TY - JOUR
AU - Gutierrez Chavez
AU - K. Johnson
AU - J. Coombs
AU - K. T. Fortenberry
A1 - 
AB - INTRODUCTION: Primary care providers need to be able to effectively recognize and treat common mental health concerns. Foundational mental health training is typically embedded into physician assistant (PA) didactic training; while essential, students in didactic training may not yet recognize the relevance and clinical nuances of these presentations. To better prepare university-based PA students to address mental health in primary care, a 4-session interdisciplinary psychosocial skills enhancement group was developed for second-year students and conducted over 3 years. This weekly virtual group was facilitated by a doctoral-level student in clinical psychology and attended by PA students in their family medicine rotation (n = 204). Students presented patient cases, provided feedback to fellow students, developed case conceptualizations, and engaged in didactics. METHODS: After completing the group, participants received a survey assessing their satisfaction, perceived improvements in behavioral health knowledge and comfort, and suggestions for refining the group. Descriptive analyses and qualitative content analyses were conducted. RESULTS: Survey results were overall positive, indicating that students felt more prepared to treat behavioral health conditions and enjoyed having a group facilitator from outside their program with expertise in psychology. Qualitative results suggested the benefits of increased reflective practice, improved peer support, and appreciation for didactic psychosocial content. DISCUSSION: Given the prevalence of behavioral health concerns in primary care, incorporating an interdisciplinary training and supervision component may be an effective way of increasing clinical competencies, enhancing professional well-being, and better meeting future patient needs.
AD - Manuel Gutierrez Chavez, MS, is a graduate student at Department of Psychology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.; Kimberley Johnson, PhD, is a graduate student at Department of Psychology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.; Jennifer Coombs, PhD, PA-C, MPAS, is a professor (lecturer) at Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.; Katherine T. Fortenberry, PhD, is a professor (clinical) at Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.
AN - 40106677
BT - J Physician Assist Educ
C5 - Education & Workforce
DA - Mar 18
DO - 10.1097/jpa.0000000000000665
DP - NLM
ET - 20250318
JF - J Physician Assist Educ
LA - eng
N2 - INTRODUCTION: Primary care providers need to be able to effectively recognize and treat common mental health concerns. Foundational mental health training is typically embedded into physician assistant (PA) didactic training; while essential, students in didactic training may not yet recognize the relevance and clinical nuances of these presentations. To better prepare university-based PA students to address mental health in primary care, a 4-session interdisciplinary psychosocial skills enhancement group was developed for second-year students and conducted over 3 years. This weekly virtual group was facilitated by a doctoral-level student in clinical psychology and attended by PA students in their family medicine rotation (n = 204). Students presented patient cases, provided feedback to fellow students, developed case conceptualizations, and engaged in didactics. METHODS: After completing the group, participants received a survey assessing their satisfaction, perceived improvements in behavioral health knowledge and comfort, and suggestions for refining the group. Descriptive analyses and qualitative content analyses were conducted. RESULTS: Survey results were overall positive, indicating that students felt more prepared to treat behavioral health conditions and enjoyed having a group facilitator from outside their program with expertise in psychology. Qualitative results suggested the benefits of increased reflective practice, improved peer support, and appreciation for didactic psychosocial content. DISCUSSION: Given the prevalence of behavioral health concerns in primary care, incorporating an interdisciplinary training and supervision component may be an effective way of increasing clinical competencies, enhancing professional well-being, and better meeting future patient needs.
PY - 2025
SN - 1941-9430
ST - Psychology-Led Integration of Psychosocial Skills Groups Into Physician Assistant Student Family Medicine Training
T1 - Psychology-Led Integration of Psychosocial Skills Groups Into Physician Assistant Student Family Medicine Training
T2 - J Physician Assist Educ
TI - Psychology-Led Integration of Psychosocial Skills Groups Into Physician Assistant Student Family Medicine Training
U1 - Education & Workforce
U3 - 10.1097/jpa.0000000000000665
VO - 1941-9430
Y1 - 2025
ER -