The Academic Fellowship in Physician Assistant Education.

The rapid growth of the physician assistant (PA) profession has required PA programs to increase their efforts in the recruitment and retention of experienced faculty. One approach was the establishment of the academic fellowship concept in 1998. Since then, 5 PA programs have designed fellowships, 3 of which were implemented and graduated fellows. To institute and develop an academic fellowship takes time, resources, and buy-in from faculty and students. The structure of the curricula within the fellowships has been similar since 1998 and includes faculty development opportunities, lecture development and delivery, student assessment, small group facilitation, interprofessional education, and committee work. Most fellowship-trained educators have entered faculty positions after completion of their fellowship. They appear to use sound educational strategies in their teaching and are successful in their scholarly productivity. Academic fellowships are just one route in the transition to PA education, and while they may require a significant investment from the sponsoring institution and program, they can provide a unique opportunity for PAs to immerse themselves in the faculty experience before the full commitment to a career change.

Interprofessional objective structured clinical examination with physician assistant and pharmacy students - A qualitative and quantitative study.

BACKGROUND: To assess the impact of an interprofessional objective structured clinical examination (iOSCE) on attitudes/perceptions regarding interprofessional practice (IPP) and to determine if patient (simulated) outcomes improved with interprofessional collaboration (pharmacy and physician assistant (PA) students). INTERPROFESSIONAL EDUCATION ACTIVITY: A team of interprofessional faculty designed an iOSCE case and grading checklist containing key interventions. Students individually reviewed the case and were asked to document potential changes to the admission orders. Then they were given the opportunity to collaborate in an interprofessional team to discuss the case and orders. Finally, the team presented their recommendations to an interprofessional faculty panel. Individual and team scores were compared to determine the impact of interprofessional collaboration. The Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) questionnaire was administered pre- and post-iOSCE to assess changes in opinions about interprofessional learning. DISCUSSION: Individual and team iOSCE scores for 187 students were evaluated (86 PA and 101 pharmacy). A 21% absolute increase in the number of key interventions was found when comparing average individual scores to average team scores (2.11/5 vs. 3.18/5, p < 0.001). While in aggregate the students had a positive attitude towards IPE pre-iOSCE, RIPLS responses were strengthened post-iOSCE. IMPLICATIONS: Through iOSCEs, it appears students can learn from and with one another to improve patient care and gain perspective on the roles/skills of interprofessional colleagues.