So what have schools used traditionally up until this point?ĭr. There is so much variety in where they are taking classes and getting their experience, there has to be some way to even the playing field a bit. Savanna: Looking at applications and talking to students, I find it hard to help students understand that PA schools have to standardize patients to a degree. There's nothing we can do to really to allay their fears, it's going to be a process but we'll get into that more detail as you ask questions. one that is a better identifier of students’ success in the PA program. The comment I want to make to all those students is that do you want PA educators to use a tool that’s not very strong vs.
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I’ve read virtually all the research that PA education and PA educators have done on the GRE and predictive factors and on the PANCE and its success. I can tell you that whatever tools the educators are going to use to admit students, they are going to use. GRE, I can tell you honestly as a PA educator, I’ve been involved with admissions for now 28 years. Up until now it has been in the research phase, and this will continue into the future as well.Īs far as what you mentioned about the concern from pre-PA students regarding PA-CAT vs. So obviously, because this has to be approved by Institutional Review Board, we cannot ethically administer this exam to pre-PA students in the case that people would use it for the purpose of making decisions. The exam was launched in a research phase in 2018, and it’s been administered to over 2,000 students, both who are first years matriculated into PA programs and to participants who are in the interview phase. When you launch something of that magnitude, there has to be some robust research behind it. Massey: I was one of the principal investigators.
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So you said it wasn't your idea you just got involved, is that safe to say?ĭr. So I'm excited to hear more and see if it helps my thoughts on it a little bit more. But as someone who has been through it and has helped pre-PA students throughout the process, I can see the benefits of a test that is designed like the PA-CAT to be more specific than say, the GRE. I have been a PA for 5 years now, and I think if I was in a pre-PA’s shoes, I would be a little bit terrified. I am not exactly sure what my thoughts are on the PA-CAT, so I'm excited to learn more. Savanna: So a little bit of everything but sounds good! Yeah so I'm going to be perfectly honest. At this point in time, I’m focusing on research and education, and another part of my time is spent working on this project. I also worked internationally for a year, and I’ve worked in several countries around the world participating in projects as well. I won’t go into everything else as far as my PA career, but I’ve worked in numerous settings including more emergency medicine than anything else. Johnna Yealy to be the co-investigators of this project, as there would be an 18 month research component for that. A couple of years ago, Exam Master approached me and the executive of Exam Master came to one of my presentations and asked if I would be interested in participating in this exciting project, which was developing and launching a PA admissions exam. To make a long story short, I've been in leadership positions in 4 PA programs, and I’ve been an active researcher over the years in particular about predictive factors for success in PA education. Massey: My name is Scott Massey, and I’ve been a PA for 36 years. This blog post is also a podcast episode! Listen to it here.ĭr. Massey has spent his career researching PA education and trying to improve it, and he shares his involvement in the development of the PA-CAT and why this test is the next step in PA admissions. Scott Massey, a PA with tons of educational experience and a PhD. Do I need to take the test? Is it replacing the GRE? How do I study for it? We went straight to the source with this interview with Dr.
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The PA-CAT seems to be on everyone’s mind.