benchmark

2021

2022

2023

2024

4-year Aggregate

12%

16.7%

21.4%

3.1%

16.7%

14.2%

Benchmark: The program's benchmark for diversity is that at least 12% of each cohort identity with a diverse population. The program has defined diversity as non-white and/or first-generation forward students. Source: PAEA Research Student Report 4 / By the Numbers: Data from the 2019 Matriculating Student and End of Program Surveys

  • Percentage of Matriculation, First-Generation Forward Students

Percentage of Matriculation First-Generation Students

Benchmark

2021

2022

2023

2024

12%

8.3%*

7.1%

6.3%*

11.1%*

Benchmark: The program's benchmark for diversity is that at least 12% of each cohort identity with a diverse population. The program has defined diversity as non-white and/or first-generation forward students. Source: PAEA Research Student Report 4 / By the Numbers: Data from the 2019 Matriculating Student and End of Program Surveys
*Indicates student(s) also in the non-white category

  • Percentage of Graduating Non-White Students

Percentage of Matriculation First-Generation Students

Benchmark

2021

2022

2023

2024

99%

100%

100%

No data

No data

Benchmark: The program's benchmark for graduating non-white and/or first-generation forward students is based on previous graduating cohorts. Diverse refers to non-white and/or first-generation forward students.

  • Percentage of Graduating First-Generation Forward Students

Percentage of Graduating First-Generation Forward Students

Benchmark

2021

2022

2023

2024

99%

100%

100%

No data

No data

Benchmark: The program's benchmark for graduating non-white and/or first-generation forward students is based on previous graduating cohorts. Diverse refers to non-white and/or first-generation forward students.

Goal 2: Support a culture of service to others and to community

Consistent with our mission, service to humanity will be emphasized throughout the program. The admissions process will select for applicants who have demonstrated a commitment to service to others. Service activities will be incorporated into the curriculum and students will be encouraged to seek extracurricular service opportunities.

OUTCOMES:

  • Students’ service hours acquired prior to PA school

Average Number of Service Hours Prior to PA School

CO 2021

CO 2022

CO 2023

CO 2024

271.00

114.50

343.00

146.20

  • Average number of service hours completed during the students’ time in the program.  

Average Number of Service Hours During Program

Benchmark

CO 2021

CO 2022

CO 2023

CO 2024

>168/hours

184.3/student

184.35/student

In progress

In progress

Goal 3: Foster the personal and professional development of students as medical providers

A commitment to personal and professional growth is a program priority.  Students will participate in a dynamic curriculum that integrates ethical and professional principles throughout, allowing for student growth and a better understanding of one’s own biases and beliefs. This process will involve instruction, mentoring and feedback as well as self-reflection activities. Professional behaviors will be evaluated by faculty and clinical preceptors using professionalism evaluations. Feedback and mentoring will be provided on an ongoing basis. Students will be asked to reflect on their professional behaviors and to explore their own personal set of values and beliefs. 

OUTCOMES:

  • Percent of students who achieve 100% satisfactory ratings on their professionalism evaluations by graduation
  • Assessment of student perceptions of personal and professional growth as measured by the student graduate survey.
  • Percent of Students who Achieve 100% Satisfactory Ratings on Professionalism Evaluations by Graduation

Percent of Students who Achieve 100% Satisfactory Ratings on Professionalism Evaluations by Graduation

Benchmark

2021

2022

2023

2024

100%

100%

100%

No data

No data

Benchmark: The program's benchmark for professionalism is a required component of the program, evaluating readiness for graduation.

  • Perceptions of Personal and Professional Growth - Graduate Survey

Student Perceptions of Personal and Professional Growth as Measured by the Graduate Survey

Area Assessed* (see below)

Benchmark

2021

2022

2023

2024

1.

3.0

4.8

4.9

No data

No data

2.

3.0

4.7

4.9

No data

No data

3.

3.0

4.7

4.9

No data

No data

4.

3.0

4.9

4.9

No data

No data

5.

3.0

4.9

5.0

No data

No data

Benchmark: Students are required to complete a Graduate Survey at the conclusion of the 28-month program. Likert scale 1.0-5.0 with 3.0 set as minimum standard.

*Area Assessed

  1. I understand the ethical and professional values that are expected of the profession.
  2. Personal and professional development program competency.
  3. Professionalism program competency.
  4. My PA program has done a good job of fostering and nurturing my development as a Person.
  5. My PA program has done a good job of fostering and nurturing my development as a Physician Assistant.

Goal 4: Deliver  an  educational experience  that  provides  students with the knowledge and skills necessary for entry level practice as physician assistants 

Students will participate in an integrated curriculum and a broad array of clinical experiences that will prepare them to enter the workforce in a wide variety of practice settings. 

OUTCOMES:

  • PANCE pass rate
  • Student perception of knowledge and skills as measured on the
    • Graduate Survey
    • Alumni Survey

Alumni Survey - Preparation for Meeting Program Competencies

Preparation for Competencies - Alumni Survey
Response Rate: 65% (n=15 of 23 for CO2021)
Students responded to the below items using the Agreement Scale: 1=Strongly Disagree; 2=Disagree; 3=Neutral; 4=Agree; 5=Strongly Agree

Preparation for Competencies - Alumni Survey

 

CO2021

Interpersonal and communication skills

4.8

Interprofessional collaboration

4.7

Medical knowledge

4.7

Patient care

4.8

Personal and professional development

4.7

Patient-based learning and improvement

4.7

Professionalism

4.9

Systems-based practice

4.9

All Competencies

4.8

Goal 5: Achieve a first time PANCE pass rate that is above the national average

This goal will be measured annually with the NCCPA provided data on program first time pass rate as compared to the national average. 

OUTCOMES:

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