Mission

The mission of the Indiana State University Physician Assistant Program is to create a student-centered educational environment that engages individuals to become compassionate, competent physician assistants who possess the clinical skills to contribute positively to the dynamic health care needs of rural and underserved populations.

Program Accreditation

At its September 2023 meeting, the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA) placed the Indiana State University Physician Assistant Program sponsored by Indiana State University on Accreditation-Probation status until its next review in September 2025.

Probation accreditation is a temporary accreditation status initially of not less than two years. However, that period may be extended by the ARC-PA for up to an additional two years if the ARC-PA finds that the program is making substantial progress toward meeting all applicable standards but requires additional time to come into full compliance. Probation accreditation status is granted, at the sole discretion of the ARC-PA, when a program holding an accreditation status of Accreditation - Provisional or Accreditation - Continued does not, in the judgment of the ARC-PA, meet the Standards or when the capability of the program to provide an acceptable educational experience for its students is threatened.

Once placed on probation, a program that fails to comply with accreditation requirements in a timely manner, as specified by the ARC-PA, may be scheduled for a focused site visit and is subject to having its accreditation withdrawn.

Specific questions regarding the Program and its plans should be directed to the Program Director and/or the appropriate institutional official(s).

The program’s accreditation history can be viewed on the ARC-PA website at https://www.arc-pa.org/accreditation-history-indiana-state-university/.

Physician Assistant Program Competencies

The PA profession is provided a framework of competencies developed by NCCPA, ARC-PA, PAEA, and AAPA that defines the specific knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are required by the profession for entry-level practice. The competencies below reflect the expected competencies as they pertain to graduates of the Indiana State University Master of Physician Assistant Program as they enter the profession.

Upon completion of the Indiana State University Physician Assistant program, graduates will demonstrate competence in each of the following domains:

I. Knowledge for Practice

Physician assistants must demonstrate knowledge about established and evolving biomedical and clinical sciences and the application of this knowledge to patient care. PAs should be able to:

• 1. Demonstrate investigative and critical thinking skills in clinical situations.
• 2. Apply principles of epidemiology to identify health problems, risk factors, treatment strategies, resources, and disease prevention/health promotion strategies for individuals and populations.
• 3. Discern among acute, chronic, and emergent disease states.
• 4. Apply principles of clinical sciences to diagnose disease and utilize therapeutic decision-making, clinical problem-solving, and other evidence-based practice skills.
• 5. Adhere to standards of care, and to relevant laws, policies, and regulations that govern the delivery of care in the United States.
• 6. Work effectively and efficiently in various healthcare delivery settings and systems.
• 7. Identify and address social determinants that affect access to care and deliver high-quality care in a value-based system.

II. Interpersonal and Communication Skills

Physician assistants must demonstrate interpersonal and communication skills that result in the effective exchange of information and collaboration with patients, their families, and healthcare professionals. PAs should be able to:

• 1. Establish meaningful and therapeutic relationships with patients and their families.
• 2. Communicate information to patients and their families in a way that is culturally sensitive and contextually appropriate.
• 3. Recognize communication barriers and provide solutions.
• 4. Demonstrate emotional intelligence in the development of the therapeutic relationship.
• 5. Demonstrate the ability to effectively communicate with patients, their families, and members of the healthcare team via oral communication .
• 6. Accurately and adequately document and record information regarding the care process for medical, legal, quality and financial purposes.

III. Person-Centered Care

Physician assistants provide person-centered care that includes patient and setting-specific assessment, evaluation, and management and healthcare that is evidence-based, supports patient safety, and advances health equality. PAs should be able to:

• 1. Gather accurate and essential information about patients through history taking, physical examination, and diagnostic testing.
• 2. Apply the context of the individual’s life to their care, such as environmental and cultural influences.
• 3. Interpret data based on patient information and preferences, current scientific evidence, and clinical judgment to make informed decisions about diagnostic and therapeutic interventions.
• 4. Develop, implement, and monitor the effectiveness of patient management plans.
• 5. Attain proficiency to safely perform medical, diagnostic, and surgical procedures for entry-level practice.
• 6. Counsel, educate, and empower patients and their families to participate in their care and enable shared decision-making.
• 7. Provide healthcare services to patients, families, and communities to prevent health problems and to maintain health.

IV. Interprofessional Collaboration

Physician assistants demonstrate the ability to engage with a variety of other healthcare professionals in a manner that optimizes safe, effective, patient- and population-centered care. PAs should be able to:

• 1. Work effectively with other health professionals to provide collaborative, patient-centered care.
• 2. Communicate effectively with colleagues and other professionals to establish and enhance interprofessional teams.
• 3. Understand the roles and responsibilities of other healthcare professionals and the importance of a team approach to develop optimal strategies to enhance patient care.
• 4. Recognize when to refer patients to other disciplines to ensure that patients receive optimal care at the right time and appropriate level.

V. Professionalism and Ethics

Physician assistants demonstrate a commitment to practicing medicine in ethically and legally appropriate ways and emphasizing professional maturity and accountability for delivering safe and quality care to patients and populations. PAs should be able to:

• 1. Adhere to standards of care in the role of the PA in the healthcare team.
• 2. Demonstrate compassion, integrity and respect for others.
• 3. Demonstrate cultural humility and responsiveness to a diverse patient population including diversity in sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, culture, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, religion, and abilities.
• 4. Exercise good judgment and fiscal responsibility when utilizing resources.
• 5. Demonstrate flexibility and professional civility during stressful events.
• 6. Implement leadership practices and principles.

VI. Practice-based Learning and Quality Improvement

Physician assistants demonstrate the ability to learn and implement quality improvement practices by engaging in critical analysis of one’s own practice experience, the medical literature, and other information resources for self-evaluation, lifelong learning, and practice improvement. PAs should be able to:

• 1. Exhibit self-awareness to identify strengths, address deficiencies, and recognize limits in knowledge and expertise.
• 2. Identify, analyze, and adopt new knowledge, guidelines, standards, technologies, products, or services that are evidence-based.
• 3. Identify improvement goals and perform learning activities that address gaps in knowledge, skills, and attitudes.
• 4. Use practice performance data and metrics to identify areas for improvement.
• 5. Understand how practice decisions impact the finances of organizations while keeping the patient’s needs foremost.

VII. Society and Population Health

Physician assistants recognize and understand the influences of the ecosystem of person, family, population, environment, and policy on the health of patients and integrate knowledge of these determinants of health into patient care decisions. PAs should be able to:

• 1. Apply principles of social-behavioral sciences by assessing the impact of psychosocial and cultural influences on health, disease, care seeking, and compliance.
• 2. Recognize the influence of genetic, socioeconomic, environmental, and other determinants of the health of the individual and community.
• 3. Demonstrate accountability, responsibility, and leadership for removing barriers to health.

Program Goals

The results of the assessments of the achievement of the goals of the ISU-PA program have exceeded the program’s benchmarks for the past three years. Alumni are surveyed after they have been in professional practice for two years (cohort of 2022) and graduating students are assessed through an exit survey (cohort 2023). Results for these latest assessments are provided below.