Assessment of Admissions Policies for Veteran Corpsmen and Medics Applying to Physician Assistant Educational Programs

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the admission policies, experiences, and attitudes of physician assistant (PA) program directors with regard to recruiting, admitting, and training veteran corpsmen and medics. A descriptive survey consisting of 18 questions was distributed to all 154 PA program directors in the United States. One hundred ten (71.4%) program directors participated in the survey. Veterans were admitted into 83.6% of programs in the years 2008-2010, and accounted for an average of 2.6% of all students. A minority of PA programs accepted college credits earned by veterans for their military training (45.3%) or for their off-duty education (28.4%). Few PA programs participated in the Yellow Ribbon Program (16%) or actively recruited veterans (16%). Over half of PA programs (56.7%) would be more likely to give special consideration to the admission of veteran corpsmen and medics if it was easier to equate their military education and experience to the program's admission prerequisites. The most frequently reported benefits for educating veteran corpsmen and medics in PA programs are their health care and life experiences, maturity, and motivation. Barriers for educating veterans include veterans' lack of academic preparedness for graduate education, a lack of time/access for recruiting, and the cost of PA school. Most PA program directors cited multiple benefits for educating veteran corpsmen and medics, but veterans face barriers for admission into PA programs. Approaches are discussed for facilitating the transition of corpsmen and medics from the military to careers as PAs.