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Physician assistant program characteristics and faculty credentials on physician assistant national certifying exam
Reamer L Bushardt1, Loraine E Booze, Mary L Hewett
1Department of Physician Assistant Studies, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157, USA. rbushard@wakehealth.edu
Summary
Physician Assistant (PA) programs conferring master's degrees and maintaining lower student-to-faculty ratios showed higher first-time pass rates on the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE). These factors appear more critical than faculty doctoral-level education for PANCE success.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Health Professions Education
Background:
- Physician Assistant (PA) education has focused on terminal degrees and faculty qualifications.
- Understanding factors influencing PA program success, particularly on the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE), is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the state of PA training programs in 2009.
- To identify programmatic variables predicting first-time PANCE pass rates.
Main Methods:
- Data from PA program websites and the PAEA Faculty Directory were combined.
- Faculty credentials, student numbers, and PANCE reports were analyzed.
- Linear regression was used to assess predictors of PANCE pass rates.
Main Results:
- Programs conferring master's degrees had higher PANCE pass rates (Beta = 0.54, P = .001).
- Lower student-to-faculty ratios predicted higher PANCE pass rates (Beta = -0.21, P = .01).
- The mean percentage of full-time faculty with doctorates was 17.6%.
Conclusions:
- Master's degree conferral and student-to-faculty ratio significantly predict PANCE pass rates.
- Improving student-to-faculty ratio may be a more effective strategy for enhancing PANCE performance than focusing solely on faculty doctoral degrees.
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