Journal of Physician Assistant Education最新文献

{"title":"Short-Term Training, Lifelong Impact: Behavioral Medicine's Role in Elevating First-Year Physician Assistant Students' Cultural IQ.","authors":"Kathleen M Garcia, Kristine Prazak-Davoli","doi":"10.1097/JPA.0000000000000721","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/JPA.0000000000000721","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Cultural competence is essential in delivering high-quality, patient-centered care, especially in increasingly diverse clinical environments. Despite its importance, cultural competency training in health professions education remains inconsistent and often inadequate. This quantitative study examined the impact of a 3-month behavioral medicine course on first-year physician assistant (PA) students' cultural intelligence and preparedness to provide culturally competent care.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A presurvey and postsurvey design was used to assess changes in cultural sensitivity using a validated assessment tool, the Cultural Sensitivity Questionnaire.6 A priori power analysis (effect size = 0.5, power = 0.8) determined a minimum sample size of 34. Paired samples t-test analyzed differences between precourse (group A) and postcourse (group B) scores.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 44 participants completed both surveys. Postintervention scores showed a statistically significant improvement in cultural sensitivity awareness (group A: M = 4.863, standard deviation [SD] = 0.732; group B: M = 5.548, SD = 0.794; t(39) = 4.279, P < .001).</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>Findings support the integration of structured behavioral medicine curricula that incorporate cultural competency tools in PA education. Enhancing cultural intelligence among PA students may improve clinical communication and mitigate health disparities across diverse populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":39231,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Physician Assistant Education","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145245505","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Virtual Interview and Physician Assistant/Associate Program Diversity.","authors":"Lynn Timko-Swaim, Carina Loscalzo, Gina Pontrelli, Shannan Ricoy, Hants Williams, Kindred Shulgin","doi":"10.1097/JPA.0000000000000711","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/JPA.0000000000000711","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Creating a diversified health care workforce can improve equity, patient experiences, and outcomes. Achieving this goal begins with the recruitment of diverse applicants to health professional education programs. The purpose of this study was to compare diversity characteristics of applicants interviewed either virtually or in-person for physician assistant/associate education programs.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Descriptive and inferential analysis of admissions data from 3 New York-based programs that changed from an in-person interview format (interview cycles 2017, 2018, and 2019) to virtual format (interview cycles 2020, 2021, and 2022) were used in this study. Primary demographic data, focusing on race and ethnicity, were analyzed across several admission stages. Data were analyzed at each stage to explore differences in applicant success throughout the admission process (ie, verified applicants, interviewed, accepted, matriculated).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>During the virtual interview period, the number of underrepresented in medicine (URiM), non-White, Black, Asian, and Hispanic applicants increased significantly while the number of White applicants decreased significantly. Significant increases were noted in the numbers of URiM, non-White, and Asian applicants interviewed as well as the number of non-White and Asians accepted. Among matriculated students, the total number of URiM, non-White, Asian, and Hispanic students showed an upward trend.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>More research is needed to understand the potential relationships between the applicant pool diversity and interview format and interview stage.</p>","PeriodicalId":39231,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Physician Assistant Education","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145214236","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"How Artificial Intelligence Can Affect Physician Assistant Student Self-Efficacy When Preparing for Objective Structured Clinical Examinations.","authors":"Andrew Chastain, Anne Schempp","doi":"10.1097/JPA.0000000000000692","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/JPA.0000000000000692","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Abstract: </strong>To review the existing literature that examines the potential effect artificial intelligence (AI) has on increasing health care student self-efficacy related to objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs). This review examines current research on student self-efficacy related to OSCE assessment, strategies to increase student self-efficacy and confidence, and emerging studies on applying AI in health care education. This analysis will identify how AI tools might affect student preparation unique to OSCE assessments. Current evidence suggests that despite the widespread acceptance of OSCEs as a valid assessment tool to measure student proficiency in clinical skills, these types of assessments generate disproportionately lower