FGRG Awardee Studies Impact of Financial Incentives on Clinical Site Capacity
PAEA is pleased to announce that Gerald Kayingo, PhD, MBA, MMSc, PA-C, the Leslie S. Robinson, MD Endowed Professor, Assistant Dean for Research, and Executive Director of the PA Leadership and Learning Academy (PALLA) at the School of Graduate Studies, University of Maryland Baltimore, has been awarded the 2025-2026 Faculty-Generated Research Grant. The grant funds rigorous, sophisticated research projects that expand the PA literature.
The PAEA Program Report 36 states that more than 65% of PA programs were paying for some or all clinical rotations. In addition, Dr. Kayingo analyzed data from PAEA Program Report 30 and Program Report 36, which indicate that the average cost per student per week for clinical sites increased by about 50%, from $210 in 2015 to $306 in 2021. In response, Dr. Kayingo and his multidisciplinary team are integrating quantitative and qualitative data to investigate the impact of financial incentives in the PA clinical education landscape.
The Effectiveness of Preceptor Financial Incentives in Increasing Clinical Education Capacity: A National Mixed Methods PRECEPT Study will investigate:
- Do financial incentives, including tax credits and direct payments, enhance clinical site capacity and preceptor recruitment?
- How do practicing PAs and clinical education coordinators perceive financial incentive effectiveness and consequences?
- Do state tax credits influence the behavioral intent of clinicians to serve as clinical preceptors?
Given the current state and federal budgetary constraints, the study will provide national empirical data on the use of financial incentives as a policy mechanism to address preceptor shortages and strengthen the health professional clinical training infrastructure in the United States. Findings will provide critical evidence that PA programs can use to advocate for resources to enhance clinical education. Clinical sites are becoming a commodity, PA programs are bidding exorbitant prices to maintain operations, and tuition and student debt are rapidly rising. Interventions such as the PRECEPT study can help develop consensus policy recommendations and best practices for various stakeholders.
Kayingo and his team plan to create a best-practice resource guide on tax credit utilization and publish a policy recommendation paper that will advance clinical education capacity. This grant will serve as seed funding for future larger grant applications to funders such as the National Institutes of Health.
In addition, Dr. Kayingo encourages his PA colleagues to find their research passion, like-minded collaborators, and mentors to pursue their own studies.
PAEA is excited to work with Dr. Kayingo and his team and looks forward to their research findings, which will advance PA education and contribute to the PA literature.
