Research Fellows Introduce Projects and Share Findings at Forum
AAPA-PAEA Research Fellows Marcia Bouton, DMSc, MHPE, PA-C, Quincy Jones MSW, LCSW, MHS, PA-C, and Hayden Middleton, DMSc, PA-C, shared their initial research findings, while our new fellows, Sarah Bolander, DMSc, PA-C, and Katherine Thompson, MCHS, PA-C, introduced their research projects. In addition, PAEA hosted an AAPA-PAEA Research Fellows Luncheon where the current and former fellows networked with each other and other PA researchers.
In her presentation, Evaluation of Mistreatment Risk Among Diverse Physician Assistant Students, Bouton shared findings regarding the impact of sociodemographic variables such as gender, sexual orientation, race, and ethnicity, on risk for mistreatment among PA students. She also evaluated whether regional or PA program variation is an influential factor for risk. PA programs and regions did not have sufficient variability to indicate a need for multilevel modeling. While a third of respondents experienced mistreatment, a third of the respondents to the survey did not answer any questions about mistreatment. The sociodemographic factors were insufficient to predict mistreatment among PA students, but respondents who were not white or male were significantly less likely to answer questions about mistreatment and may have skewed the results regarding incidence among the sociodemographic groups due to partial response bias. Therefore, the data must be interpreted with caution. Bouton’s next step is to conduct qualitative research to learn about mistreatment reporting hesitancy among PA students.
Jones investigated the best practices for delivering sexual and gender minority content in PA education. The study found that most programs provide 1-3 hours of LGBTQ+ content in the didactic curricula, but few programs offer clinical experiences focused on LGBTQ+ health. Teaching more than 3 hours of LGBTQ+ content and having faculty members who are knowledgeable about LGBTQ+ healthcare was associated with the level of student preparedness to care for LGBTQ+ patients.
In his study, Dermoscopy Use Amongst PAs in the United States, Middleton evaluated current dermoscopy practice, dermoscopy education, and the factors that influence its use, including skin lesion evaluation confidence. Middleton found low use of dermoscopy among PAs, but the majority of PAs surveyed are interested in using the tool if they are trained properly. In addition, dermoscopy use led to overall confidence in identifying benign and malignant skin lesions, which could provide greater access to care in rural or other underserved areas. This is especially important as the prognosis of melanoma is directly correlated with the distance traveled by the patient to the diagnosing clinician. However, the study found low confidence in identifying benign and malignant skin lesions in darker skin tones, which demonstrates the need for more BIPOC training in the specialty of dermatology. He is currently working on analyzing PA student data.
Bolander’s project, PA-Specific Doctoral Degrees in Practice: Exploring Demographics and Practice Characteristics Among PAs, investigates the characteristics of individuals most likely to pursue a PA-specific doctoral degree and factors for having a PA-specific doctorate. The study examines whether there are differences in demographics, practice characteristics, and employment trends among PAs with PA-specific doctoral degrees, such as DMS/DMSc and DScPAS/DPA, compared to PAs without doctoral degrees or PAs with other types of doctoral degrees, such as PhD, EdD, and DHSc. The goal is to better understand how the degree may impact PA practice, PA education, and workforce development, with the potential to also gain insights into motivating factors for PAs to pursue PA-specific doctorates in clinical and non-clinical roles.
Thompson’s project, Trauma-Informed Care Training and Impact on Employee Wellness Scores, examines the impact of a trauma-informed system on workplace wellness, employee retention, and employee connectivity. Every employee at Snoqualmie Valley Hospital CARES Collaborative (SVH CARES) will be enrolled in a two-part educational series, covering the idea of trauma-informed practice and workplaces and providing them with individualized opportunities to practice trauma-informed care. During a pilot study, Thompson found that participants responded positively to the training but did not identify with the term trauma-informed care. Therefore, a multidisciplinary task force was created to conduct the training module which is rebranded SVH CARES.
PAEA is proud of the fellows’ research and is excited to see how they advance PA education and the profession. If you are interested in learning more about the fellows or this program, please visit the AAPA-PAEA Research Fellowship web page.
