Polansky Maura, Garver Gloria J Hsieh, Wilson Laurie N, Pugh Mary, Hilton Ginny
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA.
J Physician Assist Educ. 2012;23(1):39-45. doi: 10.1097/01367895-201223010-00008.
Physician assistant (PA) postgraduate clinical training programs have existed since 1971. There are anecdotal reports of increasing numbers of programs available in the United States, although a reliable means of identifying and tracking such programs has not been available. The purpose of this study was to describe the current state of postgraduate, clinical educational programs for PAs based on defined criteria for study inclusion and to propose the use of these criteria for use by future investigators to determine trends in program development.
All programs potentially meeting the study criteria for postgraduate PA clinical programs, including programs actively enrolling PAs and that provide didactic and clinical instruction of 6 or more months duration, were contacted to participate in an online survey.
A total of 49 programs (42 nonmilitary) programs were included with 22 nonmilitary programs opening for enrollment in or after 2008. Most programs enrolled one or two PAs annually. All respondents of nonmilitary programs indicated that a certificate of completion was provided and no academic credit or degree was offered. A variety of didactic and clinical instructional methods were used. Most sites also provided clinical rotations for PA students, and many required PA residents to participate in student teaching. Although few programs have been accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA), most programs are pursuing, or plan to apply for, accreditation.
The results of this survey provide an up-to-date report on the status of PA postgraduate clinical training programs. The investigators recommend future studies use the same criteria for inclusion to establish future trends in program development.
医师助理（PA）研究生临床培训项目自1971年起就已存在。有传闻称美国此类项目的数量在增加，尽管一直没有可靠的方法来识别和跟踪这些项目。本研究的目的是根据确定的研究纳入标准描述PA研究生临床教育项目的现状，并建议未来的研究者使用这些标准来确定项目发展趋势。
联系了所有可能符合PA研究生临床项目研究标准的项目，包括正在积极招收PA学员且提供为期6个月或更长时间的理论教学和临床指导的项目，邀请它们参与在线调查。
共纳入49个项目（42个非军事项目），其中22个非军事项目于2008年或之后开始招生。大多数项目每年招收一两名PA学员。所有非军事项目的受访者均表示会提供结业证书，且不授予学术学分或学位。采用了多种理论教学和临床教学方法。大多数机构还为PA学生提供临床轮转机会，许多机构要求PA住院医师参与学生教学。尽管很少有项目获得医师助理教育认证评审委员会（ARC-PA）的认证，但大多数项目正在寻求或计划申请认证。
本次调查结果提供了一份关于PA研究生临床培训项目现状的最新报告。研究者建议未来的研究使用相同的纳入标准来确定项目发展的未来趋势。
