MSPAS Mission & Goals

Mission
Our mission is to prepare competent and compassionate PAs in a learning environment promoting Christian values, service, the pursuit of life-long education, and team practice. We share the University of Dubuque's commitment to:

  • A hospitable Christian environment which respects other faith traditions;
  • Relationships which encourage intellectual, spiritual, and moral development;
  • Excellence in academic inquiry and professional preparation;
  • A diverse and equitable community where Christian love is practiced;
  • Stewardship of all God's human and natural resources;
  • Zeal for life-long learning and service.

The Vision of the program is to prepare students to improve patient outcomes in rural populations by developing exceptional primary care PAs by the completion of the program.

The Goals of the program are to:

  • Graduate competent PAs. (PLO 1, PLO 5, PLO 6)
  • Cultivate compassionate health care providers. (PLO 2, PLO 3, PLO 4)
  • Provide a supportive and engaging learning environment. (PLO 2, PLO 4)
  • Model volunteerism and provide opportunities for service. (PLO 5)

The program will assess progress towards these goals on a yearly basis with internal reports covering enrollment, exam scores, student and faculty evaluations, and a graduate survey. Benchmarks for each of these reports have been established, and adjustments/modifications will be made as needed.

Achievement of Program Goals (partial compliance of A3.12b)
View the attached document to see how the UD MSPAS program is achieving its program goals: Physician Assistant Program Goals.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Goal:

Provide a welcoming environment and enhanced learning experiences that demonstrate value, inclusion, and respect while broadening awareness and perspectives to foster engagement of diverse students, faculty, and staff through recruitment, mentorship, support, and resources that promote retention and academic success through elimination of remediable differences.

The program has established the following definitions to support its efforts:

  • Diversity includes the ways in which people or groups differ from one another and embraces the qualities and characteristics that contribute to their uniqueness.
  • Inclusion is the practice of empowering individuals through welcoming environments and experiences where all are supported, valued, and respected. 
  • Equity is the reduction or removal of remediable differences between individuals through support and resources.

Our conduct, ideals and ethics are based on these Values:

  • Integrity
  • Diversity
  • Competence
  • Compassion
  • Scholarship

Graduation Rate (A3.12i)

     Class of 2021       Class of 2022      Class of 2023   
  Maximum entering class size  
  (as approved by ARC-PA)		 30 30 30
  Entering class size 25 19 23
  Graduates 25 18 23
  * Attrition rate 0 .05 0
  ** Graduation rate 1 .95 1

* Attrition rate calculation:  Number of students who attritted from cohort divided by the entering class size.
** Graduation rate:  Number of cohort graduates divided by the entering class size.