This page provides the latest information that PAEA has curated for PA programs about the COVID-19 pandemic, including faculty development and other resources for PA faculty, students, and others. We know that the pandemic has greatly increased demands on faculty, and our highest priority is to support members however we can during this time.
The PAEA office continues to operate in a full-time remote capacity, and staff are committed to maintaining all possible member services. All usual face-to-face meetings will continue to be postponed or moved to a virtual format for the foreseeable future. We look forward to seeing our members in person again as soon as it is safe to do so.
Find more information under PAEA Resources below, but for a quick shortcut to most of PAEA’s COVID resources, check out these two carousels in our Digital Learning Hub:
If you need help setting up your account to access the DLH, please contact our Learning team at learning@PAEAonline.org. They are standing by to help.
Latest News
PAEA Resources
The DLH contains a wealth of resources, both curated by PAEA and posted by your faculty colleagues, that can help as you move classes online and adapt – professionally and personally – to the new normal of our lives. Our Learning team has reorganized the resources relating to the coronavirus pandemic and to online teaching into two easy-to-access carousels:
As a PAEA member, you have free access to the DLH. We also encourage your contributions to hub as well.
PAEA Professional Learning Communities are an excellent way to connect with your colleagues around the country.
We added a new Covid-19 Info Exchange in the Professional Learning Community in March as a space for PAEA members to connect and share information on how they are managing during the pandemic. Please use this gathering space to share responses, ideas, questions, resources, and stories with your colleagues.
PAEA developed a number of customized webinars to help faculty adapt to online teaching and to share information on how to achieve clinical learning outcomes when clinical rotations are disrupted. All of these were recorded and are available below – click on the link to access the recording (and handouts if these were available). Many of these sessions are eligible for Category 1 CME.
Webinar Series: Student-Centered Learning in Times of Crisis
Telemedicine in PA Education – A Virtual Panel Discussion
- Approved for 1.5 Category 1 CME hours by AAPA
Virtualizing Your Classroom – Leveraging Video
- Approved for 1.5 Category 1 CME hours by AAPA
PAEA Student Webinar: “The PA Will See You Now”
Designed to help students develop a better on-camera presence for telemedicine visits.
- Approved for 1.5 Category 1 CME hours by AAPA
Best Practices for Integrating Aquifer into Physician Assistant Education
In the early days of the pandemic, the Faculty Development Mission Advancement Commission (MAC) hosted two “Response Forums” — one on didactic education, one on clinical education. These forums were very well attended and provided a much-needed opportunity for PA faulty to connect and learn from each other as programs moved teaching online and adapted to lost clinical experiences for students. Access the recorded sessions below.
- PA Education COVID-19 Response Forum, Didactic Phase
View the recording on the Digital Learning Hub. - PA Education COVID-19 Response Forum, Clinical Phase
View the recording on the Digital Learning Hub.
To reduce survey burden as much as possible, PAEA elected not to run our usual annual surveys in 2020, and instead pivoted to a series of short surveys designed to help us better understand the impact of COVID-19 on PA programs and how they have adapted and innovated. This information is being published as a series of Rapid Response Reports, available on the Digital Learning Hub.
PAEA has been working with our partners to advocate for resources for PA education, students, and practicing PAs during this time of significant new government support of health care and health professions education.
PAEA Exams
We appreciate the hard work of those programs that have been able to comply with PAEA’s proctoring policies, and appreciate your ability adapt as the environment has changed. We have learned a lot of lessons through this period and, as such, will be making permanent the policy revisions implemented during the pandemic.
In new assessment system, the waived requirements will be complemented by a variety of new in-system measures, a lockdown browser, and proctoring options designed to improve accessibility for a variety of delivery modalities, so that the decision on proctoring can be made by each program in accordance with their needs. Full policy revisions and notice on the options available in the new assessment system will be provided in due course.
Please see each exam’s page (available in the top navigation bar or at PAEAAssessment.org) for more information on what is required for delivery in ExamDriver. PAEA is happy to talk through your program-specific questions. Please contact us directly for support: Chat, exams@PAEAonline.org, or phone (866-749-7601).
Students/Admissions
PAEA is working with the ARC-PA to help provide guidance to programs on how they can adapt to changing circumstances while maintaining the safety of their students, the quality of their instruction, and rigor of their programs. We are also advocating with the federal government on student loans and aid. We encourage students to direct questions about changes in didactic or clinical curricula to their programs.
