The Hofstra University Department of Physician Assistant Studies is committed to achieving program goals as listed below. Please click on each goal to view program efforts and success attaining goals.
Train highly qualified PAs to enter clinical practice
The Hofstra University Physician Assistant Program prides itself on achieving a high first-time PANCE rate while maintaining a high graduation rate
First Time Pass Rate for Hofstra University PA Program
Program defined benchmark: Five-year first-time PANCE pass rate that meets or exceeds the national average.
Actual outcome: The Hofstra PA Program five-year (2019-2023) first time PANCE pass rate is 97.6% versus the national average of 93%.
Displayed below: The graduate pass rates on the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE), required to become a certified physician assistant, support the program goal to graduate competent physician assistants.
Hofstra University PA Program Graduation Rates
Program defined benchmark: Graduation rate greater than 90%
Actual outcome: Graduation rate has been greater than 90% for the past five years (2019-2023)
| Number of Entering Students | Number of Graduated Students | Hofstra Graduation Rate | National Graduation Rate * | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class of 2019 | 50 | 48 | 96% | 93.6% |
| Class of 2020 | 57 | 56 | 98.2% | No Data |
| Class of 2021 | 63 | 62 | 98.41% | 94.2% |
| Class of 2022 | 69 | 63 | 91.30% | Awaiting data |
| Class of 2023 | 75 | 70 | 93.30% | Awaiting data |
*Data obtained from the Physician Assistant Education Association Annual Reports.
Promotion of self-directed lifelong learning, appreciating the significance of scholarly activities and scientific knowledge.
Students are surveyed after graduation to obtain feedback about their experiences while completing Hofstra's PA program. On a 5-point Likert Scale where a 4 is 'Effective' and a 5 is 'Very Effective', the chart below represents the yearly average graduate survey score relating to the effectiveness of the program in providing the skills necessary for lifelong learning.
Program-defined benchmark: Graduate survey average score of 4 or above
Actual outcome: For the past four years, graduate survey data collected demonstrate yearly average scores above 4 relating to how effective the program was in providing the skills for lifelong learning.
Student and Faculty Scholarly Activity
Program-defined benchmark: A minimum of 10 yearly scholarly activities by faculty and or students that support the advancement of the profession and innovation in medicine. Activities include but are not limited to grants, publications, peer-reviewed presentations, the pursuit of an upper-level degree, and clinical certifications.
Actual outcomes: Academic Year 2022 – 2023
Presentations
- September 2022 – POCUS World Conference: Incorporating POCUS into Physician Assistant Education. Presented by Amy Roberts and Christine Zammit
- October 2022 - EMS World Expo 2022 (Orlando, Florida)
- Analgosedation for the intubated patient. Presented by William Heuser
- Vasopressors and hemodynamic guided resuscitation. Presented by William Heuser
- October 2022 – NYSSPA Fall CME Conference (Saratoga Springs, NY)
- PA Anatomy Curriculum. 2022 NYSSPA Fall CME Conference. Presented by Carina Loscalzo
- Virtual PA Program Interviews: Faculty and Applicant Perspectives. Poster Presentation by Carina Loscalzo and Mark L’Eplattenier
- January 2023 – Hofstra University Teaching and Learning Conference: Gamification and Simulation in Physician Assistant Education. Presented by Gina Pontrelli and Christine Zammit
- April 2023 - JEMS Con/FDIC 2023 (Indianapolis, Indiana): Cutting-Edge Pharmacotherapy Clinical Pearls for the Prehospital Resuscitationist. Presented by William Heuser
- May 2023 – Academic Competition and Research Symposium at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell – Student Research Poster Presentations
- Caregiver Education on Pediatric Choking: A Gap In Healthcare Provider Responsibility - Lindsey Trimarchi, Charlotte Choinski, Oksana Fostakovska, Paige Karras, Sofia Major, Ryan Sheridan
- Assessing the Impact of the Cures Act on Healthcare Provider Workload - Gabrielle D’Alessandro, Jamie McGovern, Michael Morgan, Colleen Petrere, Michael P. Verile
- May, 2023 - FAST23 (FlightBridgeED) (Las Vegas, Nevada)
- Do any of these medications work in cardiac arrest, Presented by William Heuser
- RSI Crash Course, Presented by William Heuser
Publications
- Pontrelli, G., Loscalzo, C. The Red Eye. Clinical Advisor. Published September 2022.
- Porta, K. & Zammit, C. Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children. (2022) Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants, 35(10): 33-37.
- Roberts, A., & Rizzolo, D. (2023). Clinical faculty perceptions of online learning in health professions education. The Journal of Physician Assistant Education, 34(1), 9–14.
- Loscalzo, C., Kuriakose, S., Timko-Swaim, L., & L'Eplattenier, M. (2023). Virtual Physician Assistant Program Interviews: Faculty and Applicant Perspectives. The Journal of Physician Assistant Education, 34(1), 28–34.
