Physician Assistant Student Training for the Inpatient Setting: A Needs Assessment

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Physician Assistant Training
• Hospital Medicine

Background:

• The number of physician assistants (PAs) in hospital medicine is growing rapidly.
• Limited research exists on optimal inpatient medicine rotation experiences for PA students.
• Understanding hospitalists' perceptions of PA training is crucial for curriculum development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify essential clinical topics and skills for PA students during inpatient medicine rotations.
• To assess hospitalists' understanding of physician assistant (PA) training pathways.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of an existing inpatient medicine rotation for PA students.

Main Methods:

• A survey was administered to 85 practicing hospitalists (physicians and advanced-practice providers) across three hospitals.
• The survey assessed essential clinical topics, hospitalist knowledge of PA training, and current rotation performance.
• Descriptive statistics were employed to analyze the collected data.

Main Results:

• Hospitalists pinpointed clinical conditions and healthcare systems with high educational value for PA students.
• Over 20% of hospitalists demonstrated incomplete understanding of the PA training process.
• The inpatient medicine rotation received positive ratings for 15 of 19 assessed medical conditions.

Conclusions:

• Defining essential content is key for developing effective PA training curricula.
• A knowledge gap exists among hospitalists regarding physician assistant (PA) student training.
• While the current rotation is well-regarded, a formal curriculum could further enhance PA student learning experiences.