self-efficacy in students preparing for OSCEs than traditional written assessments. Studies show that although student performance on OSCE assessments is not affected by their anxiety, they continue to harbor a negative perception of this type of examination. Evidence has shown that study strategies that enhance student self-efficacy and confidence through preparatory resources produce a mitigating effect on student anxiety. Emerging research has shown evidence that student engagement with, or to produce, AI-generated preparatory tools creates a more self-efficacious student who is confident in their ability to take and pass an OSCE. Using AI as a tool for students to prepare for OSCE assessments holds promise. Training students to engage with AI to generate study tools that focus on strengthening areas where knowledge gaps or weaknesses exist can help to improve their clinical skills and reasoning. Being more self-efficacious and familiar with these tasks only builds self-confidence in performing them.</p>","PeriodicalId":39231,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Physician Assistant Education","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145132080","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Boosting Booster Shots.","authors":"Mary Ann Nogaki Stahovich","doi":"10.1097/JPA.0000000000000708","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/JPA.0000000000000708","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":39231,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Physician Assistant Education","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145132162","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"It Takes a Village: Developing a Summative Evaluation Process to Meet Programmatic Needs.","authors":"Michel Statler, Elizabeth Johnston, Jessica White, Temple Howell-Stampley","doi":"10.1097/JPA.0000000000000705","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/JPA.0000000000000705","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Abstract: </strong>All physician assistant (PA) programs are required per accreditation Standard B4.03 to complete a summative evaluation to verify that their soon-to-be graduates have successfully met the program-defined competencies and are ready to transition into clinical practice. In 2019, the PA Program at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center updated the summative evaluation process to incorporate the PA Education Association End of Curriculum exam, to convert to online formatting for the Clinical Skills examination and situational judgement tests, and to introduce an eight station objective structure clinical examination component. All 4 components of the summative were mapped to the program-defined competencies, elements of Standard B4.03, and the Competencies for the PA Profession. Cut scores were defined for each component of the summative and remediation activities were designed to address knowledge deficiencies prior to retesting. To date, all students over the past 6 cohorts have successfully completed the objective structure clinical examination and situational judgement test components. There have been isolated failures of the end of curriculum and clinical skills exams which were successfully remediated on the first attempt. Administration of the summative evaluation requires planning and coordination throughout the academic cycle to develop materials for all components, schedule coordination with the simulation center, training of simulated patients, faculty development for consistency in grading, oversight of remediation activities, and triangulation of data to correlate the results of the summative evaluation with other programmatic outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":39231,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Physician Assistant Education","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145132071","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Simulation-Based Mastery Learning for Cranial Nerve Physical Exam Skill Acquisition.","authors":"Monica M Herron, Elaine R Cohen, William C McGaghie","doi":"10.1097/JPA.0000000000000709","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/JPA.0000000000000709","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Concern among medical educators about graduate variability in core clinical skills has existed for decades. Simulation-based mastery learning (SBML) is an alternative method of clinical instruction that ensures proficiency from every learner. This article reports a novel application of SBML in physician assistant (PA) education for instruction and assessment of cranial nerve physical examination skills and compares SBML with traditional training.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The rigorous SBML education intervention included (1) a pretest, (2) clearly defined learning objectives, (3) deliberate practice with instructor feedback, (4) lecture, video, and peer feedback, (5) post-test, (6) continued training and retesting as needed to meet a minimum passing standard (MPS), and (7) retention testing. Student self-efficacy (S-E) was measured before and after the SBML intervention.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>At pretest, 0/34 (0%) (mean = 54.55; standard deviation [SD] = 18.30) PA students in the SBML cohort met the MPS. Post intervention, 33/34 (97.1%) PA students passed the initial post-test. All (100%) students finally met the MPS with a mean score of 97.13% (SD = 3.33%). Retention testing was performed at 6 weeks; 31/34 (91%) PA students retained mastery-level skills. The SBML cohort significantly outperformed the historical cohort when their performance was evaluated against the MPS (96.15% vs. 75.54%; P < .001; Cohen's d = 2.20). Student S-E improved with SBML.