Assessing the correlation of student clinical encounters and PANCE performance

Introduction: Little research exists regarding the correlation between the quantity of clinical encounters and performance on the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE) scores. Determining whether such a correlation exists would be of great benefit to physician assistant (PA) programs and PA students alike in choosing the most valuable educational experiences with the greatest opportunities to learn. Methods: As part of this retrospective study, the patient encounter logs of 184 students were compiled from the graduating classes of 2003 through 2006. The number of encounters performed for each skill or knowledge category was then compared to the score the student achieved on the corresponding section of the PANCE. The data collected from the student logs and PANCE results were analyzed using correlation coefficients. Results: The findings of the analysis revealed no significant correlation between numbers of clinical encounters and PANCE scores. Discussion: The lack of correlation found between the quantity of encounters and PANCE performance indicate that the quality of the clinical experience may be of more importance than the quantity of encounters.