Substance Use Among Physician Assistant Students: A National Study on the Prevalence of Alcohol, Tobacco, Illicit Substances, and Medication Use.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to discover the substance use prevalence among physician assistant students (PA-S) compared with the age-relevant general US population and to examine the frequency of stress, burnout, anxiety, and depression during the didactic and clinical phases, while accounting for the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: A 20-item survey instrument was created. Self-reported data included demographics, anxiety, burnout, tobacco, illicit substances, and prescription medication use.