New York Tech PA Studies Goals

The program offers a robust curriculum to achieve this goal. For example:

1. Advanced Anatomy (PHAS 601) is taught using cadavers and includes full dissection. These formal laboratory hours amount to a total of 90 hours ( 3 credits) in a semester (6 hours/week for 15 weeks).
2. Formal laboratory hours that train the PA student in clinical skills (PHAS 622, 623 and 627) account for 135 hours (4 credits) over the didactic years. Students have the opportunity to work with standardized patients in the Institute for Clinical Competence throughout the didactic phase to reinforce these skills.
3. Pharmacology (PHAS 620 and 621) has six (6) dedicated credits, which equals 90 hours in this subject. In addition to these courses, pharmacotherapeutics is taught in multiple other courses such as Clinical Medicine I, II, and III, Clinical Decision Making, Surgery, Women's Health, Pediatrics, Orthopedics and Rheumatology and others.
4. Clinical rotations are offered in seven disciplines at a variety of clinical sites: Internal Medicine, Surgery, Pediatrics, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Emergency Medicine, Psychiatry, and Family Medicine. In addition, students choose two electives in areas that correspond to their personal interests.

Indicators of success for this expected program goal:

• Physician Assistant National Certification Examination (PANCE)
  Program Benchmark: First time test takers pass the PANCE at or higher than the national first time test takers pass rate.
  Our students over the past five years have passed at or above the national first time taker pass rate.
• Graduate survey response to how well prepared they were to enter clinical practice using a 5-point Likert scale (5=Very Well Prepared; 4=Well Prepared; 3=Adequately Prepared; 2=Poorly Prepared; 1=Completely Unprepared)
  Program Benchmark: ≥ 4 = Well Prepared
  

  Question	2017	2018	2019
  How well prepared were you when you entered clinical practice?	4.0	4.2	4.0

Opportunities provided by the program:

1. Throughout the didactic and clinical years, the students have the opportunity to work with standardized patients in the Institute for Clinical Competence (ICC). They are evaluated on their medical knowledge, practical skills, interpersonal and communication skills, and professionalism.
2. Oral and written skills are assessed in multiple didactic courses including, but not limited to, PHAS 660 PA Professions, PHAS 622, 623 and 627 - Clinical Skills courses, PHAS 650 Research I, PHAS 680 Clinical Decision Making and PHAS 690 Health Promotion and Disease Prevention.
3. Both oral and written communication skills are an integral component of the instructional objectives in all clinical rotations, and preceptors and faculty assess these skills regularly.

Indicators of success of this expected program goal:

• Preceptor evaluation of our students' oral and written communication skills using a 5- point Likert scale (5=Excellent; 4=Very Good; 3=Satisfactory; 2=Poor; 1=Very Poor)
  

  Program Benchmark: ≥ 4 = Very Good

  Written (H&Ps, SOAP & Progress Notes, Discharge Summaries) Oral (Presentations, Case Discussions, Patient Education)	2018	2019	2020
  Written and Oral Communication Skills	4.81	4.68	4.70

• Graduate survey response to how well prepared they were to elicit a history and document a history and physical upon graduation using a 5-point Likert scale (5=Very Well Prepared; 4=Well Prepared; 3=Adequately Prepared; 2=Poorly Prepared; 1=Completely Unprepared)
  

  Program Benchmark: ≥ 4 = Well Prepared

  Question: Upon graduation how well prepared were you to:	2017	2018	2019
  Elicit a patient history	4.7	4.9	4.8
  Document a history and physical	4.7	4.8	4.7

Opportunities provided by the program:

Encouraging Diversity

The program seeks and encourages diversity by admitting a diverse class of students by regional recruitment that organically leads to engagement with some underrepresented groups, such as first generation, low income and minority populations. Those regional areas include the five boroughs in New York City, parts of Nassau and Suffolk counties that serve underrepresented populations, as well as areas in New Jersey and Connecticut. The college typically hosts or participates in well over 500 in-person recruitment activities within these areas, including college fairs, classroom presentations, information sessions and on-site application decision days.

Indicators of success of this expected program goal are as follows.

