GPA and Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination Performance Among Physician Assistant Students With...

Many college students in the United States use disability accommodations, and their use has been shown to increase retention and college success. However, even with disability accommodations, these students have lower Grade Point Averages (GPAs) than their nonaccommodated peers and score lower on standardized tests. What has not been reported is the use of disability accommodations by physician assistant (PA) students, their GPAs, and Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE) performance compared with their nonaccommodated peers.

Data were collected from five cohorts of PA students from four institutions for the years 2019 to 2023 (N = 1128). Deidentified data included GPA at the time of graduation, first-time PANCE score, and whether an academic accommodation was used during PA education (yes/no). Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and hierarchical regression models were analyzed with statistical significance set at P < .05.

Physician assistant students with disability accommodations had statistically significant lower GPAs at time of graduation and had lower first-time PANCE scores than those without. Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination failure rates among those with accommodations was 25.58% (22/86) and among those without accommodations was 6.37% (66/1036).

These results echo national data from undergraduate students, and medical students, namely that PA students with disability accommodations have lower GPAs and lower scores on the PANCE compared with their nonaccommodated peers. Recognizing this trend is an essential step in identifying areas for improvement as the academic community strives to support the success of diverse students, while ensuring excellent training and preparation for the workforce.