The State of Genetics and Genomics Education in US Physician Assistant Programs

This study aimed to assess the current landscape of genetics-genomics education in physician assistant (PA) student training.

A 25-question electronic survey was emailed to program directors of the 273 accredited PA programs. Questions represented PA program demographics and 4 domains: curricular characteristics and perceived adequacy; content; curricular approaches and instructional methods; and intent, barriers, and perceived needs for an optimal curriculum.

A total of 115 PA program representatives (42%) returned the survey. More than two-thirds of responding programs do not require a prerequisite genetics course for matriculation. Most programs (48%) include 1 to 10 contact hours of genetics-genomics content and use various content delivery methods and approaches. Most programs (67%) use PA program faculty to teach genetics-genomics as part of one course or many courses throughout the curriculum (85%) using didactic lectures (97%). The most significant barrier to developing an optimal curriculum is an already overloaded curriculum (71%). Physician assistant educators welcome supportive resources, such as genetic case studies (96%).

The study findings elucidate the current state of genetics-genomics education in PA programs. Every responding program reports that genetics-genomics is integrated into their curriculum; however, no standardization exists between programs. Although medical genetics-genomics has changed and advanced rapidly since a similar survey was conducted 14 years ago, the number of contact hours is unchanged, and genetics-genomics content is less dispersed throughout PA curricula. To create genetic-competent and genomic-competent PAs, education must evolve to stay current with ongoing advancements in genomic science.