Is Racial Diversity Important When Applying to JMU Physician Assistant Program?
Faculty Advisor Name
Dr. Abby Massey, Ashley Skelly
Department
Department of Health Professions
Description
The Physician Assistant profession is predominantly female and Caucasian. In order to increase the diversity of the profession at the level of the workforce, it is necessary to examine PA programs' role as the entryway into the profession. To that end, this evaluation aimed at surveying current and future PA students at James Madison University to understand whether racial diversity of both the program's cohort and/or its faculty was a factor in their decision to apply and/or attend the school.
From September 2022 to December 2022, James Madison University Physician Assistant students from the 2022, 2023, and 2024 cohorts, as well as all JMU PA school applicants who were invited to and participated in the September-December 2022 interview process, and all current Fall 2022 JMU Pre-PA Club members were invited to complete an anonymous online survey using QuestionPro. Every member of the club was notified that this is an optional survey, and they must be over the age of 18 to complete the research. The study was approved by the institutional review board of James Madison University.
Is Racial Diversity Important When Applying to JMU Physician Assistant Program?
The Physician Assistant profession is predominantly female and Caucasian. In order to increase the diversity of the profession at the level of the workforce, it is necessary to examine PA programs' role as the entryway into the profession. To that end, this evaluation aimed at surveying current and future PA students at James Madison University to understand whether racial diversity of both the program's cohort and/or its faculty was a factor in their decision to apply and/or attend the school.
From September 2022 to December 2022, James Madison University Physician Assistant students from the 2022, 2023, and 2024 cohorts, as well as all JMU PA school applicants who were invited to and participated in the September-December 2022 interview process, and all current Fall 2022 JMU Pre-PA Club members were invited to complete an anonymous online survey using QuestionPro. Every member of the club was notified that this is an optional survey, and they must be over the age of 18 to complete the research. The study was approved by the institutional review board of James Madison University.
