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About PAEA: Mission and Goals

Mission
Vision Statement
Value Statement
Origins
Services
Publications
Member Programs

The Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA) is the only national organization in the United States representing physician assistant (PA) educational programs.

Mission

PAEA's mission is to pursue excellence, foster faculty development, advance the body of knowledge that defines quality education and patient-centered care, and promote diversity in all aspects of physician assistant education.

To accomplish its mission, PAEA will:

• Encourage and assist programs to educate competent and compassionate physician assistants.
• Enhance programs’ capability to recruit, select, and retain well-qualified PA students.
• Support programs in the recruitment, selection, development, and retention of well-qualified faculty.
• Facilitate the pursuit and dissemination of research and scholarly work.
• Educate PAs who will practice evidence-based, patient-centered medicine.
• Serve as the definitive voice on matters related to entry-level PA education, nationally and internationally.
• Foster professionalism and innovation in health professions education.
• Promote interprofessional education and practice.
• Forge linkages with other organizations to advance its mission.

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Vision Statement

To improve the quality of health care for all people by fostering excellence in physician assistant education.

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Value Statement

We uphold the values of collegiality, scholarship, excellence, service, diversity, ethical behavior, integrity, and respect.

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On May 1, 2006, the Association moved to independent management after many years of operating under a management contract with the American Academy of Physician Assistants. This will enable the Association to better advance its mission and increasingly be recognized as the organization representing PA education. The Association’s members comprise 140 of the currently accredited 141 PA programs in the United States.

PAEA serves as a resource for individuals and organizations from various professional sectors interested in the educational aspects of the PA profession. The Association is the organization primarily responsible for collecting, publishing, and disseminating information on the PA programs. PAEA provides effective representation to affiliated organizations involved in health education, health care policy, and the national certification of PA graduates. PAEA works to ensure quality PA education through the development and distribution of educational services and products specifically geared toward meeting the emerging needs of PA programs, the PA profession, and the health care industry.

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Origins

PAEA was founded under the name of APAP in 1972 by a group of concerned program faculty who saw a need to address the important issues of accreditation of educational programs, certification and continuing education requirements of physician assistants, the role delineation of PAs, and the overall goal of improving the quality and accessibility of health care through the selection, education, and deployment of PAs.

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Services

PAEA is committed to providing the best services possible to its members. Its major services include two national meetings for PA educators each year, the May Semiannual Meeting and fall Annual Education Forum. The Association publishes a journal, Journal of Physician Assistant Education, and a monthly electronic newsletter, PAEA Networker, for all PA faculty members. PAEA supports research on PA education through grants programs. In 2004, in jointly sponsored programs with the AAPA and the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA), two grant proposals were funded, each for nearly $20,000; PAEA funded six additional faculty proposals that totaled $20,000 in its Small Grants Program. The Association conducts faculty development programs and continually reviews and upgrades student and graduate PA self-assessment exams.

A major enterprise developed by PAEA —- one that benefits both its member programs and prospective students — is the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA). PAEA initiated CASPA in 2001 and since then, more than 6,000 applicants each year have applied to the PA programs through the service. More than 90 programs have now joined CASPA, and others are in the process of converting from their own application processes to CASPA for classes entering in 2006. CASPA allows applicants to complete one electronic application and designate any number of programs to receive it. Program participation in CASPA frees faculty and staff to devote their efforts to student recruitment and retention activities.

PAEA systematically collects PA program, student, and applicant data, both through CASPA and through the Annual Report on PA Educational Programs in the United States. The Association has formed a committee to oversee ways that its collection of data can most effectively be used by its member faculty engaged in research — and shared with other PA organizations.

The Association also sponsors an annual exhibit of educational products and devices for PA faculty at its fall Education Forum. For the past nine years, well-known publishers, software developers, and medical device manufacturers have taken advantage of the opportunity to reach the educators in the PA profession. Companies that exhibited in 2005 brought in textbooks, patient simulators, PDA and Web-based systems, and clinical medical education software.

The PAEA Faculty Development Institute (FDI) is the umbrella entity that oversees all of the Association’s faculty development initiatives and workshops. The FDI is responsible for Basic Skills and the Clinical Coordinators Workshop, two perennial faculty favorites that are made available to faculty on a regular basis. The PAEA Research Institute oversees all of the Association’s research activities, including two yearly grant programs, and the production of the quarterly, peer-reviewed journal Journal of Physician Assistant Education.

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Publications

PAEA produces several publications to keep its members informed and to facilitate networking among PA programs and educators. PAEA Networker is the Association’s monthly online newsletter. The newsletter reports on PAEA activities, board meetings, conferences, faculty positions, special projects, and topics of interest to the educational community.

The Journal of Physician Assistant Education is a quarterly, peer-reviewed journal that takes a broader look at issues in PA education. It features in-depth research articles authored by PA faculty on such subjects as health care workforce issues, testing, admissions, educational technology, teaching tips, a legal forum, and regular columns on cultural diversity and the art of medicine.

The Annual Report on PA Educational Programs in the United States undertakes a comprehensive survey of PA programs, their faculty, and students and compiles data that provides a record of every aspect of PA education, including student and applicant demographics, faculty credentials, salaries, and graduate employment data. Since the mid-1980s, this published report has afforded PAs a history of the educational programs and continues to be the basis for statistical analysis of many areas of PA education.

The Physician Assistant Programs Directory is the most comprehensive guide to PA educational programs. Each PAEA member program submits information annually on its entrance requirements, admissions procedures, deadlines, fees, institutional affiliations, financial aid, curriculum, credentials awarded, and more. The directory is available only as an on-line publication. Its electronic format enables applicants to have access to the latest program information, links to the programs’ Web sites, and to the central application service. Each year new search functions are added to the directory to allow applicants to search for particulars within the programs.

The PAEA Faculty Directory is a complete resource for faculty. The directory is also available on-line. It provides contact information for all PAEA faculty, committees, and board members, along with information on related organizations like the AAPA and the ARC-PA. This publication is available only to member and Institutional Colleague programs.

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Member Programs

Searchable database of PA programs

As of May 2008, PAEA had 140 member physician assistant educational programs located at different institutions across the United States. Only PA programs accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA), or its predecessor or successor organizations, are eligible for full program membership. Several soon-to-be-accredited programs, as well as individuals and programs with an interest in PA education, have chosen to affiliate with the Association as "Colleagues of PAEA."

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