Analysis of the level of general clinical skills of physician assistant students using an objective structured clinical examination

Vught, Anneke van; Hettinga, Agatha M.; Denessen, Eddie; Gerhardus, Martin J T; Bouwmans, Geert; Brink, G.T.W.J. van den; Postma, Cornelis T.

doi:10.1111/jep.12418

Cited by 6 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…However, to date, an inventory of tasks and responsibilities of NPs or PAs in hospital roles has only been recently documented [31]. How they perform in direct patient care remains an area of interest to health workforce researchers and health care managers [9, 33]. For the development of new professions, it is important that their contribution be visible [12], Allen 2015, [9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An activity analysis of Dutch hospital-based physician assistants and nurse practitioners

Brink

Kouwen

Hooker³

et al. 2019

Hum Resour Health

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BackgroundThe physician assistant (PA) and the nurse practitioner (NP) were introduced into The Netherlands in 2001 and 1997 respectively. By the second decade, national policies had accelerated the acceptance and development of these professions. Since 2015, the PA and NP have full practice authority as independent health professionals. The aim of this research was to gain a better understanding of the tasks and responsibilities that are being shifted from Medical Doctors (MD) to PAs and NPs in hospitals. More specifically in what context and visibility are these tasks undertaken by hospital-based PAs and NPs in patient care. This will enable them to communicate their worth to the hospital management.Study designA descriptive, non-experimental research method design was used to collect and analyze both quantitative and qualitative data about the type of tasks performed by a PA or NP. Fifteen medical departments across four hospitals participated.MethodsThe patient scheduling system and hospital information system were probed to identify and characterize a wide variety of clinical tasks. The array of tasks was further verified by 108 interviews. All tasks were divided into direct and indirect patient care. Once the tasks were cataloged, then MDs and hospital managers graded the PA- or NP-performed tasks and assessed their contributions to the hospital management system.FindingsIn total, 2883 tasks were assessed. Overall, PAs and NPs performed a wide variety of clinical and administrative tasks, which differed across hospitals and medical specialties. Data from interviews and the hospital management systems revealed that over a third of the tasks were not properly registered or attributed to the PA or NP. After correction, it was found that the NP and PA spent more than two thirds of their working time on direct patient care.ConclusionsNPs and PAs performed a wide variety of clinical tasks, and the consistency of these tasks differed per medical specialty. Despite the fact that a large part of the tasks was not visible due to incorrect administration, the interviews with MDs and managers revealed that the use of an NP or PA was considered to have an added value at the quality of care as well to the production for hospital-based medical care in The Netherlands.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An activity analysis of Dutch hospital-based physician assistants and nurse practitioners

Brink

Kouwen

Hooker³

et al. 2019

Hum Resour Health

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“…In the current study, 2 scenarios with various phases and score lists were developed by the Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands. The research team was experienced with developing scenarios with score lists …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of the level of clinical skills of physician assistants tested with simulated intensive care patients

Vught

Brink

Hilkens

et al. 2018

Evaluation Clinical Practice

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Rationale, aims, and objectivesSince adequate staffing in intensive care units (ICUs) is an increasing problem worldwide, we investigated whether physician assistants (PAs) are able to substitute medical residents (MR) in ICUs with at least the same quality of clinical skills. In this study, we analysed the level of clinical skills of PAs in direct comparison with those who traditionally performed these tasks, ie, MR with 6 to 24 months of work experience in the ICU.MethodPhysician assistants and MRs in the ICUs were observed on their clinical skills by means of a simulated ICU comprising 2 scenarios on a human patient simulator with typical ICU cases. The level of clinical skills of PAs and MRs was videotaped and scored with predefined checklists by 2 independent intensivists per scenario. Percentage of the total score was calculated, and means were compared by Student t test.ResultsA total of 11 PAs and 10 MRs participated in the study. Physician assistants and MRs scored equal (PA 66% ± 13% vs MR 68% ± 9%, P = .86) on their clinical performance in the simulated ICU setting.ConclusionThis study showed equal performance of PAs and MRs on clinical skills in the simulated ICU setting.

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“…PAs are health care providers who are trained to perform clinical tasks traditionally performed only by physicians (Van Vught et al, 2015). PAs are trained in essentially the same medical model as physicians; they are qualified to deliver a broad range of medical and surgical services in various health care settings such as clinics, hospitals, and long-term care facilities (Freed et al, 2012;Hooker et al, 2013;Kartha et al, 2014).…”

Section: Physician Assistants and Patient Carementioning

confidence: 99%

“…A PA is a licensed clinician who practices medicine in every specialty and setting and performs many of the medical tasks that are traditionally associated only with physicians (American Academy of Physician Associates, 2023;Van Vught et al, 2015) . PAs can obtain patient histories, perform physical examinations, order and interpret diagnostic studies, diagnose and treat patients with acute and chronic illnesses, and prescribe medications (Kelly, 2014;Van Vught et al, 2015).…”

Section: Physician Assistant (Pa)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) describes PAs as licensed health care practitioners who are taught to perform medical tasks that, traditionally, were performed only by physicians (Van Vught et al, 2015). Graduates from accredited PA programs can take the national certification exam to become certified PAs, making them eligible for licensure in all 50 U.S. states and territories.…”

Section: Physician Assistants (Pas)mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Using art to illustrate medical empathy to physician assistants

Cooper

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Physician assistant (PA) programs must teach medical communication skills that facilitate effective patient care. Empathy is one such skill that is explicitly mentioned in relevant documents, but there is no common definition of empathy nor a formal curriculum to teach it.Current literature suggests that empathy is a feeling resulting from cognitive, emotional, and behavioral processes that are observable and teachable. This constructivist grounded theory study articulated a definition of medical empathy, then conducted a guided art viewing (GAV) experience with five PA faculty in which they viewed three artworks and were asked to identify examples of cognitive, emotional, or behavioral processes illustrated in the art that suggest an act of or a need for medical empathy. All participants found medically empathetic behaviors illustrated in the art. Findings suggest that medical empathy is a contextualized feeling that calls for a certain response by the PA. GAVs can teach medical empathy by guiding learners to find the illustrated behaviors and discussing appropriate responses. Results of this study are likely transferable to other professions where assessing and responding to human emotion is needed.

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Analysis of the level of general clinical skills of physician assistant students using an objective structured clinical examination

Cited by 6 publications

References 23 publications

An activity analysis of Dutch hospital-based physician assistants and nurse practitioners

An activity analysis of Dutch hospital-based physician assistants and nurse practitioners

Analysis of the level of clinical skills of physician assistants tested with simulated intensive care patients

Using art to illustrate medical empathy to physician assistants

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