A Novel Flipped Nutrition Curriculum in Physician Assistant Education

Nutrition is essential in patient management. Physician assistant (PA) and PA students have reported low confidence in providing nutrition education. This study was designed to compare a novel flipped curriculum.

This was a quasi-experimental cohort comparison of examination question performance between 2 student cohorts taught in a nutrition flipped curriculum (graduation years 2023, 2024) and one cohort (graduation year 2022) taught with traditional lecture within the didactic phase of a single Mid-Atlantic PA program. Exam scores between cohorts were compared using analysis of variance (ANOVA), and potential confounding student variables were assessed with multiple regression.

Examination performance was similar between traditional and flipped cohorts (traditional: 2022 = 82.25 ± 7.13; flipped: 2023 = 83.33 ± 9.26; 2024 = 83.15 ± 8.76; P = .63). The only significant covariate to predict nutrition exam question scores was PA school grade point average (β = 10.56, P <.001).

Scores on nutrition examination questions were similar between flipped and traditional teaching methods, and the only predictive student factor was PA school grade point average. Future studies should explore a flipped classroom approach in developing students' nutrition assessment skills, such as taking a nutrition history and evaluating the appropriateness of a patient's diet. Future evaluations can also explore the student learning experience in a flipped classroom.