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>Students trained via SBML on the cranial nerve exam achieved high competence and confidence with minimal skill deterioration over time. Their scores exceeded those of students trained traditionally. Simulation-based mastery learning is an effective method of training clinical skills due to its high standard of proficiency, durable retention, and learner satisfaction.</p>","PeriodicalId":39231,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Physician Assistant Education","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145132067","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Physician Assistant Students' Perceptions of Academic Advising.","authors":"Marianne E Vail, Shiyao Liu, Katherine Spaulding, Karen A Wright, Mary L Warner","doi":"10.1097/JPA.0000000000000712","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/JPA.0000000000000712","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>The purpose of this study was to assess PA students' perceptions of academic advising during training, identify characteristics of an effective academic advisor, and determine positive influences on the PA advisor-advisee relationship.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>An anonymous, predominantly quantitative, exploratory, descriptive survey was distributed electronically by a faculty contact at nine US PA programs to 934 pre-clinical/didactic and clinical-year PA students. The survey was available from April to July 2024. Descriptive and nonparametric statistics were used to analyze the data.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 144 PA students submitted the survey for a 15% response rate. The majority (97.92%) reported being assigned to an academic advisor. Required academic advising sessions occurred during both the pre-clinical/didactic phase (95.74%) and the clinical phase of training (82.86%). Individual and in-person advising sessions were the preferred type and format. The most common reasons/purposes for advising sessions included routine check-ins without specific concerns (92.91%), initial introductions (71.63%), and academic performance (58.87%). Positive characteristics of advisors included being respectful, approachable, responsive, understanding of student concerns, and knowledgeable. Advisors were identified as being the most knowledgeable about PA program policies and procedures. Overall, respondents were satisfied with their advising experience, had a good relationship with their advisor, and identified their PA advisor as effective.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>Consistent with other graduate-level research, this study demonstrated the value of the advisor-advisee relationship. Physician assistant students reported favorable academic advising experiences with effective PA advisors. Advising, coaching, and mentoring were all features exhibited by effective PA advisors and contributed to positive PA advisor-advisee relationships.</p>","PeriodicalId":39231,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Physician Assistant Education","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145132089","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Is Training Physician Associates in a Rural Area Associated With Them Choosing a Rural Position? A Repeated Cross-Sectional Quasi-Experiment.","authors":"Chris Gillette, Gayle B Bodner, Sarah O'Neal, Brian Peacock, Sobia S Hussaini, Natalie Smith, Angela Kurczewski, Laiton Steele","doi":"10.1097/JPA.0000000000000707","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/JPA.0000000000000707","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>There has long been a shortage of health care providers in rural areas. Interventions that have been shown to increase rural recruitment have yet to be explored in physician associates (PAs). This study seeks to identify the association between PA training site and first job location.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a repeated cross-sectional analysis of recent PA graduates' data at one institution. The institution consists of 2 campuses, an urban and rural campus. We analyzed the data using multivariable logistic regression.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We analyzed 7 cohorts (n = 601) of students, of whom 26.29% (n = 158) trained at the rural campus. There were no significant differences between campus locations on any sociodemographic characteristics, except race (White, rural = 78.48% vs. urban = 68.85%, P = .02). Students were more likely to choose a job in a rural area when they completed more rural rotations (odds ratio (OR) = 1.47, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.22-1.70), controlling for primary care specialty, gender identity, attending a rural campus, and being raised in an economically disadvantaged area. In a sensitivity analysis of more recent cohorts, we found similar results. Training at a rural campus or completing rural rotations were not associated with obtaining jobs in primary care health professional shortage areas or medically underserved areas.