Program Learning Outcomes, Goals & Achievements
Embodying respect for the ideals of equity, diversity and cultural sensitivity
The professional goals for students graduating from the Physician Assistant Program
Program Learning Outcomes
Integrate behavioral, social, and medical knowledge established from the evolving biomedical and clinical sciences in recognizing, evaluating and managing patient disease states across the lifespan during acute, chronic, preventative, and emergent encounters with diverse populations.
Demonstrate the interpersonal and communication skills required to sustain effective, multi-directional information exchange within a diverse population of patients, their caregivers, and members of the healthcare team.
Demonstrate the ability to elicit an accurate patient history, perform an appropriate physical examination, and perform appropriate clinical procedures using essential clinical and technical skills to provide quality patient care.
Collaborate effectively as part of an interdisciplinary healthcare team through clinical reasoning and problem-solving skills to formulate a logical differential diagnosis, select and interpret appropriate diagnostic studies, and synthesize a comprehensive, patient-centered management plan for the promotion of wellness and disease prevention.
Demonstrate the ability to interpret and integrate an evidence-based approach to clinical and professional practice through clinical reasoning, problem-solving, and decision-making processes to improve patient care practices within diverse populations.
Demonstrate professionalism through personal behaviors, sensitivity, and accountability essential to patients, society, and the profession.
Promote health and wellness in health workforce shortage communities and with patient populations out of the mainstream of health care delivery.
Goals
The CUNY School of Medicine PA Program goals align with the Competencies for the PA Profession delineated, updated and approved in 2012 by the four leadership organizations of the PA Profession (AAPA, ARC-PA, PAEA and NCCPA). We are committed to graduating students with the following attributes:
We are committed to practicing high-quality compassionate care, and to developing sensitivity and competence in communication skills with diverse populations.
We are committed to providing the skills necessary to apply new knowledge at the point of care and to engage in scholarly activity relevant to health and disease.
We inspire graduates to work in communities with health workforce shortages and with patient populations out of the mainstream of healthcare delivery. We encourage graduates to be advocates at the local, regional, and national levels for the best care for patients and their community and to be activists for social justice.
We promote the assumption of leadership positions within the profession and the community.
We are committed to creating an environment where collegiality, respect and ethical practice are fostered and valued.
We value collaborative learning and working styles that facilitate full participation in interdisciplinary medical teams.
We actively encourage intellectual curiosity and critical thinking necessary for life-long learning, leading to the continual improvement of patient care.
Achieving Goals
Successful achievement of this goal is demonstrated through multiple metrics including faculty evaluations of student-patient interactions on clinical rotations and standardized patient examinations, and didactic year courses such as physical diagnosis and cross cultural counseling. Areas accessed include patient centered history taking, physical examination, clinical reasoning, communication skills and cross cultural counseling. In 2023, preceptors rated our student patient care performance at 92% overall.
Successful achievement of this goal is demonstrated in courses such as Clinical Medicine I, II and III and Integrative Medicine and during patient experiences in the clinical year. Students are evaluated on their critical thinking and research skills during their epidemiology and research methods courses. In their final semester, all students are required to complete and present a research project to CUNY School of Medicine faculty. The most outstanding research projects are highlighted and awarded certificates of merit at commencement.
Research Topic & Award Recipients:
Class of 2023
Topic: A Review of the Scholarly Literature on the COVID-19 Pandemic Impact on Substance Overdose in the United States
Authors: Lynette Alcaraz, Ramy Massoud, Bertin Moreno Rodriguez, Kyle Peterson
Class of 2022
Topic: A Literature Review: The Inflammatory Role of Poor Oral Health in Association with Cardiovascular Disease Risk
Authors: Brooke Avellino, Obed Flores, Morgan Froelich, Rezve Karim, Faradis
Lindblom, Rutvik Patel, Mohamed Salama
Class of 2021
Topic: Exploration of the Association between Body Mass Index, Physical Activity, and a Sedentary Lifestyle with Female Fertility
Authors: Stefanie Campos, Jasmeet Chawla, Joelle Etienne, Jessica Goez, Lisa Lopez, Lucy Lopez, Christina Pak
Class of 2019
Topic: Comparison of Primary HPV Testing, Co-testing and Cytology for the Detection of Cervical Cancer
Authors: Sydney Cejka, Alana Cheplowitz, Christina de Leon, Caroline Leung,
Yohana Shum, Anita Vaidyanathan
Successful achievement of this goal is demonstrated as all of our students clinical experiences are located throughout New York City (Manhattan, the Bronx and, Brooklyn) and most of their training occurs in health workforce shortage areas. Our mission is to increase the number of traditionally underrepresented PAs and encourage them to increase access to care by becoming primary care providers. We have been tracking the career paths of our alumni to gain insights
into their professional endeavors and the impact of our educational programs. We are excited to report that approximately 60% of our alumni are currently working in primary care. This statistic is a testament to the success of our educational programs in preparing graduates for careers in the healthcare field, particularly in meeting the growing demand for primary care providers in underserved communities.
The CUNY School of Medicine PA Program encourages graduates to practice primary care in health workforce shortage communities. The PA program is located within the Central Harlem Community and fosters a strong connection between students and the surrounding community and healthcare institutions.
