Evaluating Physician Assistant Students Attitudes Toward The Underserved

Author : Michael Sheehan
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 78 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (115 download)

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Download or read book Tools for evaluating distance learning education and interprofessional communication for physician assistant students written by Michael Sheehan and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 78 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Purpose: According to the Michigan Health Council, the State of Michigan has multiple states which are designated as medically underserved areas. A majority of these areas are located in Northern Michigan, which includes all but one county of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The lack of medical care in these areas leads to higher morbidity rates, higher number of chronic diseases, and a higher age related mortality rate. In addressing the shortage of primary care, a physician assistant program was expanded to reach individuals who live in Northern Michigan. Literature supports the concept that individuals who reside in a specific area, get their education within that area, will stay in the same area after graduation to provide health care to individuals in the community. The primary mode of delivery between the two campuses is ITV for the lecture component, with faculty hired for the expansion site to provide the laboratory component at the expansion site. Originally, the purpose of this study was to develop and implement evaluation tools to analyze student performance at the main site of instruction and expansion site. However, due to a delay in implementing the expansion site, the implementation of the evaluation tools was not completed. In lieu of the implementation of the evaluation tools, piloting of the evaluation tools within the hospital community experiences (HCE) course of the physician assistant program was performed. Methods: The methods section will include the methods used to develop the evaluation tools, which will be used to compare the two campuses, and the piloting of one of the series of evaluation tools in HCE. Both formative and summative evaluation tools were developed using information in the literature review on the strengths and limitations of ITV delivery of courses and programs. The formative evaluation tools are designed to be assessed on a weekly basis. The summative evaluation tools are designed for an end-of-semester and yearly basis. It was the plan of this project to implement the evaluation tools in fall of 2013; however, due to the delay in establishing the expansion campus, only the tools assessing the formative and summative evaluation of the Hospital Community Experiences (HCE) was piloted at the main campus of the program. Prior to the HCE course, an interprofessional assessment tool was given to students through an on-line survey system. In addition, weekly formative evaluations of the HCE experiences were collected from students. Results: Responses from the formative and summative evaluation of the HCE were collected during the summer and fall semesters of the 2013 school year. The baseline results of the perceptions of other professions were given to students prior to the HCE course. These surveys identified that the profession of nursing was perceived as encroaching on the physician assistant profession, as well as the nursing profession did not get along with or utilize the physician assistant profession. In addition, the results identified that the students perceived that the medical laboratory scientist was not as concerned about the welfare of the patient as other professions. The formative evaluations (weekly evaluations obtained when HCE was implemented) identified that there was no specific observations of the nursing profession, both undergraduate and advanced practice nursing. The formative evaluations of the laboratory setting revealed an overall positive view on the importance of the medical laboratory scientist in the care of the patient. Discussion/Conclusion: It was evident by the initial perception scale that the physician assistant students had a negative perception of the nursing profession and the medical laboratory scientist. However, it was noted in the formative evaluations that the perception of the medical laboratory scientist was changing based on the students experiences with that profession. It was also evident from the analysis of the HCE experiences that the students needed shadowing opportunities with the nursing profession, which were not included in the current HCE curriculum. Based on these results, opportunities with the nursing professions are planned and these experiences will be evaluated based on the weekly formative evaluation process.