Identifying Professionalism and Judgment in PA Admissions at Augusta University
Augusta University’s Master of Physician Assistant program prepares future physician assistants to practice across all aspects of medicine through a rigorous two-year curriculum that combines classroom learning and clinical experience. As PA programs expanded across Georgia and South Carolina, the Augusta team saw applicant competition tighten and admissions decisions become more complex. By integrating Casper into its admissions process, the program gained a structured way to assess non-academic skills at scale and add confidence to final selections, while keeping faculty judgment at the centre of review.
Challenge
Rising competition for PA applicants required stronger selection methods to detect professionalism and judgment risks.
Solution
Results
More confident admissions decisions and improved identification of post-interview outliers.
PROGRAM TYPE
Physician Assistant Education
PROGRAM SIZE
44 matriculants per cohort
REGION
North America – USA
Challenge
PA education demands more than strong grades and test scores. Students also need professionalism, sound judgment, empathy, and the ability to communicate clearly in high-pressure moments. Traditional admissions tools helped the team at Augusta University assess academic readiness and experience, but they didn’t always surface behavioural risks or provide consistent insight into non-academic skills.
The admissions team faced several challenges:
- Academic metrics and experience indicators did not consistently reveal professionalism and judgment
- Interviews provided valuable insight, but some outliers still blended in
- Growing competition increased the need for defensible, confident selection decisions
- A tool was needed to support comprehensive review without disrupting the faculty-led process
- Programs relied on inconsistent tools, ranging from Excel spreadsheets to unsupported survey platforms
Solution
Augusta University integrated Casper to strengthen its holistic admissions approach and better understand how applicants reason through real-world, profession-relevant scenarios. The program now uses Casper as a required step for admission, then reviews scores after interviews as an added lens on applicant readiness.
This has empowered the admissions team to strengthen decision-making in the following ways:
- Assesses non-academic skills through structured, scenario-based responses completed in real time
- Reveals how applicants communicate, navigate ethical dilemmas, and demonstrate professionalism
- Adds a post-interview data point to help identify applicant outliers
- Surfaces potential concerns that traditional metrics may not consistently capture
- Strengthens final decisions when reviewed alongside GPA, GRE, experience, and interviews
- Fits seamlessly within a faculty-led, collaborative review process without disruption
Results
By incorporating Casper into its admissions process, the Augusta team strengthened how it evaluates non-academic skills and reinforced confidence in final decisions. Casper gives the team a clearer view of applicant professionalism and judgment, especially when traditional indicators don’t tell the full story.
The program reports several benefits:
- More confidence in final admissions decisions through added validation after interviews
- Stronger ability to identify outliers that may raise professionalism or behavioural concerns
- A more complete, holistic view of applicants without increasing process complexity
- Greater alignment between selection decisions and the professional expectations of PA education
For Augusta University, admissions decisions shape the learning environment and the future clinician workforce. Casper supports that responsibility by helping the program select PA students who demonstrate the judgment and professionalism the role demands.