PA Program Goals

Maintain Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE) first time taker pass rates at or above the national average.

To become a certified physician assistant, all students must pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE). PANCE is a computerized, multiple-choice test that assesses students' practical medical and surgical knowledge. The table below demonstrates the University of Mount Union Physician Assistant Studies Program’s success. The goal has been achieved in eight out of the past ten years.

Class Year	# of First-Time Takers	Program First-Time Taker Pass Rate	National First-Time Taker Pass Rate
2011	19	95%	91%
2012	26	96%	93%
2013	31	87%	94%
2014	30	100%	95%
2015	30	100%	96%
2016	28	96%	96%
2017	34	97%	97%
2018	37	100%	98%
2019	38	95%	93%
2020	36	92%	95%
2021	38	95%	93%
2022	40	83%	92%
2023	38	97%	92%
2024	38	100%	TBD

Maintain a 95% or greater graduation rate for the students of the University of Mount Union Physician Assistant Studies Program.*

The table below demonstrates the University of Mount Union Physician Assistant Studies Program’s success.

Class Year	Matriculants	Graduates	Rate
2011	19	19	100%
2012	27	26	96%
2013	31	31	100%
2014	32	30	97%*
2015	32	30	100%*
2016	30	28	97%*
2017	35	34	97%
2018	40	37	97%*
2019	40	38	98%*
2020	40	36	100%*
2021	42	38	98%*
2022	40	40	100%
2023	40	38	100%*
2024	40	38	98%

* Excluding students who decelerated or who elected to withdraw

Maintain an average score of 8 out of 10 or higher on clinical preceptor evaluations of student professionalism.

The University of Mount Union Physician Assistant Studies Program teaches and promotes the importance of developing Physician Assistants who work and lead through professionalism. The Physician Assistant Studies Program tracks and monitors student professionalism during the clinical year through clinical preceptor evaluations.

Preceptors evaluate students on the following professional characteristics and rank the students from 1 (marginal/failing) to 10 (exceptional):

Cohort	Humanistic Attributes	Relationships with Staff and Colleagues	Attitude, Interest, and Responsibility	Overall
2009-11	9.61	9.61	9.67	9.63
2010-12	9.69	9.69	9.69	9.69
2011-13	9.75	9.79	9.78	9.77
2012-14	9.72	9.75	9.72	9.73
2013-15	9.65	9.69	9.71	9.68
2014-16	9.76	9.79	9.79	9.78
2015-17	9.74	9.73	9.73	9.73
2016-18	9.83	9.86	9.84	9.84
2017-19	9.79	9.81	9.80	9.80
2018-20	9.68	9.70	9.72	9.70
2019-21	9.83	9.85	9.86	9.85
2020-22	9.67	9.67	8.33	9.22
2021-23	9.83	9.82	9.77	9.81
2021-24	9.81	9.82	9.76	9.80

Humanistic attributes: Demonstrates empathy, altruism, sensitivity, respect for the individual, and professionalism.
Relationship with staff and colleagues: Ability to interact cooperatively with other members of the team. Respectful, professional.
Attitude, interest, and responsibility. Reliable, available, prompt

To have 100% of graduates employed as physician assistants within 6 months of graduation.

Of the 2023 graduates who responded to a university survey six months after graduation, 28 of the 30 respondents were employed as PAs (93%). See the table below for past cohorts.

Graduate Survey Results: Employment Status

	Class of 2014	Class of 2015	Class of 2016	Class of 2017	Class of 2018	Class of 2019	Class of 2020	Class of 2021	Class of 2022	Class of 2023
Number of Graduates	30	30	28	34	37	38	36	38	40	38
Number of Students Responding	18	16	12	21	25	9	22	26	21	30
Response Rate	60%	53%	43%	62%	68%	24%	61%	68%	53%	79%
Percentage of Respondents Employed at Time of Survey (approximately 6 months after graduation)	100%	100%	100%	90%	96%	89%	82%	100%	95%	93%

PA students at the University of Mount Union are sometimes offered jobs as a result of their supervised clinical practice experiences (clinical rotations). The Student Success Center at the University assists PA students with resume preparation and arranges mock interviews with area employers. When potential employers contact the program, these job openings are posted for students and alumni to review. Health recruiters from around the region, such as Akron Children’s Hospital, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Summa Health System, and Akron General Medical Center, travel to campus annually for our Meet-a-Mount Union PA event. This event has been held on campus in the spring semester of the students’ clinical year since 2017. In 2019, 12 recruiters from eight organizations self-reported the need for approximately 80 new advanced practice providers.