Challenges of Clinical Education

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Physician Assistant Studies

Background:

• The physician assistant (PA) profession celebrates its 50th anniversary, highlighting the critical role of clinical preceptors in PA education.
• The clinical phase of PA programs is a significant bottleneck, with increasing competition for training sites due to the expansion of medical, nurse practitioner, and PA programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address the current challenges in clinical education for physician assistant students.
• To explore the difficulties in securing adequate clinical training sites for the growing number of PA programs.

Main Methods:

• This article reviews the current landscape of PA clinical education.
• It identifies and discusses the primary obstacles faced in establishing and maintaining clinical training opportunities.

Main Results:

• The rapid growth of PA programs has intensified the competition for clinical education sites.
• Securing sufficient clinical training placements has become a major challenge for PA education.

Conclusions:

• Addressing the shortage of clinical training sites is crucial for the continued growth and success of the physician assistant profession.
• Innovative solutions are needed to overcome the rate-limiting issues in PA clinical education.