Equity and Longitudinal Assessments: Perspectives from Physician Assistants/Associates (PAs) Participating in PANRE-LA

TL;DR

This study explores how physician assistants from diverse backgrounds benefit equally from a longitudinal assessment program, suggesting it promotes equity and continuous learning.

Contribution

The study provides new insights into how longitudinal assessments can promote equity among PAs with diverse demographics and practice settings.

Findings

Over 90% of PAs agreed that the assessment helps identify knowledge gaps and supports lifelong learning.

Approximately 84% believed the assessment improves their clinical practice.

PAs across diverse backgrounds reported similar learning benefits from the program.

Abstract

Longitudinal assessments (LAs) may offer more flexibility and unique opportunities to enhance equity. Although prior findings on LAs demonstrate that they foster learning, limited research exists on potential differences in examinee perspectives by demographics and practice characteristics. Addressing this research gap is vital to ensuring that examinees from different backgrounds equally derive learning benefits from LAs.

We evaluated potential differences in perspectives and experiences of physician assistants/associates (PAs) participating in the PA National Recertifying Examination Longitudinal Assessment (PANRE-LA) program, considering a wide range of demographic and practice characteristics.

Over 90% agreed that this type of assessment provides a learning experience, helps to identify gaps, provides an opportunity to improve, aligns with a lifelong learning perspective, and keeps core medical knowledge up-to-date. Approximately 84% believed it helps them to be a better practitioner, and 78.7% either anticipated or had applied learning from PANRE-LA to their clinical practice.

Our findings suggest that PAs across diverse demographics and practice characteristics equally derive self-reported learning benefits from PANRE-LA. LAs, due to their formative components, may provide unique opportunities to promote equity in knowledge acquisition, foster continuous learning, and ultimately contribute to improved patient care.

Figures