- Pontrelli, G., Loscalzo, C., & L'Eplattenier, M. (2023). An overview of myelodysplastic syndromes. Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants, 36(6), 17–21.
- Roberts, A., Rizzolo, D., Bruza-Augatis, M., Zammit, C., Banahan, M., & Pontrelli, G. Enhancing physician assistant psychiatry interviewing skills using standardized patients. Journal of Physician Assistant Education. August 2023, published online ahead of final publication.
- Choudhary RC, Shoaib M, Hayashida K, Yin T, Miyara SJ, d’Abramo C, Heuser WG, Shinozaki K, Kim N, Takegawa R, et al. Multi-Drug Cocktail Therapy Improves Survival and Neurological Function after Asphyxial Cardiac Arrest in Rodents. Cells. 2023; 12(11):1548.
Pursuit of Advanced Degree
- Scott Gould, Awarded Executive MBA, Hofstra University, May 2023
- Mark L’Eplattenier – DMSc candidate, University of Lynchburg
- Shannan Ricoy – PhD candidate, University of the Cumberlands
- Christine Zammit – PhD candidate, University of the Cumberlands
Promote professionalism and leadership skills
Professionalism and Relating to Patients and Colleagues
At the end of each clinical clerkship, student performance and competencies are evaluated by clinical preceptors and submitted to the program. The chart below represents a compilation of results by class.
Program Defined Benchmark: Average score of 4 or above on a 5 point evaluation instrument, where 4 is good and 5 is excellent on preceptor evaluation in the categories of professionalism and relating to patients and colleagues.
Actual Outcome: For the past 4 years, all cohorts have an average score of 4 or above on their preceptor evaluation in the categories of professionalism and relating to patients and colleagues.
* Data extracted from analysis of Preceptor Evaluations from the graduating classes of 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023
Leadership Skills
Students are surveyed after graduation to obtain feedback about their experiences while completing Hofstra's PA program. On a 5-point Likert Scale where a 4 is ‘Effective’ and a 5 is ‘Very Effective’, the chart below represents the yearly average graduate survey score relating to the effectiveness of the program in promoting leadership skills.
Program-defined benchmark: Graduate survey average score of 4 or above
Actual outcome: For the past four years, graduate survey data collected demonstrate yearly average scores above 4 relating to how effective the program was in promoting leadership skills.
Cultivate the collaborative learning and working styles necessary for participation in an interprofessional, patient-centered health care team.
Preceptor Assessment – Collaborative Learning
At the end of each clinical clerkship, student performance and competencies are evaluated by clinical preceptors and submitted to the program. The chart below represents a compilation of results by class.
Program Defined Benchmark: Average score of 4 or above on a 5-point evaluation instrument, where 4 is good and 5 is excellent on preceptor evaluation in the category of ‘Ability to work collaboratively in interprofessional teams’.
Actual Outcome: For the past 4 years, all cohorts have an average score of 4 or above on their preceptor evaluation in the category of ‘Ability to work collaboratively in interprofessional teams’.
Graduate Survey – Collaborative learning and working styles
Students are surveyed after graduation to obtain feedback about their experiences while completing Hofstra's PA program. On a 5-point evaluation scale, where a 4 is ‘Effective’ and a 5 is ‘Very Effective’, the chart below represents the yearly average graduate survey score relating to the effectiveness of the program in cultivating collaborative learning and working styles necessary for participation in an interprofessional, patient-centered healthcare team.
Program-defined benchmark: Graduate survey average score of 4 or above
Actual outcome: For the past four years, graduate survey data collected demonstrate yearly average scores above 4 relating to how effective the program was in cultivating collaborative learning and working styles.
Empower PAs to value inclusivity and diversity, and deliver quality care to all patients, recognizing health care disparities and populations with limited access to care.
Empowering PAs to value inclusivity and diversity.
Students are surveyed after graduation to obtain feedback about their experiences while completing Hofstra's PA program. On a 5-point evaluation scale where a 4 is ‘Effective’ and 5 is ‘Very Effective’, the chart below represents the yearly average graduate survey score relating to the effectiveness of the program in empowering PAs to value diversity and inclusivity.
Program-defined benchmark: Graduate survey average score of 4 or above
Actual outcome: For the past four years, graduate survey data collected demonstrate yearly average scores above 4 relating to how effective the program was in empowering PAs to value inclusivity and diversity.
Diverse Patient Populations
Our program strives to provide a clinical curriculum in which students care for diverse patient populations. The following data represents demographic information extracted from student patient logs.
Program-defined benchmark: Students will encounter at least four racially and/or ethnically diverse patient populations while on clinical rotations
Actual outcome: For the past 3 years, students have encountered at least four racially and/or ethnically diverse patient populations while on clinical rotations.