Evaluation of physician assistant student knowledge and perception of competence in palliative symptom management

PURPOSE: To assess the impact of the current curriculum for physician assistant (PA) students in palliative medicine and end-of-life care. METHODS: PA students were invited to participate in an anonymous online survey evaluating seven domains of knowledge in palliative medicine coupled with a self-assessment in competence. Participants were also asked to identify current and desired educational formats in palliative medicine education. There were 1,313 emailed surveys with 139 total responses. RESULTS: Our results demonstrate that a year of clinical training only resulted in minimal improvement in factual knowledge. This suggests that there is insufficient exposure to palliative medicine education during their clinical training. CONCLUSION: PA students recognize their knowledge gaps and lack of exposure in palliative medicine. A more focused curriculum is needed in training experiences for PA students.