The Physician Assistant Student Experience: Diversity, Stress, and School Membership.

Abstract

This article investigates whether students' stress and psychological sense of school membership (PSSM), which influence their ability to navigate the rigors of PA education, vary by their demographic characteristics. In 2017, 4050 matriculating and 2718 graduating PA students reported their demographics and feelings of stress. Graduating students also reported their PSSM. Multiple regressions explored whether students' demographics were associated with their stress and PSSM. Stress analyses controlled for student type (ie, matriculating versus graduating). Female, underrepresented minority (URM), and graduating students reported more stress when compared to male, non-URM, and matriculating students. URM students reported lower PSSM relative to non-URMs. URM students' experiences from entering a profession that is predominantly non-Hispanic White may increase stress and reduce PSSM, possibly contributing to lower educational satisfaction and on-time completion rates identified in previous research.