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Physician Assistant Student Training for the Inpatient Setting: A Needs Assessment.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Sharma, P; Brooks, M; Roomiany, P; Verma, L; Criscione-Schreiber, L
Published in: J Physician Assist Educ
December 2017

PURPOSE: The number of physician assistants (PAs) practicing hospital medicine is rapidly expanding. Little research has been done to determine which inpatient medicine rotation experiences are most helpful to prepare PA students for a career in inpatient medicine. We aimed to determine those skills that practicing hospitalists believe are most critical for PA students to master and to describe hospitalists' current understanding of PA training. We also sought to evaluate the current performance of our own inpatient medicine rotation for PA students. METHODS: We surveyed 85 practicing hospitalists, including physicians and advanced-practice providers, from 3 hospitals in the Duke University Health System to identify (1) the clinical topics and skills deemed most essential for PA students on an inpatient medicine rotation, (2) the percentage of hospitalists able to correctly answer basic questions about PA training, and (3) current rotation performance. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize responses. RESULTS: Hospitalists identified the clinical conditions and health care systems with the most educational value for PA students. Hospitalists were found to have variable levels of understanding of the PA training pathway, with more than 20% incorrectly answering questions about the training process. According to mean responses, the rotation performed positively for 15 of 19 medical conditions. The majority of survey respondents suggested that a formal curriculum would help faculty teach and improve the learning experience for PA students. CONCLUSIONS: Identifying the most essential content can facilitate curriculum development. Hospitalists have a knowledge gap about the training of PA students. The inpatient medicine rotation was rated positively, but survey responses suggested that a formal curriculum could have a positive effect and would be well received.

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Published In

J Physician Assist Educ

DOI

ISSN

1941-9430

Publication Date

December 2017

Volume

28

Issue

4

Start / End Page

189 / 195

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Physician Assistants
  • Inpatients
  • Humans
  • Hospitalists
  • Education, Graduate
  • Curriculum
  • Clinical Competence
  • 1399 Other Education
  • 1302 Curriculum and Pedagogy
 

Citation

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ICMJE
MLA
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Sharma, P., Brooks, M., Roomiany, P., Verma, L., & Criscione-Schreiber, L. (2017). Physician Assistant Student Training for the Inpatient Setting: A Needs Assessment. J Physician Assist Educ, 28(4), 189–195. https://doi.org/10.1097/JPA.0000000000000174
Sharma, Poonam, Megan Brooks, Pahresah Roomiany, Lalit Verma, and Lisa Criscione-Schreiber. “Physician Assistant Student Training for the Inpatient Setting: A Needs Assessment.J Physician Assist Educ 28, no. 4 (December 2017): 189–95. https://doi.org/10.1097/JPA.0000000000000174.
Sharma P, Brooks M, Roomiany P, Verma L, Criscione-Schreiber L. Physician Assistant Student Training for the Inpatient Setting: A Needs Assessment. J Physician Assist Educ. 2017 Dec;28(4):189–95.
Sharma, Poonam, et al. “Physician Assistant Student Training for the Inpatient Setting: A Needs Assessment.J Physician Assist Educ, vol. 28, no. 4, Dec. 2017, pp. 189–95. Pubmed, doi:10.1097/JPA.0000000000000174.
Sharma P, Brooks M, Roomiany P, Verma L, Criscione-Schreiber L. Physician Assistant Student Training for the Inpatient Setting: A Needs Assessment. J Physician Assist Educ. 2017 Dec;28(4):189–195.

Published In

J Physician Assist Educ

DOI

ISSN

1941-9430

Publication Date

December 2017

Volume

28

Issue

4

Start / End Page

189 / 195

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Physician Assistants
  • Inpatients
  • Humans
  • Hospitalists
  • Education, Graduate
  • Curriculum
  • Clinical Competence
  • 1399 Other Education
  • 1302 Curriculum and Pedagogy