Team science in interdisciplinary health professions education research: a multi-institutional case study.

The interdisciplinary nature of health professions education requires exploration of problems by interdisciplinary research teams. Drawing on the Dynamics of Cross-disciplinary Research Development conceptual framework, this study explores the processes and experiences of an interdisciplinary research team, identifying elements of successful collaboration. Case study data were collected from a team of nine researchers from six universities.

Compliance With Accreditation Standards on Diversity: Is Institutional Support the Missing Link?

Introduction: The role of accreditation standards in fostering diversity and inclusion in academic programs remains poorly understood. Accreditation is one approach to increasing diversity through Standard A1.11.

Ready or Not: A Crossover Study of (Un)graded Individual Readiness Assurance Tests in Team-Based Learning.

Objective: This study aimed to measure the effects of graded vs ungraded individual readiness assurance tests (iRATs) on the students' test scores and achievement goals in a team-based learning classroom.

Methods: A 2 × 2 crossover study was conducted in a required second-year pharmacotherapy course. Teams 1 to 8 were assigned to a UG iRAT during the first half of the course, followed by a G iRAT the second half of the course (G/UG group).

Physician Assistant Faculty Perceptions Regarding Ongoing Self-assessment and Accreditation.

Purpose: While the processes of ongoing self-assessment and accreditation provide significant benefits to physician assistant (PA) programs, faculty members are often challenged by the required procedures and standards set by accreditation agencies. This study explored faculty perspectives regarding the processes of ongoing self-assessment and accreditation in PA programs.

Methods: A qualitative research design centered around semistructured interviews was used.

Exploring the impacts of learning modality changes: Validation of the learning modality change community of inquiry and self-efficacy scales.

The rapid learning environment transition initiated by the COVID-19 pandemic impacted students' perception of, comfort with, and self-efficacy in the online learning environment. Garrison's Community of Inquiry framework provides a lens for examining students' online learning experiences through three interdependent elements: social presence, cognitive presence, and teaching presence. Researchers in this study developed and validated the Learning Modality Change Community of Inquiry and Self-Efficacy scales to measure health professions students' self-efficacy with online learning, while exploring how cognitive, social, and teaching presence is experienced by students who transition from one learning environment to another.

Developing and evaluating an instrument to assess perceptions of an entry-level physician associate doctoral degree.

Background: Most health professions in the United States have adopted clinical or practice doctorates, sparking an ongoing debate on whether physician assistants/associates (PAs) should transition from a master's to a doctorate as the terminal degree for the profession. Although more studies are anticipated, there is no validated instrument assessing perceptions of various stakeholders regarding an entry-level PA doctoral degree. The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate a novel self-report measure to assess perceptions of an entry-level PA doctoral degree.

Forecasting the physician assistant/associate workforce: 2020-2035.

Background: Physician assistant/associates (PAs) are healthcare professionals whose roles expand universal access across many nations. PAs fill medical provider supply and demand gaps. Our paper reports a forecasting project to predict the likely census of PAs in the medical workforce spanning from 2020 to 2035.

Curriculum essentials of an entry-level PA doctoral degree.

Objectives: With increasing discussion of physician assistant (PA) doctoral education, investigation of curriculum essentials and competencies has become relevant.

Methods: We conducted a national mixed-methods study comprising a survey and semistructured interviews to capture stakeholders' views on essential curricular elements for PA doctoral education.

Results: If the PA profession decides to transition to a terminal doctoral degree, 75% of respondents indicated this would require new content, with half indicating it would require significant change to the curriculum, enhance PA educational rigor, and change the competencies of the new graduate.

A physician assistant entry-level doctoral degree: more harm than good?

Background: As most health professions in the United States have adopted clinical or practice doctorates, there has been an ongoing debate on whether physician assistants (PAs) should transition from a master's to a doctorate as the terminal degree. The authors examined perceived risks, benefits and impact of transitioning to an entry-level PA doctoral degree.

Methods: A multi-prong, mixed-methods approach was used that included a literature review and collecting quantitative and qualitative data using a survey and interviews.

Pathways from health beliefs to treatment utilization for severe depression.

Background: Untreated depression is associated with negative behavioral, psychosocial, and physical outcomes leading to socioeconomic costs, disability, and premature mortality. Research has not yet fully developed intervention models to increase the utilization of mental health treatments. The objective of the current study was to characterize the pathways linking health beliefs to treatment utilization among depressed young adults.

Police Violence among Adults Diagnosed with Mental Disorders.

Police violence is reportedly common among those diagnosed with mental disorders characterized by the presence of psychotic symptoms or pronounced emotional lability. Despite the perception that people with mental illness are disproportionately mistreated by the police, there is relatively little empirical research on this topic. A cross-sectional general population survey was administered online in 2017 to 1,000 adults in two eastern U.

Association of Exposure to Police Violence With Prevalence of Mental Health Symptoms Among Urban Residents in the United States.

Importance: Police violence is reportedly widespread in the United States and may pose a significant risk to public mental health.

Objective: To examine the association between 12-month exposure to police violence and concurrent mental health symptoms independent of trauma history, crime involvement, and other forms of interpersonal violence exposure.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cross-sectional, general population survey study of 1221 eligible adults was conducted in Baltimore, Maryland, and New York City, New York, from October through December 2017.

Sexual orientation and mental health among adults in four U.S. cities.

Sexual minorities have higher risk for psychological distress than heterosexual populations. However, this disparity remains under-studied in urban settings, and there likewise has been minimal prior research of potential interactions with gender and race/ethnicity. The present study aimed to examine mental health correlates of sexual minority identification in conjunction with gender and race/ethnicity.

Paranoid beliefs and realistic expectations of victimization: Data from the survey of police-public encounters.

Background: The anticipation of threat or victimization is a core feature of paranoia. Cognitive theories of paranoia suggest that paranoid thoughts may arise as a psychological response to trauma exposure, which likewise may lead to greater anticipation of subsequent victimization. Little is known, however, about the relation between paranoid beliefs and anticipated victimization when accounting for past victimization experience.

Police violence among women in four U.S. cities.

Police violence has been identified as a public health concern in the U.S., yet few studies have assessed the prevalence and nature of police violence among women.

Gender Differences in Patterns of Substance Use and Delinquency: A Latent Transition Analysis.

This study explores gender-specific patterns and transitions of adolescent substance use and delinquency in a sample of youths at ages 12, 15, and 18 ( = 803). Latent transition analysis identified "Primary Delinquent," "Delinquency and Substance Use," and "Low Risk" classes. Females were less likely to be in the "Primary Delinquent" class at age 12 than males.