Program benchmark: A student body with > 20% meeting the National Institutes of Health’s minority classification of race and ethnicity

Class of 2023: 34%
Class of 2022: 34%
Class of 2021: 41%

Program benchmark: A student body with >10% self-classified on their CASPA application as economically disadvantaged
Class of 2023: 14%
Class of 2022: 16%
Class of 2021: 23%

Program benchmark: A student body with >10% self-reporting on their CASPA application as “the first generation in my family to attend college”
Class of 2023: 17%
Class of 2022: 16%
Class of 2021: 23%

Cultural Awareness

PHAS 635 Behavioral Medicine includes several topics on how to approach sensitive subject matters during patient encounters, that include but are not limited to, sexually transmitted infections, breaking bad news, dealing with death and dying etc. as well as how to handle a difficult patient. The students role-play case-based scenarios, have the opportunity to work with standardized patients in the Institute for Clinical Competence and are evaluated on their compassion as well as their ability to maintain their professionalism. They work through various exercises that expose them to diverse cultural beliefs and values.

Indicators of success of this expected program goal:

• Preceptor evaluation of our students’ interpersonal interactions with patients using a 5- point Likert scale (5=Excellent; 4=Very Good; 3=Satisfactory; 2=Poor; 1=Very Poor)
  

  Program Benchmark: ≥ 4 = Very Good

  Question	2018	2019	2020
  Interpersonal Interactions with Patients	4.86	4.80	4.81

• Graduate survey response to feeling prepared to be able to interact with the patients of diverse backgrounds using a 5 point Likert scale (5=Very Well Prepared; 4=Well Prepared; 3=Adequately Prepared; 2=Poorly Prepared; 1=Completely Unprepared)
  

  Program Benchmark: ≥ 4 = Very Good

  Question	2017	2018	2019
  My didactic training prepared me well to be able to interact with the patients of diverse backgrounds.	4.4	4.7	4.7

Contribute to the PA profession

The program strongly encourages student involvement in the state and national professional organizations to nurture their involvement in contributing to and advancing the PA profession.

Indicators of success of this expected program goal:

• Membership in state and professional societies:
  Program Benchmark: 100% student membership in AAPA and NYSSPA.
  100% of our students are members in AAPA and NYSSPA.
• Participation in state or professional societies or on a New York Tech committee
  Program Benchmark: At least one student per class will hold an office in a state or local society or participate on a committee at New York Tech during their second and third years in the program.
• A student from the Class of 2019 represented the program as a delegate on the AAPA House of Delegate (HOD) Student Delegation. The program provides funding for this opportunity.
• A student from the Class of 2019 was elected by the program's student society to represent the program as an Assembly of Representatives (AOR) delegate at the AAPA annual conference. The program provides funding for this opportunity.
• A student from the Class of 2020 was elected student AOR and represented the program at the annual AAPA conference.
• Over the years, several students have been elected to the NYSSPA student board, participating in initiatives, meetings and conferences. The program provides funding for this representative to attend the annual NYSSPA conference.

Contributions to Society

Each year students from all three cohorts are involved in community outreach initiatives. These have included fundraising runs, toy drives, and food donations, promoting a reading initiative, clothing drive for refugees and the homeless, care packages for soldiers and activities with veterans. Students are continuously encouraged to bring forth new initiatives they are passionate about to the program for consideration.

Indicators of success of this expected program goal:

• Professional Enhancement Program
  Program Benchmark: 100% of students must participate in 6 opportunities each over the course of three years.
  100% of students have met this goal over the past 5 years
  
  • Students from the CO 2021, 2022 and 2023 engaged in domiciliary, detached, and peripatetic outreach opportunities with various charities locally, nationally, and internationally.
  • Students from the CO 2022 and 2023 participated in various events related to the medical field through volunteering, coordinating, and fundraising.
  • In partnership with the New York Tech Center for Global Health, over the past three years PA students voluntarily joined medical service trips to various underprivileged communities both domestically and abroad.

Master's Project: PA students must complete an original research paper prior to graduation. Their journey begins with a course in Epidemiology and Interpretation of the Medical Literature. This path continues with several other research and critical thinking courses the program offers to reach its goal in preparing students for career of continuous lifelong learning.

