Learning to Love Data

It's Time to Understand the Assessment Process

We know data analysis is difficult, time consuming, and downright stressful. If you want to better understand the assessment process, Learning to Love Data is the perfect guide to help you implement improvements based on hard data. Filled with insights from multiple experts, downloadable resources, and easy-to-understand walkthroughs, Learning to Love Data will help you overcome data overload stress!

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"Learning to Love Data offers a roadmap with practical application and multiple examples that will assist any faculty member in understanding how to collect, analyze, display, and use data in a way that results in effective change."

Johnna Yealy
University of Tampa

Take A Look Inside

Each chapter provides a fuller picture of data assessment to help your PA Program implement an ongoing data analysis system.

Chapter 1:  The State of Assessment in Physician Assistant Education

Chapter 2: Accreditation Driven Assessment Practices

Chapter 3: Designing Advanced Assessment Systems

Chapter 4: Applied Statistics in Physician Assistant Education Assessment

Chapter 5: Risk Modeling for Academic Success

Chapter 6: Engaging Faculty and Students in Assessment

Chapter 7: Closing the Loop: Strategies to Implement Action Plans

Chapter 8: Beyond Accreditation: Incorporating a Culture of Excellence

Chapter 9: Cultivating a Scholarship of Engagement: Assessment Driven Research Opportunities

Chapter 10: Looking Through the Crystal Ball

About the Authors

Scott Massey, PhD, PA-C, has more than 25 years of PA education experience, including holding leadership positions in four PA programs. ​Dr. Massey is also an accomplished researcher and author, having presented nationally and internationally more than 75 times. He is widely published in areas related to the PA profession Dr. Massey has established himself as an expert in the field of assessment within the PA profession and is passionate about mentoring faculty and program directors in the areas of assessment and accreditation compliance. He believes consulting is a form of coaching which leads to personal and professional development. Dr. Massey is the co-investigator of the Exam Master PA-CAT research protocol and has been providing consultative services to PA programs for more than 20 years. 

Helen Martin, DHSC, PA-C, DFAAPA, has more than 10 years of PA education experience, including leadership positions at four southeastern PA programs. She currently holds the position of Division Director at the Medical University of South Carolina. Dr. Martin's expertise lies in provisional and continuing accreditation, clinical site development, the ongoing assessment process, and faculty mentorship. Dr. Martin has presented at the annual Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA) on assessment and clinical site development. She has been offering consultative services for more than a decade.

Rajat Chadha, PhD, is an expert Psychometrician with a Ph.D. in Education from Indiana University. Dr. Chadha has held positions at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the Australian Council for Educational Research and has worked on several international assessment projects for notable clients such as Howard Hughes Medical Institute, UNICEF, OECD, International Baccalaureate, and the Governments of Australia, Bangladesh, and India. Dr Chadha has been the Principal Psychometrician for the Physician Assistant College Admission Test (PA-CAT) since 2018. 

David C. Beck, Jr., EdD, MPAS, PA-C, DFAAPA, has been a certified PA for 16 years and has held clinical positions in a variety of disciplines, including his current position in emergency medicine at a hospital specializing in obstetrics, gynecology, and oncology. He has experience in higher education as Principal Faculty, Academic Coordinator, Program Director, Department Chair, and Associate Dean, and he is the Founding Director of a hybrid PA program.  Dr. Beck earned his Doctor of Education degree with a focus in Higher Education Management, and his research and scholarly activity focuses on the professional development of entry-level and practicing advanced practice providers.  

David Holmerud, BA, had a successful 35-year career in the Fire Service in Southern California and now serves as a contract course developer for the United States Fire Administration at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, MD. He has co-developed seven courses, with an additional two currently under development in the Planning and Information curriculum area. Data Analytics are a key component in several of these courses, providing fire service leaders with an understanding of the value and use of data to achieve measurable outcomes relating to efficient delivery of emergency services. David has collaborated with Dr. Massey for the more than 10 years performing data analysis and visuals for many physician assistant programs throughout the country. He has also assisted Dr. Massey on three peer reviewed articles and two poster presentations.

Carrie Walker, MPAS, EdD(c), PA-C, has been a certified PA for 20 years. After nearly a decade of clinical practice in emergency medicine, she transitioned to a full-time position in academia, serving on the faculty of both established and developing PA programs in New England. Walker has held positions as Principal Faculty, Director of Didactic Education, Assistant Director, and most recently, Founding Director. An educational doctoral candidate, her dissertation research seeks to examine the outcomes of remediation in PA students. She was hired by Dr. Massey into her first faculty role and has continued collaborating with him for more than 10 years through mentorship and as a consultative client.

With over 20 years in medical education, Dr. Mary Groll graduated from Northwestern University school of medicine and has worked as a pediatrician in both outpatient and emergency room settings. Her passion for the education and encouragement of physician assistant students began by serving for five years as a pediatric clinical preceptor, followed by four years of service as both the Medical Director and Director of the Didactic Curriculum at a community-based PA program. Dr. Groll is the founding program director at North Central College developing PA program.

Learn how to do assessment right so you can make the changes your PA Program needs

"If you're struggling with PA Program evaluation, data collection, and management, this is the "secret sauce". Massey & Martin, LLC give an organized and efficient framework for getting your SSI in order. As a former ARC-PA site visitor and Commissioner, I highly recommend this book."

Bob Philpot
Former ARC-PA Site Visitor and Commissioner
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