Physician Assistant Students' Perceptions of Academic Advising

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Professions Education

Background:

• Academic advising is integral to student success in graduate health professions programs.
• Understanding physician assistant (PA) students' perceptions of advising is essential for program improvement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate PA students' views on academic advising during their training.
• To identify key characteristics of effective academic advisors.
• To determine factors fostering positive PA advisor-advisee relationships.

Main Methods:

• An anonymous, primarily quantitative survey was electronically distributed to 934 pre-clinical and clinical PA students across nine US programs.
• Data were collected from April to July 2024 and analyzed using descriptive and nonparametric statistics.

Main Results:

• A 15% response rate (144 students) was achieved, with 97.92% reporting assigned advisors.
• Individual, in-person advising sessions were preferred for routine check-ins, introductions, and academic performance discussions.
• Effective advisors were perceived as respectful, approachable, responsive, knowledgeable, and understanding, contributing to overall student satisfaction.

Conclusions:

• The study confirms the significant value of the advisor-advisee relationship in PA education, mirroring findings in other graduate fields.
• PA students reported positive academic advising experiences, highlighting the roles of advising, coaching, and mentoring in effective advisor practices.