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>Similar to research in medical students, PAs who complete clinical training in rural areas may be more likely to choose their first job in a rural area, independent of where they were raised. This has policy and institutional implications to address access to care disparities for rural populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":39231,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Physician Assistant Education","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145030717","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Physician Assistant Education Association End of Curriculum Exam as a Predictor for Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination Performance.","authors":"Rachel Ditoro, Shalon R Buchs, Jennifer Coombs, Ryan Hunton, Gabrielle L Poole, Daniel Potter, Melissa Turley, Stephane P VanderMeulen, Patty J Scholting","doi":"10.1097/JPA.0000000000000710","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/JPA.0000000000000710","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Physician assistant programs use summative evaluations to assess near graduates, with many using the PA Education Association (PAEA) End of Curriculum (EOC) exam to assess the medical knowledge component. Accurate identification of those students at risk of low Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE) performance is imperative. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the outcomes of the PAEA EOC exam and the PANCE.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>PA Education Association EOC and PANCE outcomes from 2021 to 2023 graduating cohorts across 6 PA programs were analyzed (N = 789). Correlation, odds ratio (OR), and receiver operator characteristic curve analyses were used for EOC data and PANCE performance relationships. National statistics for mean EOC, mean PANCE, and demographics were compared with study data to determine generalizability.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The study results indicate a very strong correlation (r = 0.709) between the PAEA EOC score and PANCE scores. For each 10-point increase in EOC score, the odds of high PANCE performance increased by 47% (OR = 1.47) while the odds of low, very low, and failing PANCE performance decreased by 31% (OR = 0.69), 33% (OR = 0.67), and 42% (OR = 0.58), respectively.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>This multi-institutional study provides relational data between the PAEA EOC exam and PANCE, filling a gap in prior literature. The results of this study demonstrated a high correlation between the PAEA EOC exam scores and PANCE performance. Logistic regression models offer guidance for identifying high and low-performing students and a mechanism for programs to identify their at-risk students using the PAEA EOC exam outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":39231,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Physician Assistant Education","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145030741","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Student Perceptions of a Custom Artificial Intelligence Clinical Case Companion.","authors":"Andrew P Chastain, Chris Roman, Kevin M Bogenschutz","doi":"10.1097/JPA.0000000000000697","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/JPA.0000000000000697","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Artificial intelligence tools show promise in supplementing traditional physician assistant education, particularly in developing clinical reasoning skills. However, limited research exists on custom Generative Pretrained Transformer (GPT) applications in physician assistant (PA) education. This study evaluated student experiences and perceptions of a custom GPT-based clinical reasoning tool.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A mixed-methods study was conducted with first-year PA students (n = 72) at Butler University in April 2025. Students engaged in a custom GPT-4-Turbo Butler University PA Clinical Case Companion, designed to deliver interactive clinical cases using Socratic dialogue across hematology and nephrology specialties. Postengagement surveys assessed students' perceptions of the tool's helpfulness, cognitive challenge, and clinical skill development across 7 clinical domains. Surveys used Likert scales and open-ended questions. Researchers applied descriptive analysis on quantitative data and thematic analysis to qualitative responses.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Fifty-nine students completed surveys (81.9% response rate). Ninety percent of respondents rated the tool moderately to extremely helpful. Students reported significant improvement in developing differential diagnoses (79.7%), ordering diagnostic studies (81.4%), and interpreting tests (78.0%). Qualitative analysis revealed 3 primary themes: appreciation for immediate feedback (36%), detailed real-time explanations (36%), and receiving GPT-initiated student prompting (12%). Students suggested earlier curriculum integration and expressed concerns about the accuracy of case content.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>Custom GPT-based clinical reasoning tools can serve as an adjunct to traditional PA educational methods by offering personalized, on-demand learning experiences. Students perceived substantial benefits in developing clinical reasoning skills, but noted limitations in history-taking skills. Implementation should include faculty oversight and artificial intelligence literacy training to address accuracy concerns while maximizing educational benefits.</p>","PeriodicalId":39231,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Physician Assistant Education","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145030712","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}