| The purpose of this investigation was to determine how physician assistants (PAs) practicing in family/general practices in New Jersey perceive and enact their role as health educators. The PA field has a commitment to the role of health educator; however, there is no description of the role of health educator in practice. This study examined how PAs perceive and enact their health educator role, how they describe themselves and see themselves as being health educators, as well as how they enact that role. The principal research question is: How do physician assistants practicing in family/general practices in New Jersey perceive and enact their role as health educator? Given the importance of contextual factors that can shape practice this question was further fleshed out by the following sub-questions: (1) What experiences/education prepared these physician assistants for their role as patient educators in a family/general clinical practice setting? (2) What are the organizational barriers and/or supports physician assistants face as they work to enact their health educator role?;A qualitative approach using interviews of physician assistants, supervising physicians, and other office personnel was chosen because of the dearth of research on physician assistants and their health educator role. Eight physician assistants employed in four practices in four different locations across the state of New Jersey were interviewed. The interviews were transcribed and coded and emergent themes were analyzed. Two main approaches to health education were identified; Proactive and Reactive. Additionally, three practice approaches toward health education were identified; Proactive, Laissez-Faire, and As Needed..;Across the practices, health education was noted as important, but support for health education in practice varied from placing patient quotas on the PAs to designing a flexible and responsive practice. The strength of the influence of the individual's perception of his or her role enactment, particularly as it pertains to health education, may indicate that the practice context plays a part in this particular role enactment. If the PA strongly identifies with his or her role as health educator, he or she may engage in health education even though the practice does not support or encourage it. If the PA does not strongly identify with his or her role as health educator, he or she may seek a practice or practice type that does not value or require health education.;With regard to the problem of elucidating the perception and enactment of the health educator role of the physician assistant in the family/general practice, some clarity has emerged. One finding in this inquiry is that the perception and enactment of the health educator role of the physician assistant in a family/general practice is variable and, to some extent, dependent upon the individual physician assistant who can range from very interested in delivering health education to not interested in delivering health education. The health educator role of the PA may also be related to the way individual practices manage the PAs, including the ways the individual practices manage how the PAs provide health education even though the importance and value of the role of health educator was acknowledged by everyone interviewed for this inquiry, including the supervising physicians. |
