Academic Rank Disparities in Minoritized and Racialized Physician Assistant Educators.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the disparities in career progression and the need for inclusive mentorship in the physician assistant (PA) profession, specifically focusing on racial/ethnic minority faculty. METHODS: Pooled data from the Physician Assistant Education Association Program Survey in 2015, 2017, and 2019 were analyzed to examine the effect of PA faculty race/ethnicity on academic rank promotion. Logistic regression models were used to assess the association between faculty race/ethnicity and the likelihood of being in a middle/late-career (associate/professor) or early-career status (instructor/assistant), adjusting for confounding factors. RESULTS: The analysis revealed significant disparities in career progression, particularly for Black/African American and Hispanic faculty members, who were 44% less likely to be in late-career positions compared with White faculty. These disparities persisted even after accounting for gender, highest degree, region, and years in rank. The slower career progression experienced by minoritized faculty can have negative impacts, such as lower salaries, impostorism, reduced social capital, isolation, marginalization, burnout, and attrition. CONCLUSION: The findings highlight the urgent need for increased efforts to promote diversity and inclusion in the PA profession. Creating a more equitable academic environment requires addressing systemic biases, implementing inclusive mentorship initiatives, and promoting diversity in hiring and promotion decisions. By prioritizing equity, diversity, and inclusion, the PA profession can foster a more diverse, innovative, and satisfied workforce while reducing turnover. Continued research and evidence-based strategies are essential to effectively address these disparities and create a more inclusive and equitable environment in the PA profession.

Addressing the Elephant in the Room: Perceptions and Treatment of Underrepresented in Medicine Physician Assistants/Associate Educators.

ABSTRACT: On Thursday, June 27, 2023, the US Supreme Court struck down race-conscious admission practices in higher education. While other demographic factors, such as the traditional Health Resources and Services Administration-disadvantaged background indicators, can be considered during the holistic admission process, explicit consideration based on race and/or ethnicity is prohibited. As a result, physician assistant/associate (PA) programs are tasked with developing novel ways to address equity, diversity, and inclusion during the admission and hiring processes. As Drumgold et al note, closing the PA workforce diversity gap is necessary to achieve health equity. Despite this, PA programs consistently struggle to attract and retain underrepresented in medicine (URiM) faculty, staff, and students. The latest PA Education Association Student Report indicates that more than 75% of applicants consider faculty and student body diversity when applying to programs. As such, addressing disparities in the recruitment, promotion, evaluation, and retention of URiM faculty is paramount. Here, the authors outline ongoing recruitment and retention challenges for URiM faculty along with institutional recommendations to ensure URiM PA faculty success and engagement.

Predictors of applicant pool racial and ethnic diversity among physician assistant education programs: a national cross-sectional cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have demonstrated that the increasing racial and ethnic diversity of the US population benefits from access to healthcare providers from similarly diverse backgrounds. Physician assistant (PA) education programs have striven to increase the diversity of the profession, which is predominantly non-Hispanic white, by focusing on admitting students from historically excluded populations. However, strategies such as holistic admissions are predicated on the existence of racially and ethnically diverse applicant pools. While studies have examined correlates of matriculation into a medical education program, this study looks earlier in the pipeline and investigates whether applicant - not matriculant - pool diversity varies among PA programs with different characteristics. METHODS: Data were drawn from the 2017-2018 Central Application Service for PAs admissions cycle. Applications to programs with pre-professional tracks and applicants missing race/ethnicity data were excluded, resulting in data from 26,600 individuals who applied to 189 PA programs. We summarized the racial and ethnic diversity of each program's applicant pools using: [1]the proportion of underrepresented minority (URM) students, [2]the proportion of students with backgrounds underrepresented in medicine (URiM), and [3]Simpson's diversity index of a 7-category race/ethnicity combination. We used multiple regressions to model each diversity metric as a function of program characteristics including class size, accreditation status, type of institution, and other important features. RESULTS: Regardless of the demographic diversity metric examined, we found that applicant diversity was higher among provisionally accredited programs and those receiving more applications. We also identified trends suggesting that programs in more metropolitan areas were able to attract more diverse applicants. Programs that did not require the GRE were also able to attract more diverse applicants when considering the URM and SDI metrics, though results for URiM were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide insights into modifiable (e.g., GRE requirement) and non-modifiable (e.g., provisionally accredited) program characteristics that are associated with more demographically diverse applicant pools.

Can Family Medicine's Counterculture History Help Shape an Anti-Racist Future?

Family medicine prides itself on community engagement and has embraced its counterculture roots. After the racial and social reckoning of 2020, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matters movement, family medicine, as a specialty, must embrace anti-racism as a core value to meet community needs. This article reflects on the foundational tenets of family medicine's origin. It highlights the current disparities regarding professional representation while offering equitable, intentional, and collaborative approaches to move toward and achieve anti-racism within the specialty, medical education, and the community.