Perceived Barriers Within the Pre-PA Population

Purpose Currently, the Physician Assistant (PA) profession consists primarily, and disproportionately, of Caucasians and females. The disparity in representation of minority groups amongst practicing PAs must be addressed at the level of PA educational programs as they are the only access to join the profession. Therefore, this research survey was given to potential future PA students at James Madison University, to identify the perceived barriers that diverse applicants face when trying to attend PA programs. Methods From September, 2023 through December, 2023, undergraduates from James Madison University (JMU), Christopher Newport University (CNU), and George Mason University (GMU) interested in applying to PA school, as well as applicants to JMU’s PA program who interviewed with the school from September to December, 2023 were invited to complete an optional anonymous online survey through QuestionPro with the caveat that they must be 18 years old to participate. The study was approved by the institutional review board of JMU. Results Those who identified as lower socioeconomic status were not concerned about bias in admission. However, they viewed application and GRE cost as barriers. Those who identified as diverse in terms of gender/sexual orientation had no significant concern for bias in admission. Regarding those who identified as racially/ethnically diverse, they were not concerned about bias during the admission process. Furthermore, they perceived their diversity as helpful toward their admission. Those who identified as diverse based on their physical/mental abilities perceived that these abilities would hinder their admission to PA school. Those who identified as religiously diverse believed that their diversity would be helpful toward their PA school admission. Conclusions Those who identified as diverse in the various categories of this study were not found to be more concerned about bias than those in non-diverse groups. However, some of these categories viewed that their admission to PA school would be helped due to their diversity including individuals that identified as racially/ethnically and religiously diverse. The only category of individuals that identified as diverse and believed it would hinder their admission are those identified as diverse based on their physical and mental abilities. PA programs that wish to further diversify their programs should consider the viewpoints of diverse applicants during the admissions process and ensure that how they represent themselves is inclusive to all.