Correlation between undergraduate anatomy & physiology and graduate anatomy outcomes: defining predictors of academic success of PA students

Abstract

The University of Toledo Physician Assistant Studies (UT PA) program matriculated its first class in 1996. Admission to the UT PA program requires minimum “B” grades in undergraduate prerequisite courses, including Human Anatomy and Physiology (A&P). The UT PA curriculum includes a traditional medical gross anatomy and neuroanatomy course that consists of 120 hours of instruction, including classroom lectures and laboratory sessions. This course is taught by Anatomy faculty in the College of Medicine. Despite success in prerequisite courses, some students struggle to succeed in the UT PA anatomy course. To understand this apparent disconnect, this study uses a series of quantitative and qualitative measures to examine the relationship between success in undergraduate A&P courses and performance outcomes in the UT PA program (e.g., grades in anatomy, clinical medicine, pharmacology, and pathophysiology, and performance on the Physician Assistant National Certification Examination). The goals of this study are to identify factors that determine the success of UT PA students and to establish a set of evidence‐based predictors that will allow the selection of the best candidates for admission to the program.