Maura N. Polansky is an associate professor in the PA program at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Debra Herrmann is an Assistant Professor, Department of Physician Assistant Studies at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. In the Department of Educational Development and Research and School of Health Professions Education at Maastricht University in Maastricht, the Netherlands, D.H.J.M. Dolmans is a professor, and Marjan Govaerts is an associate professor. Ulrich Koch is an assistant professor in the Department of Clinical Research and Leadership at George Washington University. Jeffrey Berger is a professor in the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine at George Washington University. R.E. Stalmeijer is an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Development and Research and School of Health Professions Education at Maastricht University. The authors have disclosed no potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise.
JAAPA. 2021 May 1;34(5):42-50. doi: 10.1097/01.JAA.0000742972.71042.72.
Developing competencies for interprofessional collaboration, including understanding other professionals' roles on interprofessional teams, is an essential component of medical education. This study explored resident physicians' perceptions of the clinical roles and responsibilities of physician assistants (PAs) and NPs in the clinical learning environment.
Using a constructivist grounded theory approach, semistructured interviews were conducted with 15 residents in one academic setting. Transcripts were analyzed using an iterative approach to inductive coding.
Participants typically perceived PAs' and NPs' roles as being "like a resident," less commonly as independent clinicians, and rarely as collaborators. Barriers to understanding PA and NP roles and perceiving them as collaborators included the lack of preparatory instruction about PAs and NPs, the hierarchical structure of medical education, and inadequate role modeling of interprofessional collaboration.
This study suggests that barriers in the clinical learning environment and the structure of medical education itself may impede residents' learning about PAs and NPs and how to collaborate with them.
培养跨专业协作能力，包括理解其他专业人员在跨专业团队中的角色，是医学教育的重要组成部分。本研究探讨了住院医师对临床学习环境中医师助理（PA）和执业护士（NP）的临床角色和职责的看法。
在一个学术环境中，采用建构主义扎根理论方法，对 15 名住院医师进行了半结构化访谈。使用迭代方法对转录本进行了归纳编码分析。
参与者通常认为 PA 和 NP 的角色“像住院医师”，较少认为他们是独立的临床医生，很少认为他们是合作者。理解 PA 和 NP 角色并将其视为合作者的障碍包括缺乏关于 PA 和 NP 的预备性指导、医学教育的层级结构以及缺乏跨专业合作的角色模型。
本研究表明，临床学习环境中的障碍和医学教育本身的结构可能会阻碍住院医师了解 PA 和 NP 以及与他们合作的方式。
