Program Mission, History, and Goals

The UND Physician Assistant Program was established in 1970 at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences in response to health workforce shortages and the lack of access to primary health care in rural communities. Initially, the Program was designed to build upon the existing clinical skills of independent duty medical corpsmen returning from the Vietnam conflict to prepare them for a role in civilian primary health care delivery. The Program adopted an adult learning, competency-based curriculum (MEDEX) developed by the University of Washington.

In 1972, the Program turned to experienced registered nurses for its applicant pool. The Program's goal was to expand and extend the role of RNs in community-oriented rural and underserved primary care practice settings. From then until January 2004, a Physician Assistant Certificate was given to all who successfully completed the 12-month Program. And from 1972 to 1992, those who qualified received dual certification as a Physician Assistant and a Family Nurse Practitioner.

In 2003, the Program joined the Department of Family Medicine and moved to a graduate-level program, offering a Master of Physician Assistant Studies. The length of the program progressed to 24 months to facilitate more instruction in basic sciences as the foundation of medical practice. In 2006, the Program expanded the applicant pool by accepting not only registered nurses, but experienced clinical health care professionals from other disciplines with the same philosophy to expand the health care role of those in rural and underserved communities.

In July 2014, the Physician Assistant Program became its own Department of Physician Assistant Studies. Currently, an admission structure has been implemented to include science majors with health care experience, in addition to licensed health care professionals. The educational model and content delivery methods remain the same throughout the 24-month curriculum, which include a combination of online coursework, classroom experiences on campus, and clinical experiences under the supervision of a physician or physician assistant in rural primary care.

In 2020, the program celebrated its 50th anniversary. To date, the Program has nearly 2000 graduates who are employed throughout the U.S. (including Hawaii, Alaska, and the Virgin Islands), Canada, and overseas.

1. Provide a comprehensive academic and clinical educational experience for students and achieve first-time PANCE scores at or above the national average and aggregate scores at 100%.
   1. Evaluation of student, preceptor, graduate, and employer survey data in competency areas of medical knowledge, patient care, interpersonal and communication skills, and professionalism (see chart below for Classes of 2019-2023). Updated Dec. 2024

      	Student Self Assessments	Student Self Assessments	Preceptor Evaluation	Graduate Survey*
      	9-month	Graduation	Average	Assessed after 1 year
      Medical Knowledge	3.04	4.0	4.12	4.26
      Patient Care	3.13	4.23	4.24	4.29
      Interpersonal & Communication Skills	3.90	4.71	4.61	4.22
      Professionalism	4.16	4.71	4.59	4.47
      Practice-based Learning	na	na	na	4.18
      Systems-based Practice	na	na	na	4.25
      				*Graduate survey 5-year response rate: 68.4%

   2. Students have a comprehensive clinical experience as evidenced by individual and cumulative review of case and time log data to include patient types, setting types, and systems. This includes, but is not limited to: preventative, emergent, acute and chronic patient encounters; pediatric, adult and geriatric ages; outpatient, emergency department, inpatient and operating room settings.
   3. Critical Step Exam Scores (Classes of 2019-2023):
      1. Comprehensive Objective Exam Score: 86.55%
      2. PANCE Pass rate (first time / aggregate Classes of 2019-2023): 90%/98% (Five-Year National First Time Taker Average: 93%)
   4. Graduation Rate (Classes of 2019-2023):
      1. Graduation Rate (past 5 years): 88.4%
      2. Attrition Rate (past 5 years): 11.6%

2. Prepare graduates to be lifelong learners in clinical medicine.
   1. Scholarly Project (Classes of 2019-2023)
      1. Completion (past 5 years): 100%
      2. Average Score (past 5 years): 95.8%
   2. Students gain a basic understanding of research methods and statistical analysis to improve comprehension of medical research studies and incorporate findings into clinical practice. Average scores from graduate survey data (Classes of 2019-2023): 4.06
   3. Student Attendance at the North Dakota Academy of Physician Assistant Conference
      1. Each year students attend the North Dakota Academy of Physician Assistant Conference.
      2. Each year seven to eight students of the graduating class are selected to present their scholarly project posters at the conference.

3. Prepare students to be active members of the profession.
   1. Student members of AAPA and NDAPA
   2. Encouraged to be part of AAPA and home state’s APA after graduation.
      1. 69.6% of graduates from the class of 2023 are members of AAPA.
      2. 47.8% of graduates from the class of 2023 are members of their respective state’s APA.
   3. Students attend the NDAPA Conference and Annual meeting
   4. 100% of students participate in community service projects
   5. Leadership training as a part of professionalism coursework

4. Prepare students to become culturally responsive physician assistants providing inclusive and comprehensive quality health care to all.
   1. Didactic and Clinical curriculum emphasize providing inclusive and comprehensive quality health care to all
   2. 100% of students participate in implicit bias training
   3. Students felt the program prepared them to be culturally responsive PAs able to provide inclusive and comprehensive quality healthcare to all. Score from graduate survey (Class of 2023): 4.58

5. Prepare graduates to meet primary care workforce needs.
   1. 32-35 weeks of supervised clinical practice experiences in primary care settings
   2. 100% of students have rotations in rural or underserved clinical settings
   3. Graduates in the past 5 years practicing in primary care: 39.4%
   4. Graduates in the past 5 years practicing in rural areas: 39%
   5. Graduates in the past 5 years practicing in underserved areas: 40.3%

UND DPAS Program Competencies

1. Medical Knowledge
   • Understand the principles of basic and clinical sciences and their application to clinical practice.

2. Clinical Reasoning and Problem Solving
   • Apply the principles of basic and clinical sciences to diagnose disease and utilize therapeutic decision-making, clinical problem-solving, and other evidence-based practice skills.
   • Recognize when to refer patients to other disciplines to ensure that patients receive optimal care at the appropriate time and level.

3. Interpersonal Skills
   • Demonstrate interpersonal and communication skills that result in effective information exchange with patients, families, and healthcare team members.
   • Establish rapport with patients and families to build meaningful therapeutic relationships.

4. Clinical and Technical Skills
   • Assess the health status of individuals of all ages by obtaining an appropriate history and physical examination, recommending and interpreting diagnostic studies, formulating differential diagnoses, developing a management plan, and accurately documenting the medical information.
   • Perform procedures and clinical skills considered essential for entry into PA practice.

5. Professional Behaviors
   • Demonstrate responsible and ethical patient care.
   • Acknowledge and address professional and personal limitations.
   • Demonstrate sensitivity and responsiveness to diverse patient populations.
   • Demonstrate commitment to lifelong learning.