- Update from Federal Student Aid: Guidance for interruptions of study related to Coronavirus (COVID-19)
- The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators’ Coronavirus (COVID-19) web center
- FAQ published by DOE on the student loan provisions included in the CARES Act
- FAQ on emergency financial aid to students under the CARES Act
- FAQ on emergency institutional aid under the CARES Act
Applicants can click here for updates and FAQs related to the CASPA application from our partner Liaison International.
Q. Will there be changes to the 20-21 CASPA application due to COVID-19?
A. For those applicants who are unable to obtain official transcripts, CASPA will grant an exception and allow them to upload unofficial transcripts instead. Applicants will be shown on-screen text that provides detailed instructions for how to take advantage of the new Transcript Hardship option. This exemption should only be pursued if applicants are unable to have their official transcripts sent to CASPA from any regionally accredited, post-secondary college or university they attended. Furthermore, this exception should not be used to circumvent any administrative holds that have been placed on student accounts that prevent the distribution of official transcripts. More information about this process is available in the CASPA Applicant Help Center. PAEA has also added a COVID-19 hardship essay to the CASPA application which will allow applicants to express how the pandemic has impacted their pathway to becoming a PA. This essay is optional, will be up to 2500 characters in length, and PAEA will continue to have the essay in CASPA for at least the next 5 application cycles.
Q. Will PA programs accept online and pass/fail coursework to fulfill prerequisite requirements?
A. PA programs are rapidly adapting to the impact of the COVID-19 on admissions. PAEA is in the process of collecting data from institutions on updates to their admission policies, including those related prerequisite courses that transitioned to an online or pass/fail format. We will share that information as soon as it is available. Please contact the school directly.
Q. I earned credit at a foreign institution; will I have issues getting my transcript evaluated?
A. All transcript evaluation services are still operational. However, they may have longer processing times than usual. For more information, please contact the evaluation service directly.
Q. Do you anticipate any application processing delays?
A. PAEA has received assurance from Liaison International that they will continue to provide uninterrupted service to all applicants. We do not expect any delays in processing applications.
Q. Does the PAEA Program Directory have the most up-to-date information?
A. All data in the directory was reported before the COVID-19 pandemic reached the United States. We are attempting to update information as quickly as possible. Please refer to program websites for the most up-to-date information.
For the latest information on the PANCE, we recommend visiting these sites from NCCPA and Pearson VUE.
Mental health issues have been on the rise across all age groups during the pandemic. Students can be especially affected by the additional burden of trying to maintain focus on their education during a time when that education is likely disrupted in some way, and they may have also additional responsibilities for care of children and other family members. The following resources, developed specifically for students, can be helpful. Please also see the general section on Mental Health on this page.
- Coping in an Era of Coronavirus: A Webinar for Students by the American Psychological Association.
- Managing Your Mental Health during COVID 19 with Lynn Bufka, PhD (Video)
Mental Health
As the pandemic wears on, it has taken a well-documented toll on the mental health of many Americans and people around the world. Isolation, uncertainty, fear of illness, changing financial situations, new family responsibilities — all of these can lead to mental struggles and to increased substance abuse. The following articles and resources are designed for members who want to better understand issues that their students and colleagues may be facing, and to provide practical resources for addressing these concerns.
- Mental Health Needs Rise with the Pandemic – Inside Higher Ed, September 11, 2020
- The Surprising Mental Toll of COVID – Scientific American, December 1, 2020
- After COVID-19 Diagnosis, Nearly 1 In 5 Are Diagnosed With Mental Disorder – NPR, November 11, 2020
- News from the World Health Organization
There is a wealth of information available on coping with the stress of the pandemic. Much of it focuses on taking care of yourself physically — eating and sleeping well, getting exercise, and adopting intentional mental wellness practices such as meditation and journaling. Experts also recommend taking time to connect with friends and family, finding time in the day to do things that bring you joy, and not being afraid to seek professional help if you need it. The following websites will provide a helpful starting point.
Substance abuse has been on the increase during the pandemic, both because of the additional stress many people are under and new barriers to accessing support groups and treatment. The National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, among many other organizations, have collected resources on the relationship between COVID-19 and substance abuse.
External Resources
Each of the national PA organizations has dedicated sections of their websites to information on how they are adapting their processes to changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant: Updates and guidance from the national accrediting body for PA programs.
- American Academy of PAs: Clinical, policy, and public health information from the national organization representing clinically practicing PAs.
- National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants: Information on PANCE testing and certification from the national certifying body.
Institutions of higher education have been trying to balance a host of competing priorities – student safety, continuing quality of education, financial viability. These websites can help provide perspective on the challenges facing higher education.