Current trends in anatomy course characteristics across US physician assistant programs.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Anatomy Curriculum
• Physician Assistant Studies

Background:

• Anatomy is a core requirement in Physician Assistant (PA) programs.
• Accreditation bodies do not mandate specific anatomy course structures or laboratory methods.
• The expansion of PA programs may influence anatomy teaching trends.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze current anatomy course characteristics in US PA programs.
• To identify trends and variations in anatomy instruction and laboratory approaches.
• To explore correlations between program factors and anatomy course design.

Main Methods:

• Data collected from the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) website for accredited programs.
• Two evaluators extracted website data on anatomy course timing, integration, lab format, and credit hours.
• Statistical analyses examined relationships between curriculum variables and course characteristics.

Main Results:

• Most anatomy courses are taught independently within a single term.
• The increase in PA programs since 2019 has not altered laboratory instruction emphasis.
• Average anatomy credit hours are 5.5, varying by academic system (semester/quarter) and lab type (dissection/prosection).

Conclusions:

• Significant variation exists in PA program anatomy course characteristics.
• Local institutional resources and constraints drive curricular decisions for anatomy instruction.
• Current practices indicate flexibility in anatomy course design within PA education.