Challenges of Clinical Education.

As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the physician assistant (PA) profession and specifically PA education, think of the tens of thousands of clinical preceptors who were or currently still are involved in the education of PA students. The clinical phase of PA programs has become the rate-limiting issue in PA education. For decades, developing clinical education sites was relatively easy. Over the last decade, rapid expansion in medical, nurse practitioner, and PA education programs has resulted in greater challenges in obtaining necessary clinical training sites. This article attempts to address several of the current challenges in PA clinical education.