Matthew A. McQuillan, DMSc, PA-C, DFAAPA, is a chair of Department of Physician Assistant Studies and Practice and associate professor of School of Health Professions, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey.
Matthew Wright, MS, PA-C, RD, is a lecturer of School of Health Professions, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey.
J Physician Assist Educ. 2024 Jun 1;35(2):129-135. doi: 10.1097/JPA.0000000000000564. Epub 2023 Nov 21.
This study explored the attitudes of physician assistant (PA) students toward the future care of individuals with serious mental illness (SMI). Physician assistant student education offers a unique opportunity to confront and reduce bias toward individuals with SMI. However, no previous literature has documented PA student attitudes toward SMI.
Preclinical students (n = 7) from a single PA program were invited to participate in 2 focus groups exploring attitudes toward the future care of patients with SMI. The focus groups lasted approximately 60 minutes and were conducted by non-PA faculty using a question guide.
Four themes emerged from interviews: perceptions about the population, knowledge of mental health conditions, approach to care, and program curriculum input.
Several themes aligned with the participant's level of training. Participants demonstrated didactic knowledge yet lacked clinical exposure to provide context. Future studies should focus on developing interactive learning techniques to prepare students for patients with SMI.
本研究探讨了医师助理（PA）学生对未来严重精神疾病（SMI）患者护理的态度。PA 学生教育提供了一个独特的机会，可以直面和减少对 SMI 患者的偏见。然而，以前没有文献记录过 PA 学生对 SMI 的态度。
邀请来自一个单一 PA 项目的预科生（n = 7）参加了 2 个焦点小组，探讨他们对未来 SMI 患者护理的态度。焦点小组持续约 60 分钟，由非 PA 教师使用问题指南进行。
访谈中出现了 4 个主题：对人群的看法、对心理健康状况的了解、护理方法和课程大纲投入。
几个主题与参与者的培训水平一致。参与者表现出了理论知识，但缺乏临床经验来提供背景。未来的研究应侧重于开发互动学习技术，为学生提供 SMI 患者的护理做好准备。
