*prior to January 2018

Goal 1: Academic Program - Educate and train students to be healthcare professionals.

• Students successfully completing the PAS Program curriculum will have a first time pass rate on the PANCE at or above the national average for their cohort.
  • UKPAS Program PANCE performance

Goal 2: Diversity - Create an educational environment that fosters cultural competence, respect, inclusion and sensitivity for individual differences in students, faculty and staff members.

• The PAS Program employs a holistic admissions process that supports the University, College, and Program efforts to recruit and admit underrepresented minorities, first-generation college students, and rural applicants.
  • The UK PA Studies Program values academic acumen, leadership, life-long learning, diversity and inclusion, ethical and professional behavior, advancement of medical knowledge and quality, safe, and accessible healthcare. To this end, we employ a holistic admissions process, wherein academic success, as well as personal attributes and experiences are considered.
• Each admitted class shall match or exceed the contemporary demography of Kentucky.
  • Upon review of PAS student demographics from the past five admitted classes, we have not yet attained this goal.  We are firmly committed to a policy of providing opportunities to people regardless of economic or social status and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnic origin, national origin, creed, religion, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information, age, veteran status, or physical or mental disability. As such, we have continued to refine program admissions practices in an effort to encourage all qualified individuals to apply.
• As determined through preceptor evaluations, 100% of students will demonstrate sensitivity to cultural, gender, socio-economic, educational and age differences among patients.
  • 100% of students in Classes of 2015, 2016, and 2017 demonstrated perceived sensitivity to differences among patients as evidenced by preceptor evaluations of student performance in professionalism during clinical rotations.
  • 1100% of students in the Class of 2018 have passed this professionalism standard for all clinical rotations.

Goal 3: Rural/ Underserved - Prepare and encourage graduates to practice in rural and underserved communities.

• At least one-third of the PAS Program graduates will have their initial employment in either a rural or underserved community.
  • Class of 2017 alumni survey early response indicated 20% of graduates confirmed acceptance of employment in medically underserved and/or rural areas.

Goal 4: Interprofessional Education - Inspire students to be team members in an ever-evolving health care system.

• At least three PAS Program faculty members shall participate in the University of Kentucky Center for Interprofessional Healthcare Education, Research & Practice educational experience each year.
  • Three PAS faculty have participated annually the interprofessional curriculum since 2016 and earned an average 4.79 facilitator rating on a 5-point Likert-type scale
• Interprofessional Healthcare Education, Research & Practice educational experience each year.
  • 100% of students in Classes of 2017, 2018, and 2019 participated
• As determined through preceptor evaluations, 100% of PAS Program students shall demonstrate that they value the interaction of other health care team members to improve healthcare and patient outcomes.
  • 100% of students in Classes of 2015, 2016, and 2017 demonstrated perceived value of interprofessional team members as evidenced by preceptor evaluations of student performance in professionalism during clinical rotations.
  • 100% of students in the Class of 2018 have passed this professionalism standard for all clinical rotations.
• Each year, at least two PAS Program students will be selected to participate in additional interprofessional (IP) opportunities.  Examples may include but not be limited to Dean's Interprofessional Honors Colloquium, Leadership Legacy, Interprofessional Teamwork in Global Health (international health care brigades/missions), Interprofessional Lunch & Learn, and Conmigo. Additional information about these programs can be located at www.uky.edu/cihe

Goal 5: Develop Faculty and Staff members - Cultivate faculty and staff members who are committed to excellence in teaching, scholarship, service, and professional development.

• All PAS Program faculty shall attend at least one national or regional professional conference annually.
  • All faculty have attended one or more professional conference at the national or regional level each year. These activities include but are not limited to professional development opportunities through national and international professional organizations, technical training seminars, diversity and inclusion initiatives, and interprofessional activities.
• All PAS Program faculty shall provide one presentation at a state, regional, or national professional conference annually, or shall serve as author or co-author of one submission to a refereed journal or book chapter annually.
  • All faculty have contributed one or more scholarly products or presentations; recent total contributions from PAS faculty per category are provided below:

  • 	Published Journal Article, Book Chapter, or other Scholarly Work	Conference Presentation
    2015	7	20
    2016	3	18
    2017	4	16

• All new faculty will have a faculty mentor assigned to them for their first 2 years of work with the program.
  • The College of Health Sciences' formal Faculty Mentoring program, administered through the office of the Associate Dean of Academic and Faculty Affairs, pairs each new faculty member with a senior faculty mentor.  The College provides a formal structure for routine meetings during the first year and provides support for more informal episodic meetings throughout the second year.
• All staff members shall participate in at least two university-sponsored professional development activities annually.
  • The College of Health Sciences hosts annual staff development retreats whereby 100% of PAS staff have attended for the past three years.
  • Additional development opportunities offered and attended by PAS staff include topics such as diversity and inclusion, technical skill enhancement, and staff council and related committee engagements.

Goal 6: Curriculum Innovation - Continue to provide a distinctive, evolving curriculum that prepares physician assistants for the future healthcare needs of the population.

• UK PAS faculty and staff engage in an ongoing assessment of programmatic, curricular, and contemporary health care data.  A small selection of PAS program attributes/activities germane to curricular innovation is provided below:
  • PAS 620 "Health Care Delivery for the 21st Century" is specifically designed to introduce students to contemporary issues in the health care system and integrates clinical vignettes for evaluation of systems-based practice competency.
  • The PAS Masters Project requires student demonstration of intellectual inquiry, analytic ability, and scholarly productivity within a domain of medicine or health care delivery relative to the UK PAS mission.
  • An integrated cardiac unit was developed in 2015 and it consistently regarded highly among students since its introduction. This highly collaborative effort affords students the opportunity to study intensively a singular organ system across all courses within a given term and culminates in an integrated exam.
  • An annual PAS Faculty retreat provides opportunity for in-depth data review and analysis as it pertains to program mission and goals.