Does Remote and/or Virtual Learning Prepare First-Year Physician Assistant Students for Clinical Rotations as Effectively as In-Person Learning?

PURPOSE: The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has profoundly affected many lives, and the aftermath is still uncertain. Many aspects of life have been affected, including physician assistant (PA) education. The collective efforts of students and faculty, perseverance, and optimism have allowed the uninterrupted preparation of the next generation of PAs. The objective of this study was to understand PA students' perceptions of the effectiveness of remote and/or virtual learning in preparing PA students for clinical rotations. METHODS: This pilot study was a mixed-methods survey with quantitative and qualitative data involving 3 accredited PA programs in the United States. Statistics were analyzed using SAS 9.4. RESULTS: Ninety-four individuals responded to the survey with a response rate of 46.8%. Response distributions, standard deviations, and means were calculated. Likert scale response means for each survey item were used to estimate the overall perspective of the participants. CONCLUSION: Most participants highlighted the advantages of flexibility and an opportunity to balance school and family life, but the participants did not favor remote and/or virtual learning platforms for effectively preparing students for their clinical phase. More research on a larger scale is warranted. Including students' hands-on skills performance measures in addition to perceptions could provide objective evidence for the efficacy of remote and/or virtual learning in preparing students for clinical rotations.

Innovative Approach for Teaching Physician Assistant Students About Social Determinants of Health and Empowering Action.

ABSTRACT: Social determinants, the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age, play a crucial role in the health of individuals. The University of South Dakota Physician Assistant Studies Program uses a multimodal approach to teaching social determinants of health (SDOH) to students. The SDOH learning session consists of assigned presession reading, a didactic presentation introducing SDOH and their impact, and a table-top activity that simulates how SDOH affect individuals. During the table-top activity a list of community resources is available to help students locate services for the game characters when other resources have been depleted. Prior to entering clinical rotations, students will briefly review SDOH identification and connection to services during a training session for patient encounter logging. A check for implementation of learning will occur during the clinical phase by reviewing students' patient encounter logs for the presence of SDOH-related diagnoses and CPT codes. Although screening to identify SDOH and assisting patients through connecting them to services is not standard in all healthcare systems, PA students with the knowledge and tools can be prepared to provide this component of care to their patients.