Incorporation of the competencies for the Physician Assistant Profession into Physician Assistant Education

Alison C. Essary, James Stoehr

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

The Competencies for the Physician Assistant Profession (Competencies) were developed and disseminated in 2006 by the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA), the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA), the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA), and the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA). They are based on the competencies endorsed by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). This NCCPA Foundation-funded project describes (1) the integration of the Competencies within PA education, (2) obstacles to incorporating the Competencies, and (3) methods used to assess students based on the Competencies. A survey was developed based on a document developed by ARC-PA: "Comparison of ARC-PA Accreditation Standards for Physician Assistant Education, 3rd edition (2006), to the Competencies for the Physician Assistant Profession (2005)." The majority of program respondents (97.1%) reported being familiar with the Competencies and most programs (84.5%) are currently incorporating, or have successfully incorporated, the Competencies into their curricula. The two most frequent obstacles to incorporating the Competencies were reported as limited or lack of time, and difficulty identifying successful methods of assessment. Multiple-choice testing and the clinical preceptor's evaluation of the student were the two most common methods used to assess the Competencies. These baseline data may help identify common obstacles and new challenges faced by PA programs, as well as provide representative organizations with information needed to help PA programs incorporate the Competencies into their curricula.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)6-14
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of Physician Assistant Education
Volume20
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 2009
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Education
  • Medical Assisting and Transcription

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