Evaluating Motivational Interviewing in the Physician Assistant Curriculum.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Behavioral Science
• Health Professions Education

Background:

• Motivational interviewing (MI) is an evidence-based approach for behavior change.
• Physician assistants (PAs) require MI skills for patient care.
• The current state of MI education in U.S. PA programs is not well-documented.

Purpose of the Study:

• To comprehensively describe motivational interviewing (MI) education in United States PA programs.
• To assess the extent of MI training within PA curricula.
• To identify gaps and opportunities for improving MI instruction.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the 2014 Physician Assistant Education Association Annual Program Survey.
• Conducted descriptive statistics on de-identified data from 186 U.S. PA programs.
• Analyzed the reported availability of MI training and associated teaching modalities.

Main Results:

• Over 70% of PA programs reported offering at least one course with MI training.
• Training in core MI skills, such as developing discrepancy, was inconsistently available.
• Lectures were the predominant teaching method, while role-play and standardized patient exercises were underused.

Conclusions:

• Most U.S. PA programs acknowledge the importance of MI by including it in their curricula.
• Significant opportunities exist to enhance MI training by incorporating underutilized, effective pedagogical methods.
• Improving MI instruction is crucial for equipping PAs with essential patient behavior modification skills.