COVID-19 Rapid Response Report 3 Released
PAEA is pleased to release the third in our series of Rapid Response Reports. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic arrived and affected virtually every aspect of PA education. In an effort to help programs quickly adapt, PAEA released a series of COVID-19 Impact Surveys to collect timely data on how PA programs had been impacted and were responding to these new circumstances. The Rapid Response Reports tell a nearly real-time story of programs’ pandemic experiences and have proven to be very helpful to programs looking for data and ideas as they adapt to the changing reality of PA education.
COVID-19 Rapid Response Report 3 provides insight into timely new topics such as how programs are handling vaccine distribution, increased student remediation needs, and impacts on admissions and interviewing.
Here are a few key points we learned:
- The vast majority (90.0%) of programs report that vaccines are available for clinical students
- Nearly a third of programs (32.1%) are newly offering telemedicine curriculum in the didactic year as a result of COVID, and an additional 37.0% are planning to do so
- Most programs that suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infections among faculty, staff, or students were able to move forward with no or minimal disruption
- Most programs (86.4%) have eliminated in-person interviews and transitioned to a virtual format
Read the report in our Digital Learning Hub.
COVID-19 Rapid Response Report Series
We hope that PAEA’s Rapid Response Reports serve as a source of new and welcome ideas as your program evolves to meet the challenges of this highly dynamic crisis. With the trajectory of the pandemic constantly changing, these reports are designed to support programs in their operational decision-making.
Learn more about the first two COVID-19 Rapid Response Reports below and access all the COVID-19 Rapid Response Reports here.
Rapid Response Report 1
Due to programs’ pressing need for data to help inform their operational changes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, PAEA suspended the 2020 Program and Curriculum Surveys and instead worked with our Research Mission Advancement Commission to develop and release the COVID-19 Rapid Response Report series. The first COVID-19 Impact Survey, which was open from April 14 to May 10, 2020, focused on topics such as temporary changes to normal operations, finances, changes to clinical experiences, student safety measures, and curriculum delivery.
Read the report here.
Rapid Response Report 2
Responses to the second installment of the COVID-19 Impact Survey series were collected from June 30 to July 26, 2020. In general, the second survey focused less on the immediate impacts of the pandemic and more on programs’ strategies for successfully moving forward with educating future PAs at a high level of excellence. The resulting report focuses on topics such as student participation in telemedicine, well-being and burnout support for faculty, staff, and students, and positive impacts of COVID-19 on future curricula.
Read the report here.
PAEA Research Data, Funding, and Support
Producing high-quality scholarly work is integral to the advancement of PA education and the PA field as a whole. The PAEA Research Team is dedicated to learning more about the issues facing PA education and the profession, supporting PA programs and decision-makers with the best data, and empowering PA researchers.
PAEA invites members to apply for research grant funding and other opportunities targeted at supporting the capacity of PA education and workforce researchers. In addition, PAEA conducts several annual research initiatives and surveys of member programs, faculty, and students. Data and custom reports are available to members for use in benchmarking, self-studies, and research.
Find timely and relevant research resources in the Member Community, and learn more about PAEA Research data, funding, and support here.
