What Physician Assistants Prefer in a Postprofessional Doctorate Program: A Cross-Sectional Rating and Rankings Study

• Published in: The journal of physician assistant education Vol. 34; no. 2; pp. 147 - 151
• Main Authors: Gillette, Chris, Bodner, Gayle B., Bell Sisson, Caroline Grey, Bates, Nathan, DeTroye, Alisha, Hussaini, Sobia S., Crandall, Sonia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 01-06-2023
• Subjects: Attitude of Health Personnel; Cross-Sectional Studies; Humans; Medicine; Physician Assistants - education; Physicians
• ISSN: 1941-9430; 1941-9449
• DOI: 10.1097/JPA.0000000000000502

The physician assistant (PA) literature has focused on the implications of creating an entry-level doctoral degree; however, there is scant primary literature on postprofessional doctorates, which are becoming more popular as the number of institutions offering them increases. The purposes of this project were to: (1) describe interest and motivation of currently practicing PAs to enroll in a postprofessional doctorate program and (2) identify the most- and least-preferred attributes of a postprofessional doctorate program.
This was a quantitative cross-sectional survey of recent alumni from one institution. Measures included interest in obtaining a postprofessional doctorate, a nonrandomized Best-Worst Scaling (BWS) exercise, and motivators for enrolling in a postprofessional doctorate. The main outcome of interest was the BWS standardized score for each attribute.
The research team received 172 eligible responses (n = 172, response rate = 25.83%). Results indicate that 47.67% of respondents (n = 82) expressed interest in a postprofessional doctorate. The most preferred doctorate program attribute was a clinically based program, ending with a residency, conferring a Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) degree, with a hybrid course delivery.
This sample included various interests, motivations, and preferred program attributes. Understanding these factors may help inform the design and redesign of doctoral programs.