An analysis of the selection criteria for postgraduate physician assistant residency and fellowship programs in the United States

Abstract

Background This study aims to investigate the admission criteria used by physician assistant postgraduate education programs in selecting licensed PA applicants for postgraduate training in the United States. To our knowledge, there have been no previously published reports on selection criteria and/or other factors influencing postgraduate PA admission decisions. Method A non-experimental, descriptive research study was designed to obtain information from members of the Association of Postgraduate Physician Assistant Programs (APPAP). Results Twenty-three out of 73 postgraduate programs (35%) responded to the survey. The study reported that applicant PAs and NPs are largely selected on the basis of several factors. The most heavily weighted factor is the interview itself; other selection criteria perceived to be extremely/very important included board certification/eligibility, letters of recommendation, advanced degree, and personal essay. Survey data suggest that publications, undergraduate transcripts, and class rankings are not considered to be of high importance in applicant selection. The number of PA applicants applying to each postgraduate training program averages around 26 and total number of enrollees is about 3.6 per program. Additionally, some programs reported furloughing of trainees (temporary suspension of didactic and clinical training) during the pandemic, whereas the vast majority of postgraduate PA programs remained operational and some even experienced an increase in application volume. The total cost of training a PA resident or fellow in postgraduate programs is currently $93,000 whereas the average cost of training a categorical physician resident is estimated at $150,000 per year when considering both salary and benefits. Conclusions This novel study examined criteria and other factors used by postgraduate PA programs in selecting candidates for admission. Results can be used by postgraduate programs to improve or modify current selection criteria to enhance the quality of trainee selection. Further research is needed to examine correlations between applicant attributes, selection criteria, and trainee success in completing postgraduate training.

Optimal Use of Advanced Practice Providers at an Academic Medical Center: A First-Year Retrospective Review

“…PAs are trained as generalists in the medical model while NPs are trained based on a specific population foci. Postgraduate training options in the form of residencies or fellowships exist but are not a requirement for PA and NP entry-level practice or state licensure [ 3 , 4 ]. PAs and NPs clinically practice in various areas of medicine and are integral to a highly effective team-based care model.…”

A survey of implicit bias training in physician assistant and nurse practitioner postgraduate fellowship/residency programs

“…Additionally, some academic health systems have adopted PA and joint PA/NP fellowship/residency training programs to bolster recruitment and retention strategies of qualified career staff [27]. In the last few years, there has also been a consistent trend towards increased growth of research in the field of postgraduate PA and NP training [27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34], though a dearth of published studies investigating diversity efforts in these programs remains.…”

An Evaluation of the Postgraduate Physician Assistant/Associate and Nurse Practitioner Orthopedic Surgery Fellowship and Residency Websites in the United States

“…For example, Hart and Bowen surveyed several hundred licensed NPs and reported that 90% of them felt either “well prepared” or “somewhat prepared” for practice upon completion of their NP program and expressed interest in transition-to-practice opportunities through a formalized training program such as a residency [ 9 ]. Although, there are several descriptive cross-sectional studies describing programmatic functions and educational characteristics of PA and NP postgraduate fellowship/residency programs [ 7 , 10 - 13 ], the effect of PA and NP formalized specialty training on patient outcomes is unknown. Notwithstanding the fact that PA postgraduate residency/fellowship training has been around for nearly 50 years and NP residency training for almost two decades, some prospective applicants may be unaware of how to obtain information about these specialty training opportunities.…”

“…Currently, there is no national resident matching program or centralized application-processing service available to licensed PAs and NPs interested in pursuing postgraduate residency/fellowship training [ 10 ]. Therefore, prospective orthopedic surgery PA and NP applicants often use the internet as a source of information when researching and applying for these specialty training programs.…”