All assessments are associated with an individual course and include, in addition to individual course assignments, the following:
Block Examinations: multiple choice exams typically held every other Friday as part of each course within the didactic semesters. These examinations will consist of test items from each course, unless otherwise indicated in the course syllabi.
Integrated Assignments: short-answer essay-style assessments based on a clinical case scenario. These assessments will consist of test items from each course. There are three dispersed throughout each didactic semester.
Points of Entrustment Clinical Assessments 1-3 (POE 1, 2, or 3): there are three points of entrustment to ensure learner progression to competence. These assessments are completed at the Healthcare Simulation Center on the RVU campus:
- Entering Clinical Rotations: Ensures minimal knowledge, skills, attitudes necessary to enter supervised clinical experiences;
a) Occurs in May of the 1st year and is associated with PAS 5150 Introduction to Supervised Clinical Experiences (SCPE) (refer to course syllabus for specifics)
- Core specialty-specific competency testing: Ensures learner has met requirements in required clinical disciplines and is based on common presentations encountered in primary care (preventive care, acute and chronic care, women’s health, behavioral/mental health, emergent situations, and general procedures).
a) Occurs May of the 2nd year and is associated with PAS 5263 Supervised Clinical Practices Experiences III (refer to course syllabus for specifics)
- Program Completion: Ensures students have met requirements to graduate;
a) Occurs within the last four (4) months of the program and is a component of the program’s summative, comprehensive examination. Is it associated with PAS 5272 Capstone (refer to course syllabus for specifics)
In the event of a failure of the first-attempt at any Point of Entrustment Examination, a thorough review of the student’s performance in the program will occur (e.g., didactic courses, clinical experience evaluations, professionalism evaluations, performance according to competencies). Using all of these data points, the student will begin a formal remediation plan specific to the student’s needs. Following formal remediation, the student will have the ability to retake the exam one (1) time. Failure to pass the clinical examination after the second attempt, will result in dismissal from the program.
An extended program may be necessary in order to accommodate the remediation plan and retake of the examination. The student may be responsible for costs associated with the extended program and retake process.
End-of-rotation exams (EORs): multiple-choice exams targeted toward a specific discipline - administered upon completion of each required clinical rotation. These examinations are completed online through the Physician Assistant Education Association’s (PAEA) assessment portal and are associated with PAS 5261-5264 Supervised Clinical Practice Experiences I-IV. Refer to course syllabi for criteria related to receipt of a failing grade and remediation practices.
Physician Assistant Clinical Knowledge Rating Assessment Tool (PACKRAT I and II): multiple-choice exams administered online through PAEA’s assessment portal. These examinations are designed to offer guidance to students in preparation for the clinical year, and the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE). PACKRAT I is administered during PAS 5150 and a second PACKRAT exam is administered during the clinical phase of the curriculum. There is no pass/fail score; the exam is meant to inform student of their strengths and areas for improvement, to guide self-directed learning over the course of clinical training.
End-of-Program Written Summative Examination: multiple-choice examination administered within the last four (4) months of the program as a component of the program’s summative comprehensive examination. It is associated with PAS 5272. The student must pass both the End of Program Written Examination and the Point of Entrustment #3 Clinical Summative Examination in order to become eligible to graduate from the RVU PA program. If the PAEA End-of-Program exam is not available, the RVU PA program will administer a comparable exam using the PAEA End-of-Program blueprint.
Students will receive their End-of-Program Written and Clinical Exam scores (pass/fail) within four (4) weeks following completion of the exams.
In the event of a failure of the first-attempt at the End-of-Program Written Examination, a thorough review of the student’s performance in the program will occur (e.g., didactic courses, clinical experience evaluations, professionalism evaluations, performance according to competencies). Using all of these data points, the student will begin a formal remediation plan specific to the student’s needs. Following formal remediation, the student will have the ability to retake the exam one (1) time. Failure to pass the written examination after the second attempt, will result in dismissal from the program.
An extended program may be necessary in order to accommodate the remediation plan and retake of the examination. The student may be responsible for costs associated with the extended program and retake process.