Professionalism in Physician Assistant Education: a Modified Delphi Study

Development of professional dispositions and behaviors is part of the professional training for physician assistant students. In addition to a sound knowledge base and technical skills, future physician assistants need professional and interpersonal skills in order to function competently in todays health care system. If physician assistant programs are to produce graduates who embrace and exemplify these professional and interpersonal skills, then we must have a better understanding of how we as a profession interpret the concept of professionalism. This book provides a perspective on professionalism that focuses on the behaviors of students. A consensus understanding of the behaviors of professionalism for physician assistant students was derived by polling the leaders in PA education via the Delphi technique. The resulting list of behaviors should be especially useful to physician assistant educators as they continue to develop their curricular efforts in the area of professionalism.