Program

Physician Assistant M.S.

Year Approved

2017

First Advisor

Hanson, Christy

Abstract

The demand for healthcare providers such as Physician Assistants is ever increasing with the growing and aging United States population. The number of Physician Assistant education programs as well as practicing Physician Assistants is growing at an astronomical rate, making the general population’s understanding of this profession more important than ever. Therefore, this study is aimed at assessing the degree of understanding of the Physician Assistant profession across the Twin Cities metro and south central Minnesota. It also assesses if a gap in understanding exists across age groups within these areas. The study utilized a web-based questionnaire consisting of 12 original questions, distributed via the online database Survey Monkey in order to assess this population’s understanding of the Physician Assistant profession. A total of 145 participants completed the questionnaire with 33 participants in the 18-35-year-old age group, 66 participants in the 36-55-year-old age group, and 46 participants in the >55-year-old age group. On average, participants scored 58% in the 18-35-year-old age group, 56% in the 36-55-year-old age group, and 59% in the >55-year-old age group. Data analysis revealed an insufficient knowledge of the PA profession for each of the three age groups studied. Additionally, there was no correlation found between age group and knowledge of the PA profession.

Degree Name

Masters of Science in Physician Assistant

Document Type

Masterʼs thesis

Included in

Primary Care Commons

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