Assessing Student-Reported Perceptions of Prerequisite Usefulness in Preparation for Didactic Physician Assistant Education.

Introduction: To gain admittance to a physician assistant (PA) school, applicants must complete program-specific prerequisite courses and experiences. The lack of standardization contributes to complexity, expense, and limits diversity. This research assessed current didactic PA students' perceptions of prerequisite courses, course delivery methods, and direct patient care (DPC) experiences to determine which were perceived as the most useful in preparation for didactic PA education.

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.