Relevant Research for PA Educators

Are you interested in research that relates to the work of PA educators?

Are you looking for new ideas and ways to do your job more effectively?

Then be sure to pick up a copy of the latest issue of the Journal of Physician Assistant Education, PAEA’s frequently cited scholarly journal. It will be arriving in your mailbox soon — or you can access it online, thanks to our publish ahead-of-print feature.

Here’s a sampling of what you’ll find in the upcoming December 2016 issue:

1. Self-Directed Learning in Physician Assistant Education. This special article advocates for an increased use of self-directed learning portfolios in PA education. Because it is not possible to expose students to everything they need to know during their time in the academic setting, the authors recommend that students take back some of the responsibility for their own learning from the instructor, helping them gain the skills to achieve and maintain professional competence.

2. The Expansion of Physician Assistant Education. PA education programs are now in the middle of a robust growth spurt — the third surge in new programs since the profession was first introduced in the 1960s as an experiment in medical education. This article offers a profile of the characteristics of these new programs and explores implications of the current explosion of PA programs across the country.

3. Health Professions Students’ Attitudes Toward Death and Caring for Dying Patients. When it comes to end-of-life care, what influence on PA students do past experiences and education have? This brief report assesses the attitudes of health professions students about caring for the terminally ill and attempts to identify factors that contribute to more positive attitudes toward providing for this subset of patients.

4. Lessons Learned feature article. Are you familiar with “wave scheduling”? See how this unique scheduling method can take the pain out of precepting and elevate the experience to a much more efficient and effective level.

5. Have you seen our newest feature yet — the book review? In this issue, we review two new publications: When Breath Becomes Air, the heartbreaking but inspiring story of a young neurosurgeon whose life and career are cut short by cancer, and The MEDEX Northwest Physician Assistant Program, which profiles this pioneering program over a span of 45 years, providing a fascinating look at how PA programs have evolved.

And that’s just some of what’s in store for you in the next issue of JPAE. So if you want to stay informed and current, be sure to check out the only journal geared toward PA educators.