Pedersen Grant Recipients Explore PA Admissions and AI Training
PAEA is pleased to announce the 2024-2025 Don Pedersen Research Grant Recipients, Sharona Kanofsky, MSc, PA-C, CCPA, associate professor at the University of Toronto, and Jurga Marshall, DMS, PA-C, associate professor at Seton Hall University. Kanofsky’s project seeks to understand the value of requiring PA program applicants to have prior experience in health care. Marshall’s project looks at whether AI “patients” can enhance training in taking patient histories.
In Kanofsky’s project, “Exploring Perceptions of Prior Healthcare Experience as a Physician Assistant Program Admissions Requirement,” she and her team seek to understand the value of prior healthcare experience as a PA admissions requirement. Many PA programs require it for admission; others do not. When it is required, the amount and type of experience vary significantly. In addition, gaining this experience requires student applicants to invest time and resources. Therefore, understanding the value of prior healthcare experience is crucial to informed, evidence-based, fair admissions practices.
“We want to make the [admissions] process as equitable as possible, without disadvantaging anyone based on socioeconomic context. At the same time, we want to admit candidates that have qualities that best predict success as future PAs,” Kanofsy said.
The team of researchers from different institutions in the US and Canada is delving into the perceptions related to prior healthcare experience from the perspectives of PA students, early career PAs, and admissions committee members. The goal is to align the admission process with research findings and inform best practices and future research.
AI in Training
Marshall’s project, “Assessment of AI-powered avatar in Physician Assistant/Associate training,” compares the use of AI-powered avatar patients in PA history-taking with standard training methods, such as using standardized patients (SPs). AI-powered avatars promise to deliver consistent information and eliminate many variables. Marshall seeks to determine whether AI avatars are usable in history-taking and whether the experience feels realistic enough to be an effective teaching tool. If it is effective and affordable, AI-powered avatars could train students in various clinical skills, especially history-taking and patient education skills, and enhance PAs’ ability to provide high-quality care to patients from different backgrounds.
Marshall recognizes that AI avatars have the potential to teach simple and complex skills, as well as provide a “unique clinical experience which ordinarily would be difficult to obtain.”
In addition, certain medical specialties require unique skills or experiences, and difficulty gaining the needed experience could create barriers to practice and access to care. This project could help provide unique and targeted training for PAs and PA students to learn in a risk-free environment and practice in more diverse settings while enhancing patient care and patient satisfaction.
Both Kanofsky and Marshall expressed their appreciation for the support of the Don Pedersen Research Grants Program. PAEA also thanks Don Pedersen, PhD, PA-C, and Kathy Pedersen, MPAS, PA-C, for their generous and ongoing support of PA researchers.
Kanofsky and Marshall encourage their colleagues to apply for available grants and encourage them not to fear failure. The transparent process and the feedback provided to them helped to improve their previous grant submissions. PAEA looks forward to working with them.
Marshall also emphasized the importance of “having a good relationship and working closely with the grants office in your institution is key to making the application a success.”
The next Don Pedersen Research Grant application cycle will open this spring. If you have any questions about PAEA research grants and support programs, contact us at Research@PAEAonline.org or call 703-651-8540.
