Foundational Skill-Building in a Novel Well-being Curriculum

Mental illness and decreased well-being are pervasive throughout physician assistant (PA) training, and the accreditation standards require a wellness curriculum. The purpose of this study was to determine if a mandatory, multifaceted virtual wellness curriculum can mitigate the decline in well-being experienced by first-year PA students.

First-year PA students from 5 programs (n = 259) participated in a 16-week asynchronous virtual course. The course integrated evidence-based content on vulnerability and stigma, mindfulness and decentering, and reflective writing. Total weekly content averaged 30-60 minutes and was presented in multiple formats including recorded lectures and panels, readings, and discussion forums. Students completed anonymous pre- and postsurveys, and ordinary least squares (OLS) regression with a fixed effect for each school was used for data analysis.

In total, 157 of 259 (60.6%) students completed both surveys with matching unique identifiers. The majority of students (73.6%; 134/182) thought this course had a positive impact on their training as a PA student. Baseline scores were significantly predictive of end-point scores for the PHLMS, OMS-HC-15, SSOSH, RPQ, and UCLA-3 (see Methods section for full names of surveys). Race was significantly predictive of PHLMS and OMS-HC-15 scores; age was significantly predictive of SSOSH scores; and gender was significantly predictive of RPQ scores.

For a student with low baseline well-being who is entering a PA program, dedicated curricula focusing on foundational wellness skills can be successful in improving well-being. Future work is needed to more fully characterize the scope and extent of this program's impact on PA learners. Additional efforts are also necessary to optimize the delivery and provide access to PA students nationwide.