Gregory P Victorino1, Claude H Organ. 1. Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, East Bay, Oakland 94602, USA.
Abstract
HYPOTHESIS: We hypothesized that physician assistants (PAs) will decrease surgery resident work hours and improve resident work outlook. DESIGN: Surgical resident survey. SETTING: A county hospital in a university-based surgical residency program. PARTICIPANTS: Surgery residents who switched (or "rotated") to the county hospital were polled monthly for 6 months after using PAs as team members on the surgical services. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Resident work hours and work outlook. RESULTS: Surgery resident hours were significantly decreased by the fourth, fifth, and sixth months after PAs joined the surgical services. Despite what these data on resident hours suggest, 6 (60%) of 10 residents believed that the PAs had no influence on the amount of time the residents spend in the hospital. Six (60%) of 10 residents thought the PAs decreased stress levels and 6 (60%) of 10 residents thought the PAs helped to improve morale. CONCLUSIONS: Physician assistants can have a positive influence on graduate surgical education programs. Physician assistants can help decrease surgery resident work hours and improve resident work outlook.
HYPOTHESIS: We hypothesized that physician assistants (PAs) will decrease surgery resident work hours and improve resident work outlook. DESIGN: Surgical resident survey. SETTING: A county hospital in a university-based surgical residency program. PARTICIPANTS: Surgery residents who switched (or "rotated") to the county hospital were polled monthly for 6 months after using PAs as team members on the surgical services. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Resident work hours and work outlook. RESULTS: Surgery resident hours were significantly decreased by the fourth, fifth, and sixth months after PAs joined the surgical services. Despite what these data on resident hours suggest, 6 (60%) of 10 residents believed that the PAs had no influence on the amount of time the residents spend in the hospital. Six (60%) of 10 residents thought the PAs decreased stress levels and 6 (60%) of 10 residents thought the PAs helped to improve morale. CONCLUSIONS: Physician assistants can have a positive influence on graduate surgical education programs. Physician assistants can help decrease surgery resident work hours and improve resident work outlook.
Authors: Tao Wang; Benson Wong; Alexander Huang; Prateek Khatri; Carly Ng; Melissa Forgie; Joel H Lanphear; Peter J O'Neill Journal: BMC Med Educ Date: 2011-08-25 Impact factor: 2.463