The CUNY School of Medicine PA Program is a mission-driven program, attracting students with a commitment to providing excellent care in underrepresented areas. In a recent survey of five alumni classes, nearly half of responding graduates work in underserved areas.
Students and faculty also engage in community outreach such as:
- Gifts Drive – Harlem Hospital Center Department of Pediatrics
- CUNY School of Medicine Health Fair Participation
- Bone Marrow Donation Drive
- Project Access (local, state and national participation)
- Book drive to promote childhood literacy
- CUNY School of Medicine – Mini Medical School- Hypertensive Forum with Screening
90% of the student body are members of The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) and the New York State Society of Physician Assistants (NYSSPA). Faculty motivate future leaders in the PA profession by encouraging participation, providing information about resources and activities and nurturing interest in the activities at the community, state and national level. Successful achievement of this goal is demonstrated by student society nominations, elections and evidence of other leadership activities.
CUNY School of Medicine PA Program Society and PA Club Leaders
https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/csom/cuny-school-medicine-physician-assistant…
This goal is fostered from the onset of matriculation. During the “New Student Orientation” students engage in activities focused on promoting cohort and peer respect through team building activities. Students receive and review the handbook for academic policies and procedures during orientation and policy and requirements for students in the clinical year, which document PA Program expectations for professionalism, including our dress code. Our courses (Patient Interviewing, Preventive Medicine, Cross Cultural Competencies and Health Law and Economics) reinforce student, colleague and patient professionalism and ethics. In 2023, clinical preceptor evaluations demonstrated 96.7% of students exceed expectations in the area of professionalism.
The CUNY School of Medicine PA Program students actively participate in regular interprofessional collaborative practice case studies activities with a multitude of healthcare professionals. To further advance the objective of these activities, our program continually utilizes a diverse and experienced team comprised of physicians, PAs, nurses, social workers, nutritionists, and physical therapists among others. These professionals are instrumental in guiding our students. These activities are a reflection of our commitment to providing students with a well-rounded education that emphasizes the importance of collaborative healthcare delivery models. By embracing a multidisciplinary approach to healthcare education, we prepare our students to become effective and compassionate healthcare providers who are capable of delivering high-quality care in a variety of clinical settings.
Successful achievement of this goal is further demonstrated by students being trained by MD’s, PA’s, nurses, social workers, nutritionists and epidemiologists in courses such as: History of the Profession, Preventive Medicine, Medicine, Cross- Cultural Competencies in Counseling, Clinical Medicine one, two and three and Integrative Medicine.
Practical experience with interdisciplinary teams is achieved during clinical clerkships, which are located within New York City healthcare institutions with a wide range of healthcare professionals.
Activities within the CUNY School of Medicine, such as interdisciplinary health fairs, the mini medical school and school wide social activities and wellness sessions (mindfulness and Zumba) scaffold and support interdisciplinary learning.
CUNY School of Medicine Physician Assistant National Certification (PANCE) Pass Rate
*Note: The PANCE testing window ends each year near mid-December. Classes that graduate in December may be required to test in the following calendar year due to their graduation dates. Similarly, individual December graduates may elect to test after the start of the new year. Accordingly, it may be appropriate for programs that graduate in December to compare their first-time taker pass rates with the national averages from the following calendar year.
**Note: NCCPA conducts practice analysis and standard setting studies approximately every three to five years and, based on the most recent analyses, implemented a new PANCE blueprint and passing standard effective January 1, 2019. The pass rate, based on first-time taker performance for the 2023 calendar year, will be available in early 2024.
National Commission of Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) – Maintenance of Certification
https://www.nccpa.net/ContinuingMedicalEducation
https://www.nccpa.net/CertificationProcess
Community
Alumni Working in Primary Care
The CUNY School of Medicine PA Program encourages graduates to practice primary care in health workforce shortage communities. The PA program is located within the Central Harlem Community and fosters a strong connection between students and the surrounding community and healthcare institutions.
Alumni Working in Underserved Communities
The CUNY School of Medicine PA Program is a mission-driven program, attracting students with a commitment to providing excellent care in underrepresented areas. In a recent survey of five alumni classes, nearly half of responding graduates work in underserved areas.
Students and faculty also engage in community outreach such as:
- Gifts Drive – Harlem Hospital Center Department of Pediatrics
- CUNY School of Medicine Health Fair Participation
- Bone Marrow Donation Drive
- Project Access ( local, state and national participation)
- CUNY School of Medicine – Mini Medical School- Hypertensive Forum with Screening
Achievements
Research Topic & Award Recipients:
2023
Topic: A Review of the Scholarly Literature on the COVID-19 Pandemic Impact on Substance Overdose in the United States
Authors: Lynette Alcaraz, Ramy Massoud, Bertin Moreno Rodriguez, Kyle Peterson
2022
Topic: A Literature Review: The Inflammatory Role of Poor Oral Health in Association with Cardiovascular Disease Risk
Authors: Brooke Avellino, Obed Flores, Morgan Froelich, Rezve Karim, Faradis
Lindblom, Rutvik Patel, Mohamed Salama
2021
Topic: Exploration of the Association between Body Mass Index, Physical Activity, and a Sedentary Lifestyle with Female Fertility
Authors: Stefanie Campos, Jasmeet Chawla, Joelle Etienne, Jessica Goez, Lisa Lopez, Lucy Lopez, Christina P