An Exploration into the Physician Assistant Entry-Level Doctoral Degree: Lessons Learned From Across Health Professions

Gordes, Karen L.; Fleming, Shani; Kulo, Violet; Cawley, James F.; Kibe, Lucy W.; Kayingo, Gerald

doi:10.1097/jpa.0000000000000411

Cited by 3 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Those themes and concepts were evaluated for content validity and consistency by research team members, and any discrepancy was discussed until consensus was reached. Overarching themes included degree evolution, political and regulatory factors that promoted transition, and the impact of the transition on faculty, students, profession, and education curricula changes [ 6 ]. Key concepts within the overarching themes of perceived benefits and risks prior to their transition as well as the impact after their transition identified from literature review were used to generate the questionnaires for both the quantitative survey and qualitative interviews.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The perceptions of an entry-level PA doctoral degree scale (PEDDS) were developed for the use of a cross-sectional survey. It was based primarily on the empirically derived set of constructs identified in prior research [ 2 , 6 ], which would capture the breadth of the potential impact of the doctoral transitions in health professions. The themes for PEDDS include the benefits and risk, the impact on the PA profession/PA educator/clinical training sites/scope of practice, outcomes, and expected impact to students’ preparedness/competency/curriculum/prerequisites.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Entry-level clinical doctorates have been adopted in the fields of pharmacy, physical therapy, and advanced practice nursing [3][4][5]. To date, a master's degree is considered the terminal degree and the minimum entry-level qualification in the physician assistant/associate (PA) profession, but there has been ongoing debate regarding an entry-level doctoral degree for PAs since mid-90's [6,7]. In 2009, a formal PA Doctoral Summit was convened by national PA organizations (i.e., American Academy of PAs [AAPA], Physician Assistant Education Association [PAEA]) to discuss the future of doctoral education for PAs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As the health care milieu continues to change, the quest for doctoral education for PAs has continued at various levels. As of 2022, about 11 institutions have established post-professional programs such as the Doctor of Medical Science [6,7,12,16,17]. However, the value, risks, and benefits are still subject to discussion, and the PA entry-level doctoral credential debate continues.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Developing and evaluating an instrument to assess perceptions of an entry-level physician associate doctoral degree

et al. 2022

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Background Most health professions in the United States have adopted clinical or practice doctorates, sparking an ongoing debate on whether physician assistants/associates (PAs) should transition from a master’s to a doctorate as the terminal degree for the profession. Although more studies are anticipated, there is no validated instrument assessing perceptions of various stakeholders regarding an entry-level PA doctoral degree. The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate a novel self-report measure to assess perceptions of an entry-level PA doctoral degree. Methods A multifaceted, mixed-methods approach was adopted. Based on a comprehensive literature review of the doctoral transition experiences in other health professions, an initial version of perceptions of an entry-level terminal PA doctoral degree scale (PEDDS) was generated. This scale was pilot tested with a group of PA faculty, students, and clinicians. Then, a cross-sectional survey consisting of 67 items was conducted with a national random sample of practicing PAs and PA students. Additionally, semi-structured interviews were conducted to ensure the validity of PEDDS. A principal component analysis (PCA) was conducted to reduce the number of items and reveal the underlying structure of PEDDS. Results The PCA confirmed 10 factors of PEDDS consisting of 53 items as the best-fit factor structure with adequate internal consistency of subscales. Those factors include a) expected positive impact on the PA profession, b) expected impact on prerequisites, (c) expected impact on the student preparedness as PA faculty and educators, (d) expected impact on the student preparedness as clinicians, (e) expected impact on accreditation and certification, (f) expected impact on curriculum, (g) expected impact on PA educators, (h) expected positive impact on diversity, (i) expected negative impact on the PA profession, and (j) expected impact on the student competency. Conclusions The present study highlights the need to develop valid and reliable measurements to assess perceptions regarding the transition to the entry-level doctorate across health professions. This study could be used to guide further discussion of the entry-level doctorates for PAs and other health professions by bridging the gap of existing literature related to valid, reliable, and standardized measures on this topic.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Developing and evaluating an instrument to assess perceptions of an entry-level physician associate doctoral degree

et al. 2022

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“…For those who support an entry-level PA doctorate, the anticipated benefits are in the areas of professional development, clinical competency, scope of practice, autonomy, leadership, and research 5. Findings from these studies suggest that an entry-level PA doctoral credential might improve parity with other healthcare professions and provide some amount of competitive advantage, but no significant benefits were perceived in improving scope of practice or patient outcomes 3…”

Section: A Profession Dividedmentioning

confidence: 97%

Whither the PA doctorate?

Cawley¹,

Kayingo²,

Kulo³

2023

Jaapa

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New perspectives have been brought to bear in the discussion of the topic of the physician associate/assistant (PA) doctoral degree in general and the entry-level PA doctorate in particular. Both the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA) and the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) have sought and supported formal research investigations into the question. Evidence from studies shows that perceived benefits and risks are strongly influenced by the lens of the various stakeholders; that most PAs believe that the master's degree is enough for clinical practice; and that most clinical PAs and PA students are not in favor of an entry-level doctorate. Lessons learned from other healthcare professions that have transitioned to a clinical doctorate only marginally serve as a model for the PA profession. PA organizations need to fully own and embrace the task of leading the discussion and reaching a definitive conclusion in the determination of PA doctoral education. Failure of the PA profession to act decisively on the doctoral degree question would essentially default this decision to colleges and universities, which tend to have a vested economic interest in new types of degrees.

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Physician Assistants/Associates With Doctoral Degrees: Where Are They Now?

Klein,

Kayingo,

Schrode

et al. 2023

J Physician Assist Educ

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Purpose The impact of holding a doctoral credential by clinically practicing physician assistants/associates (PAs) remains unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate practice patterns and describe demographic characteristics of PAs who have terminal doctoral degrees. Methods This was a secondary analysis of data obtained from the 2021 Salary Survey of the American Academy of PAs. A total of 13,865 PAs responded to the survey for an estimated response rate of 13.3%. We examined the relationships between holding a doctoral degree, demographic characteristics, and work-related variables. Descriptive bivariate statistics and chi-square tests were used for data analysis. Results Most of the PAs (93.6%) with doctoral degrees were older than 30 years and self-identified as female (55%). There were higher proportions of non-White individuals among those with doctorates compared with general PA population. Of the PAs holding doctoral degrees, 90.4% were primarily clinicians and 9.6% were primarily educators. Physician assistants/associates with doctoral degrees were employed with their current employer longer than PAs without doctoral degrees. Most of the PAs with doctoral degrees held informal or formal leadership and had an annual salary above the median (62.3%) compared with PAs without doctoral degrees (40.0%). Conclusion There are statistically significant differences in practice patterns and demographic factors between PAs with and without doctoral degrees. Physician assistants/associates with doctoral degrees were older, were male, and held leadership positions. Taken together, holding a doctoral credential may improve upward mobility at workplaces. Qualitative studies are warranted to further understand the motivation and impact of holding a doctoral credential among clinically practicing PAs.

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An Exploration into the Physician Assistant Entry-Level Doctoral Degree: Lessons Learned From Across Health Professions

Cited by 3 publications

References 12 publications

Developing and evaluating an instrument to assess perceptions of an entry-level physician associate doctoral degree

Developing and evaluating an instrument to assess perceptions of an entry-level physician associate doctoral degree

Whither the PA doctorate?

Physician Assistants/Associates With Doctoral Degrees: Where Are They Now?

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