Pipeline to the Physician Assistant Profession: A Look to the Future

Stephane VanderMeulen; Jennifer A Snyder; William Kohlhepp; Lisa Mustone Alexander; Howard Straker; Jonathan Bowser; Mary Jo Bondy

doi:10.1097/JPA.0000000000000414

Pipeline to the Physician Assistant Profession: A Look to the Future

J Physician Assist Educ. 2022 Mar 1;33(1):e1-e10. doi: 10.1097/JPA.0000000000000414.

Authors

Stephane VanderMeulen^{1

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7}, Jennifer A Snyder^{1

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7}, William Kohlhepp^{1

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7}, Lisa Mustone Alexander^{1

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7}, Howard Straker^{1

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7}, Jonathan Bowser^{1

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7}, Mary Jo Bondy^{1

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7}

Affiliations

¹ Stephane VanderMeulen, MPAS, PA-C , is an associate professor and the program director for the Physician Assistant Program, Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha, Nebraska.
² Jennifer A. Snyder, PhD, PA-C , is a professor and associate dean for the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana.
³ William Kohlhepp, DHSc, MHA, PA-C , is a professor emeritus of Physician Assistant Studies at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut.
⁴ Lisa Mustone Alexander, EdD, MPH, PA-C , is a professor and the director of the Physician Associate Programme at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) in Dublin, Ireland .
⁵ Howard Straker, EdD, MPH, PA-C , is an assistant professor and director of the PA/MPH program at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington, DC.
⁶ Jonathan Bowser, MS, PA-C , is an associate dean and the program director for the Child Health Associate/ Physician Assistant Program at the University of Colorado in Aurora, Colorado.
⁷ Mary Jo Bondy, DHEd, MHS, PA-C , is the chief executive officer for the Physician Assistant Education Association in Washington, DC.

PMID: 35170559
DOI: 10.1097/JPA.0000000000000414

Abstract

The current pipeline of physician assistant (PA) school applicants reflects the future workforce of the profession, which is why the admissions process with all its components and variables is so important. Many studies have shown that a workforce that represents the patients it cares for leads to improved health outcomes, especially among underrepresented minority populations. Yet, PA programs have made little progress over the past 2 decades in increasing the diversity of matriculants and graduates. As a profession, it is our collective responsibility to intentionally advance diversity, equity, and inclusion, and examining the admissions process would be the most logical place to start.

MeSH terms

Cultural Diversity
Forecasting
Humans
Minority Groups
Physician Assistants* / education
Workforce