The Use of Simulation in Physician Assistant Programs: A National Survey.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to develop a national-level description of the current use of simulation activities in physician assistant (PA) education and to assess the degree to which the use of simulation varies by PA program size and institutional type. METHODS: An electronic survey on medical simulation was sent to 177 PA program directors or to a designated simulation activities coordinator, using the directory on the Physician Assistant Education Association website. The survey addressed program characteristics, types of simulation modalities in use, and frequency of use of those modalities in PA training. The specific content areas addressed were error disclosure, medical knowledge, patient care, and psychomotor skills. RESULTS: The survey was emailed 3 times from early April to mid-May 2014, with a follow-up call to nonrespondents in August 2014. Of the 177 PA programs contacted, 63 completed the survey, for a response rate of 35.6%. Results indicate widespread use of simulation by survey respondents, especially in teaching, assessment of medical knowledge, and clinical skills, with somewhat lower levels of use in content areas such as error disclosure, delivery of bad news, and team training. CONCLUSIONS: Although barriers exist to its use in training health care professionals, simulation has become an important tool for training PAs in a variety of medical and interpersonal skills. It is also clear that simulation is an important tool for conducting interprofessional training. More research is needed to identify optimal approaches to the use of simulation in health care professions training.

Physician assistants in orthopedic practice. A national study.

UNLABELLED: Orthopedics is the third most common specialty practiced by physician assistants (PAs), but little is known at a national level about PAs backgrounds or specific contributions to orthopedic practices. We sought to describe, from a nationally representative sample, the demographic and practice characteristics of PAs working in orthopedics. METHODS: Surveys were sent to 1,200 PAs, identified from American Academy of Physician Assistants data, who reported orthopedics as their specialty between 2005 and 2007. Information was collected on demographic and educational background, PA training, current practice characteristics, clinical activities, and physician supervision. RESULTS: After three mailings, the adjusted response rate was 55.8%. Of respondents, 45% reported working in general orthopedics, and the remainder in orthopedic specialties. A majority (76.5%) completed a 4- to 8-week rotation in orthopedic surgery during PA school, but most did not complete any advanced postgraduate orthopedic training. Orthopedic group practices were the most commonly reported employer type (57.6% of respondents). Respondents performed an average of 59 outpatient visits per week and 16 inpatient visits per week. A large proportion (87.6%) participated in surgery on a regular basis, most often working as first assistants. Many orthopedic generalists and specialists performed a broad range of clinical activities, including ones suggestive of general, rather than close and direct, physician supervision such as closing surgical incisions independently and taking first call. CONCLUSIONS: PAs contribute to orthopedic care in many inpatient and outpatient settings and perform a wide variety of clinical tasks, often with only general supervision and little or no formal postgraduate training. Health workforce planning and the development of appropriate training models for PAs in orthopedics and other medical and surgical specialties require understanding the content of PA specialty practice.