Surveying potential sites for a rural decentralized allied health education program

Allied health education programs which are decentralized into medically underserved communities increase the likelihood that graduates will practice within these regions. However, assessing potential sites for decentralized allied health education programs is often done haphazardly, if at all. The University of Kentucky Physician Assistant Program obtained grant funds to develop and administer a survey to assess potential sites for establishing a rural baccalaureate-level physician assistant (PA) program. This article describes the written survey, how it was administered, and the preliminary survey results. The survey assessed academic, medical, and community resources and commitment to support a decentralized program. The survey instrument and assessment procedure were useful for evaluating, ranking, and comparing the sites. Although the survey was designed to meet PA education and training needs, components of the survey are applicable to any allied health education program wishing to evaluate potential sites for didactic and clinical training of students.