ABSTRACT
The Physician Assistant Clinical Knowledge Rating and Assessment Tool (PACKRAT) was developed to be an objective, comprehensive self-assessment tool for students. When the PACKRAT exam was initially developed, its goal was to help students determine what level of knowledge they currently possessed and what they had to learn prior to graduation. The purpose of this study was to review PACKRAT test-taker scores over the past 5 years and analyze the variations in test administration. Deidentified PACKRAT scores, exam length in minutes, and proctored or unproctored status, along with time extensions were analyzed from 2013 to 2018. Descriptive statistics and frequency counts were used to summarize the data. An independent samples t-test was used to determine if there was a difference in test-taker scores between proctored and unproctored exams. The 83,271 student test-taker exam data were analyzed, and time ranged from 180 to 360 minutes with a mean of 226.5 minutes. When comparing test-taker scores between proctored and unproctored exams, the mean scores were 145.02 and 144.77, respectively, with no significant difference. The Physician Assistant Clinical Knowledge Rating and Assessment Tool can be confidently used and compared to national scores whether a program administers the exam proctored or without a proctor. The average time taken for exam completion is close to the recommended 225 minutes that is suggested by Physician Assistant Education Association PACKRAT exam developers.
Subject(s)
Educational Measurement/methods , Physician Assistants/education , Educational Measurement/standards , Humans , Physician Assistants/standards , Physician Assistants/statistics & numerical data , Retrospective Studies , Students, Health OccupationsABSTRACT
In its 20th year, the Physician Assistant Clinical Knowledge Rating and Assessment Tool (PACKRAT) is a student self-assessment that can assist physician assistant (PA) students and PA program faculty in identifying strengths and areas in need of improvement in the didactic and clinical phases of PA education. In this reflection, we provide an overview of the history of PACKRAT and outline some of its benefits for students and PA programs, as well as its generative role in assessment within PA studies. Taking a broader view of PACKRAT's impact on assessment for the PA profession, we outline the research on its benefits and its use to maximize student performance, as well as how it has promoted the development of additional assessment tools.
