Faculty Advising Policy

Origin Date: June 2018
Last Evaluated: June 2018
Responsible Party: Program Director
Minimum Review Frequency: Annually
Approving Body: Policy and Procedures Committee

DPAM Associated Forms:
Student Advisement form
Behavioral and Professional Evaluation form

ARC-PA Associated Standards:
A1.05
The sponsoring institution must provide academic services to PA students that are equivalent to those services provided other comparable students of the institution.
A2.05e Principal faculty and the program director must actively participate in the processes of academic counseling of students.
A3.10 The program must have written policies that provide for timely access and/or referral of students to services addressing personal issues which may impact their progress in the PA program.

Background and Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to clarify the role of the faculty as an advisor and the expectation of both faculty and student in the advising process.

Physician Assistant Program Faculty Advising

All students who have been accepted into the program will be assigned a principal faculty mentor who will act as their official student advisor. Mentors will officially meet with each of their advisees on a regular schedule as outlined below. Additionally, students or advisors may request unscheduled meetings as the need arises.

For first-year students, the initial advising session should occur during the first two weeks of their first summer to begin the process of establishing a professional relationship with their advisor. Advising will occur after program orientation and be performed by the Principal Faculty.

Academic advising is designed to be vertically progressive through the course of the curriculum. General advisement begins with such topics as transition to adult learning and differences between undergraduate and graduate education. Over time, there are greater discussions about such topics as readiness for clinical practice and professional development, including faculty and student self- assessment. Student-specific advisement topics will usually include discussion of current course grades and overall GPA, study habits, test-taking skills, and any other aspects of PA education that are particularly difficult for the student. It is critical that any weaknesses or academic problems be identified proactively and interventions initiated to maximize each student’s opportunity for success.

When appropriate, mentors will assist the student in locating helpful resources, and promptly initiate referrals. Both on-campus and off-campus resources may be utilized. Financial responsibility/insurance coverage for the cost of mental health or psychological counseling is solely the responsibility of the individual student. Under no conditions is the faculty advisor to assume the role of professional provider of needed mental health or counseling services for any student.

Student Advisement form: This form should be used when documenting the advising sessions described by this policy. The completed form should be included with copies of the student’s professionalism evaluations that were discussed during the corresponding advising session. All student advising/counseling sessions will be documented using the student advisement form and filed in the students’ program file. This form should also be used when documenting any additional non-scheduled advisement sessions or other meetings related to student performance, personal issues, or professionalism. The form may be filled out electronically but must be printed for inclusion in student file.

Advisement schedule:

Advisement Session Schedule
Session # Semester Week Topics
1 Summer 1 2 Adjustment to adult learning; student strategies
2 Summer 1 9 Progression through summer curriculum; student-specific issues
3 Fall 1 6-8 Adjustment to increased rigor; student issues; Progression through fall curriculum; student issues
4 Spring 1 6-8 Adjustment to progressive curriculum; student burn-out; student strategies; Progression through spring curriculum; student issues
5 Summer 2 6-8 Adjustment to progressive curriculum; student vision as provider; Progression, readiness for SCPEs, student issues
6 Fall 2 varied All students should meet at least once with advisors during callback days each semester during the clinical year; discuss clinical experiences, preparation for independent practice, student issues
7 Spring 2 varied All students should meet at least once with advisors during callback days each semester during the clinical year; discuss clinical  experiences, preparation for independent practice, student issues
8 Summer 3 varied Board prep; readiness for practice/expectations of graduates; student issues

 

Approved by: Policy and Procedure Committee
Modified:
Next Review: Spring 2019