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Evaluating the Clinical Implications of an Innovative Anatomy Lab Suturing Curriculum for Physician Assistant
Courtney Fankhanel1,2,3, Jaideep S Talwalkar1,2,3, Rita Rienzo1,2,3
1Courtney Fankhanel, MMSc, PA-C, is an assistant professor and associate director of clinical education for the Yale School of Medicine Physician Associate Program, New Haven, Connecticut.
Purpose:
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of a new suturing curriculum incorporated throughout the anatomy lab for Yale Physician Associate (YPA) students.
Methods:
This controlled before-and-after study evaluated the class of 2017 (n = 39) as the control group and the class of 2018 (n = 37) as the intervention group. Suturing competency data were collected on all students from their clinical preceptor evaluations. Students completed surveys to measure perceived confidence in suturing skills.
Results:
Preceptor evaluations showed a 14.98% increase in suturing competence between the control and intervention groups (P < .05). Student surveys showed no significant difference in self-perceived confidence in suturing skills between the 2 cohorts.
Conclusions:
After initiation of an innovative anatomy lab suturing curriculum, YPA students demonstrated improvement in preceptor-perceived suturing competency during clinical rotations.
