Assessing PA Student Interest in Hospice and Palliative Medicine

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Palliative Care
• Physician Associate Studies

Background:

• Hospice and Palliative Medicine (HPM) is a growing medical field.
• Physician Associates (PAs) are currently underrepresented in HPM.
• The Physician Associates in Hospice and Palliative Medicine (PAHPM) organization aims to support PAs in this specialty.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate Physician Associate student interest in HPM.
• To identify barriers hindering PA student involvement with PAHPM.
• To explore strategies for increasing PA student engagement with HPM and PAHPM.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional online survey was administered to Physician Associate students.
• The survey was pre-tested by subject matter experts for validity.
• Distribution occurred via PAHPM's email and social media channels.

Main Results:

• Lack of awareness (75.8%) emerged as the primary barrier to student involvement with PAHPM.
• Students expressed significant interest in HPM educational resources (63.6%), job opportunities (57.6%), and mentorship (51.5%).
• A majority of respondents (81.8%) were not following PAHPM on social media, but 72.7% were open to following an Instagram account.

Conclusions:

• Enhancing PAHPM's visibility through strategic marketing and social media engagement is recommended to foster student interest.
• Targeted outreach may increase student awareness and involvement in HPM.
• Further research is necessary to confirm if these engagement strategies contribute to long-term growth of the HPM workforce.