Thank you for joining me through this series on responding to the requirements of ARC-PA’s 5th Edition Standards Appendix 14. Before we move on to our next subject, I offer some final insights that I hope will help you in creating a well-rounded and thoroughly supported SSR for your PA program.

Referencing Other Appendices Within Your SSR

The SSR is an interconnected document. Many of the appendices organically connect with each other. In responding to one appendix, you may always incorporate relevant data from other appendices. 14C (effectiveness of a program’s didactic curriculum) connects very well with 14F (presentation of PANCE outcomes).

Is it necessary to include all the same information in Appendix 14F that you have already included in 14C? My recommendation is to include an excerpt from 14C that is appropriate within the answer to 14F.

Be certain that you answer each and all of the questions asked in each appendix template and be cautious about simply referencing another template as your response. There is no guarantee that the reader will understand that you mean for information you provided in Appendix “X” to provide a valid answer to a question in Appendix “Y.” It is better to be redundant, even if it seems over-the-top, than for the Commission to find your answers confusing or insufficient.

Annual Completion

I grew up in an era where data was done “on the fly.” When accreditation loomed, we galvanized. That simply is no longer the case. There is a now a huge scope of data that must be tracked every year, throughout the year, or you will fast become overwhelmed. 

For those of you that are concerned about resources, consider going to your administration. Tell them, “This is the expectation every single year. And if we get to our next cycle and we do not have the data, then we are facing potential adverse circumstances.” 

Develop a strategy to ensure annual completion. Use a process to gather, analyze, and tabulate data. Filter this process through your committee structure, so action plans can be documented, and compliance can be achieved. 

Centralize Your Data

I highly recommend centralizing data first: data goes into a one central data committee, and from there is triaged out to the appropriate subcommittees. The central committee knows which element is going to which committee, and when. Appendix 14A is the timeline, which will guide you. That timeline needs to be identified first, and as soon as possible, to determine when you are going to be gathering the data and analyzing it during the course of the year – which can quickly pass you by if your planning and execution are not on-target.

Minutes and Action Plans

Even if your SSR is done well, without minutes and a paper trail, you may be found inadequate. I really cannot say enough about action plans. Action plans appear from your committee minutes, and when the action plans are developed, they should be plotted and followed. I prefer to put action plans that are outstanding as “ongoing agenda items.” The committee archives them, as well as giving them an expiration date. If an agenda item is referred to this person or that committee, and needs to be acted on by this date, then there needs to be a way to plot that course, and make sure that is followed up. That is how you can piece together your documents as you complete them. 

Then, to the best of your ability, document all assessment in your committee minutes, and keep those minutes in a place where they can be accessed quickly and easily.

Want to Go More In-Depth?

For those who are interested in more comprehensive review of the 5th Edition Standards, Massey Martin Consulting, Inc. provides a 1- or 2-day workshop. Day One provides an in-depth look at the Self-Study Report. The optional Day Two incorporates methodology on how to bring your assessment to the next level. For more information, visit our website at:

https://drscottmassey.com/workshops

I feel that the 5th Edition Standards represent a significant improvement, but as is always the case with meeting the demands of higher education bureaucracy, the devil is in the details. I hope this review of the 5th Edition Standards was helpful for you in understanding the myriad of changes and requirements for PA Programs to achieve and maintain accreditation.