Mission and Goals

Mission Statement

The mission of the Physician Assistant Studies Program is to provide educational experiences which prepare Physician Assistant graduates to enhance the access to primary medical care for the citizens of rural and medically underserved Eastern North Carolina and beyond in an educational community where faculty, staff, clinical instructors, students and other health care providers work together in an atmosphere of mutual respect, cooperation, compassion and commitment.  

Vision Statement

The vision of the East Carolina University Physician Assistant Studies Program is to offer our students educational and experiential opportunities that will allow them to exceed national standards of medical competence as graduates.  Our students will develop the professional discernment and human empathy that will facilitate their ability to merge technology and compassionate care throughout their careers as Physician Assistants.

Educational Philosophy Statement

We are dedicated to providing the highest quality education and instruction possible by immersing faculty and students in an environment that cultivates a sense of academic, professional and service excellence. We respond to suggestions for modification and enrichment of the program from all who participate in the educational process because we view learning as a reciprocal and collegial interaction.  

Strategic Goals

These specific Goals and Objectives support the Mission and Vision of the Physician Assistant Studies Program:  

Goal 1  

To maintain a primary care-oriented and a rural-based educational program, which graduates competent Physician Assistants.  

Objectives:

• Provide optimal resources, environment and opportunities for learning with an emphasis on primary care medical services
• Maintain full accreditation by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA)
• Prepare students to pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE), administered by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants, Inc. (NCCPA) with a pass rate at or above the national average
• Focus on awareness of the health care needs of rural communities and medically underserved areas during didactic and clinical training.  

Goal 2  

To incorporate innovative approaches to interdisciplinary didactic and clinical education which prepare Physician Assistants to be integrated into the health care team and contribute to solving significant human problems in their professional practices.  

Objectives:

• Provide training and experiences which will prepare students for their roles in disease prevention and health promotion
• Provide awareness of health care needs of the poor, minority, disadvantaged, young and elderly in all phases of training
• Provide training and experiences with other health care professionals which will prepare students for their interdisciplinary health care team roles in prevention, diagnosis and treatment.  

Goal 3  

To recruit, select and educate a highly qualified, culturally diverse student population with strong representation from rural communities.    

Objectives:

• Attempt to increase minority and disadvantaged representation in student and graduate pool
• Maintain high rural representation in the student and graduate pool when possible
• Educate academic advisors about the opportunities of the PA profession and needs in medically underserved rural areas
• Cultivate a greater awareness of the health care needs of the communities served by ECU through cooperative educational partnerships (AHEC)
• Increase awareness and sensitivity of PA students in general to the nature and scope of rural health issues and diversity issues of this country.

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