Integrating an effective palliative care curriculum into a physician assistant program
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Abstract
Physician Assistants (PA) are advanced practice providers who work collaboratively with a clinical team consisting of physicians, nurses, medical assistants, technologists, and pharmacists. They play a crucial role in obtaining patient histories, conducting physical exams, ordering diagnostic tests, prescribing medications, and developing treatment plans in coordination with the team. Uniquely, PAs have the flexibility to work in various medical specialties and can change fields throughout their career.
To become licensed, PA students undergo a rigorous 2-3 year masters curriculum that provides the foundation to become competent general practitioners. The program entails a didactic phase, where students learn diseases, diagnostics, and therapies, that is later applied during clinical rotations in the second year. As healthcare providers, PAs strive to provide the highest quality of care emphasizing patient satisfaction and positive outcomes. Although being able to make correct diagnoses is important, considering the psychosocial needs of patients (a component of palliative medicine) is also essential.
Unfortunately, current PA programs fail to address palliative medicine, resulting in graduates who have not been adequately trained in this topic. Palliative care, however, is a tool applicable in various medical settings, particularly oncology, surgery, neurology, internal medicine, and primary care. As advanced practice providers, it is important for PAs to consider the psychosocial needs of patients, financial hardships, and, if in the right clinical context, their need for adequate pain management, advanced care planning, and end of life care. These are all within the scope of palliative medicine.
The following proposed curriculum will educate Boston University PA students about palliative medicine, teaching them how and when to employ it, and integrating its principles and skills into their clinical practice. The curriculum will be offered at the end of their didactic year, just before students transition into clinical year. The timing of this allows students to incorporate what they have learned into their patient interactions on rotations. To ensure the broadest reach and effectiveness of this curriculum, a comprehensive, multi-modal educational approach will be used. This approach will encompass a range of instructional methods such as lectures, small group discussions, clinical observations, and hands-on practice. Moreover, to gauge the effectiveness of this educational intervention, each PA student will be required to complete a pre- and post-curriculum exam and survey. This assessment will help measure the impact of the curriculum and ensure continuous improvement in delivering high-quality education.