Physician Assistant Students' Perceptions of Academic Advising

The purpose of this study was to assess PA students' perceptions of academic advising during training, identify characteristics of an effective academic advisor, and determine positive influences on the PA advisor-advisee relationship.

An anonymous, predominantly quantitative, exploratory, descriptive survey was distributed electronically by a faculty contact at nine US PA programs to 934 pre-clinical/didactic and clinical-year PA students. The survey was available from April to July 2024. Descriptive and nonparametric statistics were used to analyze the data.

A total of 144 PA students submitted the survey for a 15% response rate. The majority (97.92%) reported being assigned to an academic advisor. Required academic advising sessions occurred during both the pre-clinical/didactic phase (95.74%) and the clinical phase of training (82.86%). Individual and in-person advising sessions were the preferred type and format. The most common reasons/purposes for advising sessions included routine check-ins without specific concerns (92.91%), initial introductions (71.63%), and academic performance (58.87%). Positive characteristics of advisors included being respectful, approachable, responsive, understanding of student concerns, and knowledgeable. Advisors were identified as being the most knowledgeable about PA program policies and procedures. Overall, respondents were satisfied with their advising experience, had a good relationship with their advisor, and identified their PA advisor as effective.

Consistent with other graduate-level research, this study demonstrated the value of the advisor-advisee relationship. Physician assistant students reported favorable academic advising experiences with effective PA advisors. Advising, coaching, and mentoring were all features exhibited by effective PA advisors and contributed to positive PA advisor-advisee relationships.