Indicators of success of this expected program goal

• Participation in ALETHEIA
  Program Benchmark: 100% of students will participate in ALETHEIA
  • 100% of the students disseminate their research during ALETHEIA, an interprofessional annual research symposium at New York Tech Long Island. In 2020, one PA project won an award for their research.
  • Several groups of students have also presented their work at the New York State Society of Physician Assistants (NYSSPA) as well as at the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) conferences. Many have been recognized with awards.
• Principal faculty continue to be involved in scholarly activities and serve as role models for the students.
  Program Benchmark: 100% of faculty will be active in scholarly activities
  
  
  Frank Acevedo, PA-C, M.S., DFAAPA
  • Pursuing a doctoral degree
  
  Anoma Zehra Ahmed, PA-C, M.B.B.S., M.S., DFAAPA
  • Wolf, C., Ahmed, A.Z., Schmidt, G. and Winter, S., 2020. Predictors of Attrition Among Accelerated and Traditional Physician Assistant Students. The Journal of Physician Assistant Education, 31(4), pp.204-206.
  • Ahmed Z. & Wolf C. Do Students Honor the Honor Code? Physician Assistant Education Association’s Annual Education Forum, October 2020
  
  Yennie Armand, PA-C, M.S.
  • Kuriakose S., Armand Y. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Patient-Centered, Timely, and Effective Paradigm. Physician Assistant Clinics. 2021 Jul; 6(3) in press
  
  Jaclyn Cotgreave, PA-C. M.S.
  • Pursuing a doctoral degree
  • Presenter, New York State Society of Physician Assistants 2020 CME Conference "Exposing Atrial Fibrillation in Cryptogenic Stroke Patients: Utilizing Insertable Cardiac Monitoring"
  • Co-Presenter, New York State Society of Physician Assistants 2019 CME Conference “Speed Up Your Diagnosis with EFAST (Ultrasound).”
  
  Shinu Kuriakose, DHSc, PA-C
  • Kuriakose, S. (2020). Case study of first episode schizophrenia. Journal of Medical and Allied Sciences, 10(2), 126-128. doi: 10.5455/jmas.87788
  • Kuriakose S. Telepsychiatry: Opportunities and Challenges. Journal of Healthcare Communications 2020, 5:1 ISSN 2472-1654 DOI: 10.36648/2472-1654.5.1.1
  • Impact Grant, Co-Primary Investigator with Sara Winter- $9,875
  
  Barbara Piccirillo, PA-C, M.S., DFAAPA
  • Co-Presenter, New York State Society of Physician Assistants 2019 CME Conference “Speed Up Your Diagnosis with EFAST (Ultrasound).”
  • Voting Panelist, International Consensus Conference on Ultrasound in Medical Education (ICCUSME).
  • Co-Presenter, New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine 2017-2019, “Extended Focused Assessment with Sonography in Trauma (eFAST).”
  
  Kristine Prazak-Davoli, PA-C, M.S
  • Pursuing a doctoral degree
  • Prazak K. Introduction of virtual patient software to enhance physician assistant student knowledge in palliative medicine. Journal of Allied Health, Volume 46, Issue 4, December 2017, pp71E-76E.
  • Prazak, K., Fazzari. Health Professions Students Attitudes Toward Death and Caring for Dying Patients. The Journal of Physician Assistant Education Volume 27, Issue 4, December 2016 pp180-186.
  • o Prazak, K., Gahres, J. Ovarian Cancer: Practice Essentials, Physician Assistant Clinics: Oncology Volume 1, Issue 3, July 2016, pp 479–487.
  
  Sara Winter, PA-C, M.S.
  • Impact Grant, Co-Primary Investigator with Shinu Kuriakose-$9,875
  • Wolf, C., Ahmed, A.Z., Schmidt, G. and Winter, S., 2020. Predictors of Attrition Among Accelerated and Traditional Physician Assistant Students. The Journal of Physician Assistant Education, 31(4), pp.204-206.
  • Co-Presenter, New York State Society of Physician Assistants 2019 CME Conference “Speed Up Your Diagnosis with EFAST (Ultrasound).”
  
  Corri Wolf, PA-C, R.D., M.S.
  • Pursuing a doctoral degree
  • Wolf, C., Ahmed, A.Z., Schmidt, G. and Winter, S., 2020. Predictors of Attrition Among Accelerated and Traditional Physician Assistant Students. The Journal of Physician Assistant Education, 31(4), pp.204-206.
  • Hayes S., Wolf C., Labbé S., Peterson E., and Murray S. Primary healthcare providers' roles and responsibilities: A qualitative exploration of 'who does what' in the treatment and management of persons affected by obesity. Journal of Communication in Healthcare (2017): 1-10.
  • Presenter, New York State Society of Physician Assistants 2020 CME Conference: “A Call to Action: Raising Awareness About Nutritional Health.”