Physician Assistant Interest in Men's Health and Other Post-Graduate Sub-Specialty Training

Abstract

ABSTRACT Introduction Physician Assistants (PAs) have the ability to practice in nearly every medical specialty and subspecialty under the supervision of a physician. Currently, there are limited opportunities for PA students to be exposed to men's health clinical rotations during their training. To date, there are no men's health-specific fellowship opportunities for PA students in the United States (US). Objective This study aimed to assess current PA students’ knowledge of men's health, their interest in various medical specialties and subsequent pursuit of a post-graduate fellowship, and to provide insight into the motivations for continuing such education or deterrents to doing so. Methods An online survey using Qualtrics was distributed via email to PA program administrators, as well as posted on Twitter, and PA forums for PA students currently enrolled in US training programs. Results 92 subjects completed the survey (average age 26 years old, range 18-49). Areas of greatest clinical interest were family and emergency medicine with 47% and 45% of subjects being interested in those fields, respectively. Nearly 51% of subjects reported being ‘somewhat’ to ‘very interested’ in men's health specific concerns, while 48% of subjects indicated they did not receive enough training about men's health during their education. Nearly 40% reported being ‘somewhat’ to ‘very interested’ in having a men's health specific rotation. 88% of subjects were interested in learning outpatient clinic procedures in general and 65% reported interest in learning outpatient clinic procedures specifically related to men's health. 36% of subjects were interested in completing a post graduate fellowship in any specialty with 64% stating they ‘would not want to’ or were ‘unsure’. Nearly 65% of subjects reported reduced salary would play a role in their decision about fellowship. Other barriers to pursuing fellowship training included being unsure of what specialty they were interested in and believing there were not enough opportunities. 63% of subjects reported that increasing their marketability when looking for jobs would be the greatest benefit of completing a fellowship with others reporting increased autonomy and seeing a higher number of patients in a specialized center. Conclusions Most subjects reported interest in learning outpatient clinic procedures with just about two thirds expressing interest in those specifically related to men's health. More than half of subjects expressed interest in learning more about men's health while almost half agreed that they did not receive enough training during their time in school. The biggest barrier for subjects participating in a post graduate fellowship was the financial aspect, but subjects also recognized that the additional training would increase their marketability. Additional work needs to be done to assess how best to provide specialty training for those interested, during and following PA school. Disclosure Any of the authors act as a consultant, employee or shareholder of an industry for: Boston Scientific, Endo Pharmaceuticals