The Physician Assistant Profession and Military Veterans

Abstract

The physician assistant (PA) profession originated to train former medics and corpsmen for a new civilian health care career. However, baccalaureate degree prerequisites to training present barriers to discharged personnel seeking to enter this profession. A survey was administered (2006-2007) to all MEDEX Northwest PA program graduates who had entered with military experience. The survey addressed attitudes toward the profession, PA education, and practice and how military experience influenced their education and careers. The response rate was 46.4%, spanning all branches of the military. Respondents reported military experience positively impacting ability to handle stress and work in health care teams and that patients and colleagues viewed their military background positively. Most (75.5%) respondents did not hold a bachelor's degree at matriculation. Veterans bring substantial health care training to the PA profession. However, program prerequisites increasingly present barriers to entry. Veterans' contributions to health care and the consequences of losing this resource are discussed.

Physician Assistant Program Outreach to Military Service Members as Potential Applicants

“…5,14 Over the past 5 years, veterans have made up 23.3% of the MEDEX graduating classes, a figure that has remained consistent, even as the program recently expanded the class size. In addition to the medical skills attained in the service, nonclinical assets that veterans believe they can offer include teamwork, leadership skills, discipline, ability to prioritize, creativity, and the ability to handle stress.…”

“…1,2 At the University of Washington MEDEX program, Dr Richard Smith, the MEDEX founder, viewed this strategy partly in terms of the nation's responsibility to provide meaningful career pathways for those who had served our country but whose military medical experience did not translate directly into civilian health professions. 5,6 In recent years, the country again has witnessed the return of large numbers of medics and corpsmen who have seen combat, and again these veterans face challenges in translating their experience into civilian health careers. Over the subsequent decades, the proportion of veterans among the PA workforce declined.…”

“…5,14 The group sought to address how PA programs could more effectively deliver the message that PA education is an attainable option for military medical personnel and that programs will recognize and use their previous experience. In keeping with previous reports of challenges that veterans face in applying to PA programs, work group participants identified a need for access to information.…”

Veterans as physician assistants

“…The net result is they tend to be older and have more experience in healthcare and nonhealthcare-related work. 8 We compared all veteran applicants to a randomly selected nonveteran subgroup stratifi ed by sex and age (under age 30 years, ages 30 to 40 years, and over age 40 years). Key demographic variables were compared between respondents and nonrespondents based on the nationally available CASPA data.…”

“…5 Veterans have established roots in the profession and provide care in a wide range of settings but also have faced challenges as the profession has evolved. 8 Declining bachelor's and certifi cate options, coupled with increasingly rigorous academic requirements, limit veteran access. PA programs also continue to struggle when seeking to equate military experience and training to civilian coursework.…”