Barriers to Student Mentorship Pathways Within Physician Assistant/Associate Training Programs: A National Survey.

Area of Science:

• Health Professions Education
• Medical Education Research
• Mentorship Programs

Background:

• Mentorship is crucial for professional growth in healthcare.
• Barriers like time constraints and lack of mentors impede effective mentorship.
• Identifying these barriers is essential for optimizing student development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and analyze key barriers to implementing and maintaining student mentoring pathways in physician assistant (PA) programs.

Main Methods:

• An internet-based questionnaire surveyed 332 PA programs.
• Survey items focused on formal and informal mentoring pathways.
• Respondents ranked potential barriers to mentoring pathway implementation and maintenance.

Main Results:

• The response rate was 29.8% (96 out of 322 programs).
• Primary barriers included faculty time constraints, difficulty securing mentors, and undefined mentoring roles.
• Barriers to maintaining mentoring pathways mirrored those for implementation.

Conclusions:

• Lack of faculty time and inadequate program support are the most significant barriers.
• Addressing these barriers is critical for successful PA student mentoring.
• Improving mentoring pathways enhances professional development in PA education.