Evaluation of physician assistant student knowledge and perception of competence in palliative symptom management

To assess the impact of the current curriculum for physician assistant (PA) students in palliative medicine and end-of-life care.

PA students were invited to participate in an anonymous online survey evaluating seven domains of knowledge in palliative medicine coupled with a self-assessment in competence. Participants were also asked to identify current and desired educational formats in palliative medicine education. There were 1,313 emailed surveys with 139 total responses.

Our results demonstrate that a year of clinical training only resulted in minimal improvement in factual knowledge. This suggests that there is insufficient exposure to palliative medicine education during their clinical training.

PA students recognize their knowledge gaps and lack of exposure in palliative medicine. A more focused curriculum is needed in training experiences for PA students.