A Survey of Physician Assistant Admissions Interview Practices: Establishing Key Evaluation Variables

Interview practices of Physicians Assistant (PA) educational programs were compared in a national study of 43 such programs, using a four-page, 16-item mailed survey. Of these, 41 conducted interviews, but the number of interviews required and the interview formats used varied greatly. Thirty-seven programs who interviewed met with candidates one at a time. A slight majority (58%) of the programs interviewed applicants only once or twice. A surprisingly large number (41.5%) of the PA programs require three or more interviews. Some programs had highly structured interviews; other were much more loosely structured. Many preferred a somewhat structured interview with allowance made for spontaneous questions. Interviewers typically are PA program faculty members. No conclusions about the efficiency of admissions interviewing can be drawn without more information. (SLD)