Perceived efficacy and utility of postgraduate physician assistant training programs

Will, Kristen K.; Williams, Jennifer S.; Hilton, Ginny; Wilson, L; Geyer, Holly

doi:10.1097/01.jaa.0000480569.39885.c8

Cited by 22 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…27 APPs who have completed fellowships feel more confident and able to succeed in their field. 28 To this point, in one survey of hospitalist PAs, almost all reported that they would have been interested in completing a fellowship, even it meant a lower initial salary. 29 Despite having the same general goals and using similar national resources, our study reveals that APP fellows are trained and assessed very differently between programs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Current State of Advanced Practice Provider Fellowships in Hospital Medicine: A Survey of Program Directors

Klimpl

Tackett

Cardin³

et al. 2019

J Hosp Med

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BACKGROUND Postgraduate training for advanced practice providers (APPs) is a growing field in hospital medicine. As hospital programs continue to benefit from highly trained physician assistants (PAs) and nurse practitioners (NPs), fellowship programs have become more prevalent. However, little is known about the number of active programs or how they prepare trainees. OBJECTIVES To describe the existing APP fellowships in hospital medicine, with a focus on program characteristics, rationale, curricula, and learner assessment. METHODS An electronic survey was distributed by e‐mail to hospital medicine program directors in May 2018. The survey consisted of 25 multiple choice and short answer questions. Descriptive statistics were calculated utilizing Stata 13 for data analysis. RESULTS Of the 11 fellowships identified, 10 (91%) of directors responded to the survey. Eighty percent of programs accept both NPs and PAs and 80% are between 12 and 13 months long. All programs cite “training and retaining” as the main driver for their creation and 90% were founded in institutions with existing physician residencies. Ninety percent of program curricula are informed by Society of Hospital Medicine resources. Despite these similarities, there was wide variation in both curricular content and APP fellow assessment. CONCLUSION APP fellowships in hospital medicine are quickly growing as a means to train and retain nonphysician hospitalists. While most programs accept similar types of applicants and share a common rationale for program development, there is little standardization in terms of curriculum or assessment. Further research may be valuable to characterize the best practices to guide the future of these fellowships.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Current State of Advanced Practice Provider Fellowships in Hospital Medicine: A Survey of Program Directors

Klimpl

Tackett

Cardin³

et al. 2019

J Hosp Med

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show abstract

“…Adding another trainee at the margin appears to require little more in the human resource office or in department commitment [ 6 ]. From the student’s viewpoint, additional education with supportive mentors provides more confidence that the graduate will be gainfully employed with a marketable skill set [ 15 ]. The economist views additional education as an opportunity cost [ 16 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A National Survey of postgraduate physician assistant fellowship and residency programs

2021

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Introduction The development of postgraduate programs for physician assistants (PAs) began in 1973 and by 2020 there were approximately 72 programs spread across a broad range of medical and surgical disciplines. PA Post-graduate education programs are voluntary and available to American licensed PAs. Therefore, an assessment of the characteristics of PA post-graduate fellowships and residencies programs was initiated. Method A non-experimental, descriptive research study was designed to obtain information on the characteristics of PA postgraduate education programs in the US. The source of information was from surveyed members of the Association of Postgraduate Physician Assistant Programs (APPAP). Questions were drawn from consensus discussions. Directors of postgraduate programs that were operational in 2020 were eligible to participate. Results Seventy-two postgraduate program directors were invited to the survey and 34 program directors replied. These programs are geographically distributed across the US in 13 states. The respondents represent a wide range of medicine: surgery, emergency medicine, critical care, orthopaedics, hospitalist, psychiatry, oncology, primary care, pediatrics, and cardiology. Most programs are associated with an academic medical center and some institutions have more than one postgraduate specialty track. The curriculum includes bedside teaching, lectures, mentorship, assigned reading, procedures, simulation, and conferences. An average program length is 12 months and awards a certificate. Stipends for PA fellows are $50,000–80,000 (2020 dollars) and benefits include paid time off, health and liability insurance. About half of the programs bill for the services rendered by the PA. Over 90% of graduates are employed within 2 months of completing a PA postgraduate training program. Conclusion A trend is underway in American medicine to include PAs in postgraduate education. PA postgraduate training occurs across a broad spectrum of medical and surgical areas, as well as diverse institutions and organizations overseeing these programs. Most PA postgraduate programs are in teaching hospitals where the PA resident or PA fellow also serves as a house officer alongside a categorical resident. This study sets the stage for more granular economic and social research on this growing phenomenon in American medicine.

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“…Adding another trainee appears to require little more in the human resource o ce or in department commitment (10). From the student's viewpoint, additional education with supportive mentors provides more con dence to be gainfully employed with a marketable skill set (11). The economist views additional education as an opportunity cost (12).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characteristics of Postgraduate Physician Assistant Residency/fellowship Programs: A National Survey

Kidd

Vanderlinden

Hooker

2021

Preprint

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Introduction: The development of postgraduate programs for physician assistants (PAs) began in 1973 and by 2020 there were approximately 100 programs spread across a broad range of medical and surgical disciplines. An assessment of these programs was undertaken. Method: A non-experimental, descriptive research study was designed to obtain information on the characteristics of PA postgraduate education programs in the US. The source of information was from surveyed members of the Association of Postgraduate Physician Assistant Programs. Questions were drawn from consensus discussions. Programs that were operational in 2020 were eligible to participate. Results: Seventy-two programs were invited to the survey and 34 replied. They are geographically distributed across the US in 13 states. The respondents represent a wide range of medicine: surgery, emergency medicine, critical care, orthopaedics, hospitalist, psychiatry, oncology, primary care, pediatrics, and cardiology. Most programs are associated with an academic medical center. The curriculum includes bedside teaching, lectures, mentorship, assigned reading, procedures, simulation, and conferences. The PA fellow serves as house officer alongside physician residents and fellows. An average program length is 12 months and awards a certificate. Stipends for PA fellows are $50,000-80,000 (2020 dollars) and benefits include paid time off, health and liability insurance. About half of the programs bill for the services rendered by the PA. Over 90% of graduates are employed within two months of fellowship completion. Conclusion: A trend is underway in American medicine to include PAs in postgraduate education. PA fellowships occur across a broad spectrum of medical and surgical areas, as well as diverse institutions and organizations overseeing the programs. Most are in academic medical centers or teaching hospitals. This study expands information on PA fellowships and their operation.

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Perceived efficacy and utility of postgraduate physician assistant training programs

Abstract: Completion of a postgraduate PA program is an alternative to on-the-job training. Graduates perceived that the benefits from these programs include increased competitiveness in the job market, decreased onboarding time, and overall enhancement of their professional careers.

Cited by 22 publications

References 4 publications

The Current State of Advanced Practice Provider Fellowships in Hospital Medicine: A Survey of Program Directors

The Current State of Advanced Practice Provider Fellowships in Hospital Medicine: A Survey of Program Directors

A National Survey of postgraduate physician assistant fellowship and residency programs

Characteristics of Postgraduate Physician Assistant Residency/fellowship Programs: A National Survey

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