Mission and Goals

Rationale: The Yale School of Medicine PA Program offers an academically rigorous curriculum in a collaborative learning environment. We seek students who are well-prepared academically and bring a range of experiences that enrich the program and the profession.

Outcomes: The Yale School of Medicine PA Program attracts cohorts that embody academic excellence, extensive patient care experience, and varied perspectives.

Rationale: A graduate is prepared for clinical excellence when they achieve the program-defined competencies and pass the NCCPA PANCE exam. All students are exposed to a variety of practice settings during Supervised Clinical Practice Experiences. Program competencies are aligned with the practice expectations defined by the four PA organizations. Program competencies are evaluated throughout the curriculum and in the summative assessments, which occur in the final four months of the program.

Benchmark: Five-year first time PANCE pass rate > national five-year first-time PANCE pass rate

Benchmark: > 85% of students should pass SCPE on first Attempt

Outcomes:

PANCE: The five-year first-time PANCE pass rate for the Yale Physician Associate Program is 97% which exceeds the national five-year first-time PANCE pass rate of 93%.

Note: SCPE = Supervised Clinical Practice Experience

Rationale: The Yale PA Program values collaboration and compassion, values that are fundamental to interprofessional, team-based, patient-centered care. All students participate in the Interprofessional Longitudinal Clinical Experience with MD and advanced practice nursing students in the first year of training. All students participate in Supervised Clinical Practice Experiences with teams that are patient-centered, interprofessional, and team-oriented.

Benchmark: Cohort average scores of clinical preceptor evaluation domains relating to interprofessional, patient centered, team-based care are equal to or exceed 85%.

Outcomes:

Rationale: The Yale PA Program believes that students learn at their own pace and, therefore, the program works to promote equitable access to educational resources. Furthermore, the Yale PA Program values community and strives to foster a culture based on connection, mutual respect, and collective responsibility for the well-being of all members.

Benchmark:

• Maintain a cohort attrition rate of 5% or lower.
• Responses to the Learning Environment Survey items are ≥3.85 on a 5-point scale (1=strongly disagree; 5=strongly agree)

Outcomes:

Note: The Learning Environment Survey is deployed to all students once per year. Data reported here were collected in May 2025. The Class of 2025 was in the clinical year and the Class of 2026 was in the pre-clinical year.

Rationale: Many of Yale Physician Associate Program’s students are involved in leadership, volunteer, regional and national professional training, and scholarly activities that go beyond the PA Program curriculum while they are enrolled within the program. Many alumni have held meaningful leadership positions in the program’s 50+ year history. Yale Physician Associate Program graduates lead by serving their patients, their communities, the healthcare system, and the profession.

Benchmark: At least 50% of students enrolled in the PA Program will be involved in some leadership activity.

Benchmark: Of Alumni survey respondents, at least 25% will hold or have held a leadership position after graduation.

Outcomes:

Selected examples:

1. Neighborhood Health Project, HAVEN Student run free clinic, Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services, Hunger & Homelessness Committee, Health Professions Recruitment & Exposure Program
2. ConnAPA Charter Oak Conference, AAPA Conference, AAPA Leadership and Advocacy, PAEA Future Educator Fellowship, PAEA Health Policy Fellowship
3. Peer reviewed publications, national and regional poster presentations
4. US Health Justice, Global Health Seminar, Southwick Society, Bioethics, Medical Spanish, Yale POCUS interest group
5. Class officer positions, YSM Medical School Council, AAPA Student House of Delegates, Peer Advocate