Similarities and Differences Between Physician Assistant Program and Medical School Mission Statement Themes

Orcutt, Venetia L.; James, Kassidy; Bradley-Guidry, Carolyn; Jones, P. Eugene

doi:10.1097/jpa.0000000000000178

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Mission statements may also attract diverse applicants, especially those statements that are also manifest in a PA program’s holistic admissions process [ 21 ]. Of note, diversity has been shown to be regularly prioritized in public PA program mission statements [ 22 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predictors of applicant pool racial and ethnic diversity among physician assistant education programs: a national cross-sectional cohort study

et al. 2023

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Background Numerous studies have demonstrated that the increasing racial and ethnic diversity of the US population benefits from access to healthcare providers from similarly diverse backgrounds. Physician assistant (PA) education programs have striven to increase the diversity of the profession, which is predominantly non-Hispanic white, by focusing on admitting students from historically excluded populations. However, strategies such as holistic admissions are predicated on the existence of racially and ethnically diverse applicant pools. While studies have examined correlates of matriculation into a medical education program, this study looks earlier in the pipeline and investigates whether applicant – not matriculant – pool diversity varies among PA programs with different characteristics. Methods Data were drawn from the 2017–2018 Central Application Service for PAs admissions cycle. Applications to programs with pre-professional tracks and applicants missing race/ethnicity data were excluded, resulting in data from 26,600 individuals who applied to 189 PA programs. We summarized the racial and ethnic diversity of each program’s applicant pools using: [1]the proportion of underrepresented minority (URM) students, [2]the proportion of students with backgrounds underrepresented in medicine (URiM), and [3]Simpson’s diversity index of a 7-category race/ethnicity combination. We used multiple regressions to model each diversity metric as a function of program characteristics including class size, accreditation status, type of institution, and other important features. Results Regardless of the demographic diversity metric examined, we found that applicant diversity was higher among provisionally accredited programs and those receiving more applications. We also identified trends suggesting that programs in more metropolitan areas were able to attract more diverse applicants. Programs that did not require the GRE were also able to attract more diverse applicants when considering the URM and SDI metrics, though results for URiM were not statistically significant. Conclusions Our findings provide insights into modifiable (e.g., GRE requirement) and non-modifiable (e.g., provisionally accredited) program characteristics that are associated with more demographically diverse applicant pools.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predictors of applicant pool racial and ethnic diversity among physician assistant education programs: a national cross-sectional cohort study

et al. 2023

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“…(18) Of note, diversity has been shown to be regularly prioritized in public PA program mission statements. (19) Understanding factors that in uence which programs prospective URM/URiM health care providers decide to apply to is paramount to increasing the diversity of medical providers. Though some contributors are not easily modi ed, PA programs can immediately begin to dismantle existing systemic barriers and re-visit their mission statements.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predictors of applicant pool diversity among physician assistant education programs: A national cross-sectional cohort study

Honda

Sturges

Mills

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Background Numerous studies have demonstrated that the increasingly diverse US population benefits from access to diverse healthcare providers from similarly diverse backgrounds. Physician assistant (PA) education programs have striven to increase the diversity of the profession, which is predominantly non-Hispanic white, by focusing on admitting historically underrepresented students. However, strategies such as holistic admissions are predicated on the existence of diverse applicant pools. While studies have examined correlates of matriculation into a medical education program, this study looks earlier in the pipeline and investigates whether applicant – not matriculant – pool diversity varies among PA programs with different characteristics. Methods Data were drawn from the 2017-2018 Central Application Service for PAs admissions cycle. Applications to programs with pre-professional tracks and applicants missing race/ethnicity data were excluded, resulting in data from 26,600 individuals who applied to 189 PA programs. We summarized the racial and ethnic diversity of each program’s applicant pools using: (1)the proportion of underrepresented minority (URM) students, (2)the proportion of students with backgrounds underrepresented in medicine (URiM), and (3)Simpson’s diversity index of a 7-category race/ethnicity combination. We used multiple regressions to model each diversity metric as a function of program characteristics including class size, accreditation status, type of institution, and other important features. Results Regardless of the diversity metric examined, we found that applicant diversity was higher among provisionally accredited programs and those receiving more applications. We also identified trends suggesting that programs in more metropolitan areas were able to attract more diverse applicants. Programs that did not require the GRE were also able to attract more diverse applicants when considering the URM and SDI metrics, though results for URiM were not statistically significant. Conclusions Our findings provide insights into modifiable (e.g., GRE requirement) and non-modifiable (e.g., provisionally accredited) program characteristics that are associated with a diverse applicant pool.

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“…14 For effective change, programs must intentionally incorporate DEI efforts, and the ARC-PA must hold institutions of PA programs accountable to ensure that the DEI Standard is being met. Some programs have developed mission statements that include some aspect of DEI (59/209 programs, or 28.2%), while 64.3% (153/238 programs) have added goals around diversity 15 ; however, only a few of those have measurable outcomes. 16 While a mission statement can signal a noble intention, it's time to move beyond just developing a mission statement and program goals and to begin to incorporate measurable DEI and social justice efforts.…”

Section: Call To Actionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Meeting the Accreditation Standard for Diversity

Snyder

Hills

Alexander

et al. 2023

J Physician Assist Educ

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While increasing diversity has been an ongoing concern in physician assistant (PA) education, there is now a concentrated focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice, elevating these to top priorities. To achieve the goal of diversifying the PA workforce, PA programs, with their institution's support, must systematically inculcate strategies for overcoming and dismantling barriers against students of color and students underrepresented in medicine (URiM). These strategies should disrupt the status quo and expand structural processes that ensure successful diversification of students, especially URiM students, LGBTQ students, students from medically underserved areas, and first-generation college students.

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Similarities and Differences Between Physician Assistant Program and Medical School Mission Statement Themes

Cited by 5 publications

References 6 publications

Predictors of applicant pool racial and ethnic diversity among physician assistant education programs: a national cross-sectional cohort study

Predictors of applicant pool racial and ethnic diversity among physician assistant education programs: a national cross-sectional cohort study

Predictors of applicant pool diversity among physician assistant education programs: A national cross-sectional cohort study

Meeting the Accreditation Standard for Diversity

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