Bridging the Gap: Implementing an Adjunct Faculty as a Remediation Specialist in a Physician Assistant/Associate Program.

Abstract

Introduction: Creating a successful remediation plan for physician assistant/associate students comes with its challenges, particularly because of the limited time available for both faculty and students. In an accelerated 24-month program, the pace of the curriculum leaves little time to fall behind in mastering knowledge and skills. One possible solution is appointing an adjunct faculty member to serve as a dedicated Remediation Specialist (RS) to focus solely on student remediation.

Methods: The RS reviews assessments of failing students and develops a review session based on shared areas of weakness among them. This session is promptly offered postassessment to ensure timely review. While required for failing students, the session is open to all didactic students. In addition, students complete a remediation assignment of their choice.

Results: Implementation of a RS demonstrated positive program outcomes. Students requiring remediation receive re-education in areas of deficiency within the curriculum. Furthermore, the time burden is shifted away from the core faculty. Students are remediated in targeted areas.

Discussion: Dedicated remediation specialists are commonly used in health profession education programs. The utilization of these specialists often results in higher examination pass rates, licensure pass rates, and improved clinical skills. While some programs select a candidate training in education and pedagogy, our program's RS is a trained physician assistant/associate and able to provide discipline-specific support.