Event Title
An Assessment of Emergency Preparedness and Disability Training in Physician Assistant Programs and Medical Schools in the Midwest
Description
PURPOSE: Individuals with disabilities frequently require increased medical attention over their lifetime (Seidel & Crowe, 2017). Having properly trained medical professionals that know how to interact and treat individuals with disabilities is imperative, along with having healthcare professionals who are trained in emergency preparedness when times of disaster hits. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the curriculum of Physician Assistant (PA) and Medical school (Doctor of Medicine (MD) and Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO)) for education about disabilities and emergency preparedness. SUBJECTS: Forty-three PA programs and 19 MD programs in the Midwest. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The study sent out an electronic survey, through Qualtrics, to the deans and program directors of accredited PA and Medical schools in the Midwest. The survey contained two sections. The first section addressed questions about the education of PAs and MDs regarding emergency preparedness and disabilities. The second section of the survey contained demographic questions. ANALYSES: The data was analyzed through statistical analysis software (SAS). A cross-tabulation was conducted to analyze the data further and to compare whether or not emergency preparedness and disability education were incorporated into the curriculum by state. RESULTS: A majority of the responses showed that programs do have lectures that address emergency/disaster preparedness and disabilities. CONCLUSIONS: A majority of programs lack a graduate-level track or concentrations, dual-degrees, or extracurricular opportunities related to emergency preparedness/disaster and disabilities. A majority of the programs respond that they have lectures that specifically address these topics, gives insight that students are exposed to this curriculum.
An Assessment of Emergency Preparedness and Disability Training in Physician Assistant Programs and Medical Schools in the Midwest
PURPOSE: Individuals with disabilities frequently require increased medical attention over their lifetime (Seidel & Crowe, 2017). Having properly trained medical professionals that know how to interact and treat individuals with disabilities is imperative, along with having healthcare professionals who are trained in emergency preparedness when times of disaster hits. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the curriculum of Physician Assistant (PA) and Medical school (Doctor of Medicine (MD) and Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO)) for education about disabilities and emergency preparedness. SUBJECTS: Forty-three PA programs and 19 MD programs in the Midwest. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The study sent out an electronic survey, through Qualtrics, to the deans and program directors of accredited PA and Medical schools in the Midwest. The survey contained two sections. The first section addressed questions about the education of PAs and MDs regarding emergency preparedness and disabilities. The second section of the survey contained demographic questions. ANALYSES: The data was analyzed through statistical analysis software (SAS). A cross-tabulation was conducted to analyze the data further and to compare whether or not emergency preparedness and disability education were incorporated into the curriculum by state. RESULTS: A majority of the responses showed that programs do have lectures that address emergency/disaster preparedness and disabilities. CONCLUSIONS: A majority of programs lack a graduate-level track or concentrations, dual-degrees, or extracurricular opportunities related to emergency preparedness/disaster and disabilities. A majority of the programs respond that they have lectures that specifically address these topics, gives insight that students are exposed to this curriculum.