Statement of the PA Clinical Doctorate Summit
The PA Clinical Doctorate Summit was held on March 25-27 in Atlanta, Georgia. The 45 participants represented a diverse group of practicing PAs, PA educators, PA students, physicians from allopathic and osteopathic medicine, workforce experts, and representatives of physical therapy, nursing, and other professions. The summit participants were charged to address the question, "Is the clinical doctorate appropriate to the profession as an entry-level degree, as a postgraduate degree, or not at all?"
The PA Clinical Doctorate Summit Final Report and Summary is now available. A preliminary statement on the results of the summit including recommendations can be found on the Partnership page. A virtual record of the summit can be found on the Innovation Labs Web site. Read Doug Scott's article PA Doctorate Summit Tackles the Degree Issue which includes quotes from AAPA President Cindy Lord and PAEA President Justine Strand.
AAPA's Professional Education and Development Council (formerly known as the Education Council) is dedicated to ensuring that PAs have the appropriate knowledge, skills and abilities to deliver the highest quality patient care.
Competencies for the Physician Assistant ProfessionInformation about Professional Competence and Clincial Competencies
The Institute of Medicine's report on the future of health professions education lists five core competencies in which all health care providers should be proficient:
- providing patient-oriented care
- working in interdisciplinary teams
- practicing evidence-based medicine
- applying quality improvement approaches
- using information technologies
Similarly, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has identified six competencies it believes that medical residents should attain during their training:
- Patient care, including clinical reasoning
- Medical knowledge
- Practice-based learning and improvement (including information management)
- Interpersonal and communication skills
- Professionalism
- System-based practice
AAPA papers on competence:
- Into the Future: Physician Assistants Look to the 21st Century: A Strategic Plan for the Physician Assistant Profession
- Professional Competence - A Position Paper prepared by the Education Council of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (Adopted 1996)
- AAPA Resources on Education
