The Globalization of PA Education

By James F. Cawley, MPH, PA-C
APAP Past President

It is a tribute to the soundness and attractiveness of the PA concept that we have seen a veritable flurry of activities recently related to the development of PA educational programs globally. Many of these activities have involved, quite logically, members of APAP and several of its committees. Moreover, we are also seeing a number of PA educators sought out by other countries and educational institutions for consultation and expertise in the development of PA educational curricula. A brief review of some of these activities is in order, so that all APAP members appreciate the full scope of the spread of the PA concept internationally.

APAP first became involved in the global aspects of PA education when it formed the Ad Hoc Committee on International Affairs in 2002. This committee, under the leadership of Kathy Pedersen, produced a white paper in 2003 which contained useful descriptions of global aspects of PA education including guidelines for PA students seeking to obtain portions of their training at overseas sites. The Report on the Findings of the Ad Hoc Committee on International Physician Assistant Education also included a number of specific recommendations, among them that a permanent international committee of the Association be formed. In 2004, the APAP Board of Directors established a permanent International Affairs Committee, under the able leadership of Chris Legler and Board Liaison Justine Strand.

It was also during this time that APAP began to receive regular inquiries from governments and overseas educational institutions expressing interest in developing PA educational programs. This led to the development of a resource guide titled, Physician Assistant Programs: A Guide For International Program Development. Earlier this year, APAP’s Federal Affairs Council put the final touches on this resource guide that provides detailed guidelines for the development of PA educational programs intended for institutions and governments in other countries who are interested in starting PA programs. This resource guide will soon be published and made available to interested parties.

There have been a number of APAP members involved in spreading the word regarding the PA concept and PA education around the world. Here are a few of the activities they have been involved in.

Earlier this year, an official delegation of APAP, led by Kirsten Thomsen, a faculty member at the George Washington University (GWU) PA Program and including Lisa Alexander and Marie-Michele Leger, visited South Africa and made an official presentation to a conference of South African health leaders.

For several years, Don and Kathy Pedersen of the University of Utah PA Program have led efforts to utilize PA services in Papua New Guinea and to establish educational experiences for students at sites in that country.

Chris Legler, formerly director of the Pacific University PA Program, has made a number of visits to China to consult on development of PA educational programs in that country.

PA faculty members David Fahringer of the University of Kentucky and William Fenn of Western Michigan University have been closely involved in consulting activities with educational institutions in Great Britain aimed at establishing PA programs there.

Richard Rohrs president elect of the American Academy of Physician Assistants, and an adjunct faculty member of both the Essex/Towson University PA Program and the George Washington University PA Program will be delivering the graduation address at the first PA educational program in the Netherlands. Previously, Kenneth Harbert of the University of St. Francis had made several visits to the Netherlands to help establish PA educational programs at two Dutch universities.

Roderick Hooker of the Department of Rheumatology of the University of Texas Southwestern and the Dallas Veterans Administration Hospital, and Laura Steutzer, faculty member at the St. Louis University PA Program and the associate director of the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistants (ARC-PA) participated in the formal evaluation of the PA program at the Canadian Forces Medical Services School Borden, Ontario, Canada, the first PA educational program in Canada. This summer, the program was formally accredited by the Canadian Medical Association and Canada became the second country to legally recognize the practice of PAs in the civilian sector.

In March 2004, I was fortunate to be a member of a delegation of American PAs (including Rod Hooker and Rick Rohrs) invited to visit Taiwan. At the invitation of Fooyin University, we gave several presentations to a large audience of Taiwanese health leaders and educators who are interested in establishing the PA profession in that country.

One of the more profound undercurrents of the surge in popularity of the PA concept and the interest in designing PA educational programs is the realization of the efficiency and flexibility of PA education. Most of these countries are seeking to adopt the concept into their health systems in order to fill specific health system needs. For instance, South Africa seeks to utilize PAs in the rural and medically underserved regions of the country, echoing the roots of the PA profession in the United States. In contrast, the PA concept in the Netherlands is focusing initially on training PAs for roles in cardiothoracic surgery. Thus, the PA concept is becoming increasingly recognized as an effective health workforce solution in many countries’ health systems, where PAs fit particular needs and fill specific roles. It is also gratifying that APAP and APAP members are extending their assistance to many of these nations and aiding in the global spread of the PA concept. Such activities are likely to continue and expand as the PA concept truly goes global.

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