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 health care 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 underrepresented minority (URM) and first-generation college students with an intent to broaden the scope of diversity metrics in the future.

Outcomes:

• Percent of recruiting and outreach activities at institutions and events with a greater-than-average number of URM students
• Percent of recruiting activities at colleges and universities with First Forward designation or a greater-than-average number of first-generation college students.
• Diversity of matriculating students in each cohort, measuring underrepresented minorities and first-generation college students
• Availability of programs and services that promote diversity, equity and inclusion and a positive learning environment for URM and first-generation students
• Program attrition rate of URM and first-generation students (5-year average)

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 completed during the students’ time in the program.  
• Availability of service activities to students, as demonstrated in exit survey data.

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 exit survey and Extra Shot survey data.

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
   
  • Student exit survey
  • Graduate survey

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:

• Percent first-time pass rate by graduates on the NCCPA PANCE exam.