Interservice Physician Assistant Program: Educators for an Expanding Profession.

PURPOSE: The number of physician assistant (PA) programs has increased exponentially across the past decade, and the demand for PAs will likely remain strong through 2025. Because of this rapid growth, both new and established PA programs face significant challenges in recruiting experienced educators. We describe the value of using PAs trained through the Interservice Physician Assistant Program (IPAP) as civilian PA educators. METHODS: The literature on IPAP and its graduates proved too limited to conduct a formal systematic review. We searched the PubMed and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) databases for works speaking to the value that IPAP-trained PAs may bring to civilian PA training. Those findings were supplemented with informal conversations with IPAP-trained PAs currently employed in the military and those working in civilian PA education. Themes were identified supporting the potential value of IPAP-trained PAs in civilian training. RESULTS: Military PAs work within hierarchical organizations and may transition easily to academic settings. They leave military service not only as highly trained and proficient primary care providers but also as experienced educators. Military PAs must demonstrate professionalism across their entire military careers. They serve as leaders and work in teams, but they are also experienced in negotiating up chains of command. They are trained in and apply the latest innovations in health care delivery and have provided care with a degree of autonomy uncommon in civilian PA practice. CONCLUSIONS: The PAs trained through IPAP leave the service with skills and experiences valuable to civilian PA training. Employing these PAs in civilian education honors their service contributions while addressing emerging PA educator workforce demands.

Using PAs in prehospital environments to reduce ED and EMS overuse.

Emergency medical services (EMS) and EDs in large cities are burdened with a significant number of patients with chronic disease who have limited options for receiving proper care. Despite their relatively small numbers, these "superusers" can have a significant effect on EMS, particularly in large cities. Additionally, EDs are not designed to provide chronic and continuous healthcare. This article describes how several organizations use physician assistants to manage these patients.

Physician assistant program outreach to military service members as potential applicants.

Recent efforts to facilitate the career pathway for military veterans into the physician assistant profession include outreach to current service members that will make information about physician assistant education more readily accessible. This research article reviews several topics that physician assistant programs would need to consider before conducting outreach to this population and discusses methods for outreach activities. Physician assistant programs may choose to apply similar approaches as appropriate for their individual circumstances. Outcomes will be evaluated separately.