A Qualitative Study of Physician Assistant Student Reflections in a Service-Learning Community Clinic and the Influence on Professional Identity Formation

Abstract

Introduction: Service learning is a commonly used teaching modality in physician assistant (PA) programs; however, the literature analyzing the written reflections of PA students who participate in these experiences is limited. The purpose of this study was to describe the experiences of PA students who participated in a service-learning clinic through analysis of their written reflections.

Methods: An exploratory qualitative research design, using conventional content analysis, was used to examine the reflections of both didactic and clinical-phase PA students who participated in a service-learning clinic between 2016 and 2020.

Results: The results demonstrate that these experiences contribute to the professional identity formation (PIF) of PA students, with faculty role modeling being an important facilitator in the process. Our analysis shows that students, regardless of their role in the clinic, reported a positive experience, and the reflections showed elements of PIF.

Discussion: Service-learning clinics play an important role in the PIF for PA students, with role modeling by faculty clinicians being an important facilitator in this process.