|
|
CHA/PA Program
Research
The Physician Assistant faculty has received local and national grants for research and development of physician assistant education. This funding has focused on the creation and implementation of innovative teaching strategies including the use of technology.
In recent years projects have included: 1) The creation of a Web-based form and database used to gather information about third-year CHA/PA patient encounters. 2) The use of standardized patients to evaluate each student's clinical and behavioral skill development longitudinally over three years. 3) The establishment of an evidence-based Master's curriculum. This is a project-based curriculum whereby students identify a researchable question from their own clinical practice to be used as the central focus of their evidence-based review. Research has focused on the effectiveness of virtual student groups in facilitating mastery of evidence-based medicine concepts and skills. 4) An investigation of improved methods to maintain a high rate of minority, disadvantaged and rural student recruitment activities, while expanding these efforts through a community-based adolescent health education learning initiative. 5) The development of an infrastructure and data collection system for tracking longitudinal data, which identifies characteristics and trends of our applicant pool, matriculated students and program graduates in order to better understand the relationship between elements of the training process and graduate practice outcomes. 6) An investigation of improved diversity recruitment. 7) The care of adjudicated adolescents. 8) The development of a data collection system for matriculated students through graduates.
Objectives for currently funded projects include: 1) the enhancement of the existing rural track through additional linkages in a rural, underserved area in southwestern Colorado by developing new rotation sites, providing health promotion/disease prevention education and an enhanced cross-cultural curriculum; 2) the enhancement and evaluation of online problem-based learning and evidenced-based medicine curricula through the development of a cross-cultural case of adolescent obesity and new technological knowledge building tools for distance learning; and 3) the development, implementation and evaluation of a new web-based assessment tool and test bank.
Dr. Merenstein's research focuses on health provider education, rural track enhancement and faculty professionalism. Mary Arthur's research interests center on database use in educational programs. Anita Glicken is interested in faculty development, student assessment, evidence-based medicine and the psychosocial aspects of health care. Christina Robohm evaluates the recruitment and admission process, diversity and student assessment of knowledge. Sandra Hoops is interested in the assessment of student clinical skills. Cathleen Ruff evaluates service learning, rural track enhancement and faculty professionalism. Jane Gray's research focuses on physician assistant education.
|
|
