Nurse practitioners and physician assistants are advanced healthcare practitioners with similar responsibilities, such as diagnosing illnesses and prescribing medications. However, their training and paths toward certification differ in significant ways. This blog post unpacks the key differences between NPs and PAs to help you determine which career path best aligns with your goals. What Is a Nurse Practitioner? A nurse practitioner (NP) is a licensed clinician who provides comprehensive healthcare to patients of all ages. An NP can work in virtually any healthcare setting, diagnosing patient conditions and prescribing medications. As of October 2022, nurse practitioners have full practice authority in 27 states, meaning that they can practice Read more
Learning Outcomes Assessment
USAHS continuously measured program effectiveness through the assessment of learning outcomes process. Incorporated into the process are evidence-based decision-making and a systematic approach to program assessment. Program-level assessment is derived from the institutional mission, aligning the Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) to the Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILOs). Courses within the program contain key assignments designed to assess course learning outcomes that align with the PLOs, ensuring a program-level quality assurance process that supports the institutional mission.
Learning Outcomes Assessment
| Degree | Evidence used to determine that graduates have achieved stated outcomes | Findings used |
|---|---|---|
| Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) & Master of Occupational Therapy Flex (MOT Flex) & Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) | Signature assignment; small-group presentation; fieldwork performance; NBCOT certification exam behaviors, communication, intervention, and fundamental of practice. | An additional tool to be implemented to help graduates improve the first-time pass rate. |
| Doctor in Physical Therapy (DPT) & Doctor in Physical Therapy Flex (DPT Flex) | NPTE exam pass rate; PEAT exam; exit survey; CPI; graduate survey | Tracking system implementation to identify low-performing students and remediate early; course sequencing adjusted to help students retain and apply evidence-based content. |
| Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology (MS-SLP) | Exams; key assignments; residency experience surveys | Course update; leveling courses |
| Doctor in Education (EdD) | Key assignments; dissertation research; exit survey | Continue to increase faculty and dissertation advisors collaboration to support student persistence; convert all coursework to APT 7th edition to model industry standard. |
| Post-Professional Doctor in Occupational Therapy (PPOTD) | Key assignments; exit and alumni surveys | Continue to increase faculty and dissertation advisors collaboration to support student persistence; implement IPE simulation and update coursework to facilitate interprofessional collaboration practice. |
| Master of Health Administration (MHA) & Master of Health Sciences (MHS) | Key assignments | Continue to increase faculty and dissertation advisors collaboration to support student persistence; implement IPE simulation and update coursework to facilitate interprofessional collaboration practice. |
