I think what we will see in the next decade is longer pa programs to make up for this lack of prior experience and a greater push for pa's to do specialty residencies(see
www.appap.org).
There are a few programs with a 3‐year curriculum. I'm not a big fan of it, because 3 year PA programs are very close to meeting the minimum accreditation criteria for MD programs.
...and a greater push for pa's to do specialty residencies(see
www.appap.org).
I like the idea of residencies for PAs. I prefer that they stay optional. Unfortunately, there aren't enough residencies available to those who want to do them. Something to the order of about 200 residency spots nationwide (there are over 5000 PA graduates and a decent number of those are going to apply for residencies).
footpain said:
PA school is intense, but it is still not medical school. By thinking that it is basically the same thing but shorter in years, you are living in denial.
Whoa! Listen, doc, I didn't say it was the same thing but shorter. However, that statement would be closer to the truth than it is further. Look, when PA's compare the PA curriculum to the MD curriculum, the goal is not to downplay the 4 years of medical school that all physicians must attend (not to mention the ensuing residency). The purpose of comparing the two programs is to show how PAs are educated in a similar manner to physicians in an effort to gain confidence of patients.
A lot of patients will decline a visit with a Physician Assistant for reasons such as associating Physician Assistants with Medical Assistants. And since it doesn't look like PAs are going to get a name change anytime soon, they have to start exposing their qualifications in terms that the general public will understand.
It's not productive, when explaining PA training to a new patient, to say "PA's go through a concise, but intense study of basic medical science followed by a full systemic approach to clinical medicine with problem based scenarios..." Say that and patients will look at you with complete confusion. PAs have to say it in terms the general public can understand. Unfortunately, this means PAs end up saying things like "PAs go to medical school just like physicians, but the program is shorter." The statement isn't untrue, but the word "medical school" is always associated with a Doctorate of Medicine, not a Master of Medicine (which is the degree that some PAs receive).
As I said before, PAs aren't trying to downplay the importance of physicians and their education. But until something goes their way, PAs have to use such catchphrases to gain confidence of the patient. Otherwise, PAs have to keep bothering their supervising physician because the patient "wants to see a real doctor and will call the PA if they need a bedpan changed."
atkinsje said:
I have 3 masters levels PAs in my class, and there are 3 that I know in the class above, and 1 in the class below me. All of them from masters programs, all of them have have said that PA school was no where near as intense, in depth, or scope of medical school.
I appreciate what you're saying, but let me put this in terms of what's happening at my school in comparison with the MD program.
In-depthness: Where I go to school, the PA program is not as in-depth as the MD program when it comes to the basic medical sciences (essentially, MD1). However, PA school is AS IN-DEPTH when it comes to clinical medical sciences (MD2). PAs go through the same systemic study of medicine, inclusive of PBL sessions.
Intensity: During the 16 months that a PA is in the didactic curriculum, s/he will average 3-4 semester-credits more (per semester) than the MD during any given 16 month period in the MD didactic curriculum. Hopefully we can at least agree that, for the short time they are in school, PAs face the same level of intensity as an MD student within that same time period.
PAs should never go to PA school with the idea of later going to medical school. However, occasionally PAs who intended to stay PAs will sometimes have a change of heart. So they go back to school.
It's likely that many PAs who go back for a medical doctorate will feel overwhelmed in the first year of medical school. Some won't. However, I feel very confident that most PAs will feel right at home in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th years. In fact, I'm going to make a bold statement here, one I believe to be absolutely true: for PAs who want to go into primary care as an independent practitioner, a 1-year bridge program is really all that's needed (followed by a residency, of course). PAs should be able to knock out the USMLE step 2 with the knowledge and skills they received from PA school. So the bridge program would focus on preparing them for step 1, along with some courses designed to help them deal with additional challenges they'll face as an independent practitioner. Moreover, 70% or more of that 1-year program can be delivered electronically.
The current bridge program, 2.5 years, is definitely overkill. However, it's a DO program and the osteopathic skills add to the time. An MD bridge really should not need be more than 2 years in length.
