Program Goals & Results

Admissions

Matriculate a diverse student body with a commitment to professional involvement and service to all members of the community.

OVERALL COHORTS OF WSU PA STUDENTS SELF-REPORT IN THEIR CASPA APPLICATION AN AVERAGE OF 41% DIVERSITY, INCLUDING HRSA INDICATORS. THEY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THEIR COMMUNITIES WITH A COMBINED 520,848 PATIENT CARE HOURS.

Measure Cohort 2019 Cohort 20 Cohort 2021 Cohort 2022
CASPA Diversity %  50% 23% 27% 63%
Average Amount of Direct Patient Care Hours 3,289 3,900 3,469 4,234

Academics

Provide Physician Assistant students with superior knowledge and skills for the evaluation, monitoring, diagnosis, treatment, and counseling of patients across their lifespan.

THE CURRENT PA COHORTS WERE RECRUITED WITH AN AVERAGE GPA OF 3.54 FOR CLASS OF 2019 AND 3.57 FOR CLASS OF 2020. THE EVALUATION FROM PRECEPTORS IS VERY POSITIVE, ON A LIKERT SCALE OF 1 TO 5 (5 BEING THE HIGHEST).

Measure Cohort 2019 Cohort 2020 Cohort 2021 Cohort 2022
Preceptor Evaluation of Student (Patient Evaluation) 4.3 4.1 4.3 4.3
Graduate Exit Survey (Patient Evaluation) 4.5 4.5 4.3 3.5
Measure Cohort 2019 Cohort 2020 Cohort 2021 Cohort 2022
Preceptor Evaluation of Student (Patient Diagnosis) 4.1 4.0 4.1 4.3
Graduate Exit Survey (Patient Diagnosis) 4.1 4.4 4.3 4
Measure Cohort 2019 Cohort 2020 Cohort 2021 Cohort 2022
Preceptor Evaluation of Student (Patient Treatment) 4.2 4.0 4.1 4.5
Graduate Exit Survey (Patient Treatment) 4.2 4.0 4.0 3.7
Measure Cohort 2019 Cohort 2020 Cohort 2021 Cohort 2022
Preceptor Evaluation of Student (Patient Education) 4.2 4.0 4.1 4.3
Graduate Exit Survey (Patient Education) 4.2 4.0 4.0 4.0

Interprofessional Education

Educate the Physician Assistant student to function effectively within a health care team.

THE WESTFIELD PA STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN INTERPROFESSIONAL GRAND ROUNDS AND SIMULATIONS THROUGHOUT THE CURRICULUM. CURRENTLY, THE PA PROGRAM IS PARTICIPATING IN A HRSA IPE GRANT WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WORK AND NURSING REGARDING PATIENT CARE IN SUBSTANCE ABUSE DISORDERS.

Measure Cohort 2019 Cohort 2020 Cohort 2021 Cohort 2022
Graduate Exit Survey (Interprofessional Team Care) - 4.1 4.2 4.5
Faculty Eval of Curriculum (Interprofessional Team Care) 4.0 4.4 4.4 -

Service

Encourage all students and graduates to engage in the overall well-being of the community.

THE STUDENTS PERFORM SERVICE IN THE COMMUNITY TO REINFORCE THEIR NEW SKILLS AND LEARNING. THIS YEAR, STUDENTS PARTICIPATED IN BP350, TAKING BLOOD PRESSURES THROUGHOUT WESTFIELD TO CELEBRATE THE 350TH BIRTHDAY OF THE CITY.

Measure Cohort 2019 Cohort 2020 Cohort 2021 Cohort 2022
Student Community Service Hours in the Program 50 50 120 200

PANCE

Achieve a 100% first-time pass rate on the NCCPA PANCE examination

THE WSU PA PROGRAM ASPIRES TO ACHIEVE A 100% FIRST-TIME PASS RATE ON THE NCCPA PANCE EXAM.

Criteria Cohort 2019 Nat'l Ave 2019   Cohort 2020 Nat'l Ave 2020   Cohort 2021 Nat'l Ave 2021 Cohort 2022 Nat'l Ave 2022
PANCE Performance 1st-time test takers 91% 93%   90% 95%   93% 93% 96% 92%
PANCE Performance all test takers 92% 91%   91% 93%   94% 91% 93% 89%
Overall PANCE Pass Rate 100% -   100% -   100% - 100% -

NCCPA PROGRAM REPORT

ENROLLMENT DATA & ARC-PA ATTRITION TABLE

  Graduated Class Graduated Class Graduated Class
  Class of 2020 Class of 2021 Class of 2022
Maximum entering class size (as approved by ARC-PA) 30 30 30
Entering class size 31 30 30
Graduates 29 30 27
*Attrition rate 6.4% 0% 10%
**Graduation rate 93.5% 100% 90%

*Attrition rate calculations: Number of students who attritted from cohort divided by the entering class size.

**Graduation rate: Number of cohort graduates divided by the entering class size.

Comments: Westfield State University Physician Assistant Program. Updated 3/29/2023

Employment

Accomplish a pathway for a rewarding career through an affordable public PA program offering. Graduates will serve the medically underserved communities of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and beyond.

Measure Cohort 2019 Cohort 2020 Cohort 2021 Cohort 2022
Graduates serving in medically underserved communities 15 15    

 

Group photo of the Physician's Assistant students
Sunlight shines through the globe sculpture on the campus green

Contact us

577 Western Avenue, Westfield, MA