Barriers to Research: A National Survey of Physician Assistant Faculty

Abstract

IntroductionSuccess in research is a well-known challenge for physician assistant (PA) educators. Multiple barriers to research productivity have been proposed. This study examines potential barriers to PA research productivity.MethodsTwo hundred forty-seven PA programs were stratified by region and Carnegie classification, creating 28 strata. One program was randomly sampled from each stratum, and faculty from sampled programs were invited to participate (N = 214). An electronic survey was deployed via Qualtrics. Data were analyzed, accounting for the stratified survey sample design. Reported are proportions with associated 95% confidence intervals.ResultsSurvey response rate was 53% (N = 114). The mean age was 46.7 years [44.5, 48.8 years] and 61% [52.4, 70.4] of respondents were female. Most respondents (53.5%; [44.2, 62.8]) were assistant professors and reported being employed as PA faculty for a mean of 12.4 years [11.2, 13.7 years]. Most respondents (68.1%; [59.7, 76.6]) reported 0 peer-reviewed research articles regardless of number of years as faculty. Few reported an interest in research (22.3%; [14.3, 29.9]) or felt internally driven to perform research (35.4%; [26.6, 44.2]). Most pursued a faculty position to teach (78.1%; [70.5, 85.7]) and spent little time pursuing research. Only 15.8% ([9.7, 21.9]) received research mentorship.DiscussionThis study identified lack of interest in research by faculty and lack of mentorship engagement as important factors underlying the profession’s poor scholarly output. Initiatives to increase scholarship must first focus on fostering individual interest and increasing motivation.

Physician Assistant Gender Differences in Research, Professional Goals, and Perceptions of Support

“…This project received exempt status from the local institutional review board and is a subset analysis of a previously published cross-sectional study. 4…”

“…Multiple barriers to PA research productivity have been suggested 2,3 ; a recent study found that lack of interest and lack of engagement with mentors by PA educators were underreported barriers. 4 Gender disparities in advancement in rank, representation in leadership, and salary are well-researched in other professions, [5][6][7] but nascent in the PA profession. 8,9 Gender differences in scholarly output exist in other professions, 6,[10][11][12] but are less wellunderstood in the PA profession.…”

“…8,9 Gender differences in scholarly output exist in other professions, 6,[10][11][12] but are less wellunderstood in the PA profession. 2,4,13 The reasons for gender differences are complicated and multifactorial. Even when studies of other professions control for factors such as academic degree, rank, and years as faculty, gender differences in the number of publications persist.…”

“…8 The majority of the PA profession are women yet a greater proportion of men rise to senior positions and publish more. 2,4 The profession must work to understand the behaviors and attitudes underlying productivity differences if it is to develop educators who can compete in academia and beyond.…”

“…Multiple barriers to PA research productivity have been suggested 2,3 ; a recent study found that lack of interest and lack of engagement with mentors by PA educators were underreported barriers. 4…”