Why The Teaching Matters Program

Over the past 24 years of working in PA education, I have become acutely aware of the challenges faced by practicing PA’s as they make the transition to teaching. I know sometimes it can feel isolating, especially when you are new. One of my goals in creating this web page is to provide a way for PA educators across the country and abroad to continue to learn and interact with each other. I have been asked countless times by new and experienced faculty, “How do I learn this stuff? Where do I go to learn how to be a good teacher because I really want to do this well?”

My passion for this work also led to my doctoral research that explored what supported and challenged the transition from clinician to an educator. What emerged were the struggles and the realization by many that they did not have the knowledge, training, or experience needed to hit the ground running. However, that is what most were expected to do. The reality is that PA training prepares us to be clinicians, not educators. Research from within our profession shows that most PA faculty come from clinical practice with little or no formal training or experience in teaching or education (Graeff, Leafman, Wallace & Stewart, 2014; Graham & Beltyukova, 2015; Physician Assistant Education Association [PAEA], 2018), and two of the consistent barriers to hiring PA faculty is a lack of qualified candidates and lack of teaching experience (PAEA, 2018). I hope to change this.

Whatever the reason that led you to leave clinical practice for PA education I suspect you have found yourself adrift in an unfamiliar sea of expected roles and responsibilities for which you may feel ill-prepared not to mention surprised or even shocked at what happens on the other side of education - the faculty side. If so, I created The Teaching Matters Program for PA Educators™ with you in mind.

Although I still greatly enjoy teaching students, I have decided to turn my focus and energy to finding ways to support, inspire, and encourage PA faculty. Thus my goal in creating this program is to create a go-to place for PA faculty. A place for sound information, helpful resources, and practical based faculty development offerings to help you to become the very best you can be as a teacher and educator. I also want to create a community where you can go to have questions answers, ask for help, or get support from the amazing and growing numbers of PA educators. I see education and teaching as a team sport. We do better – together.

My fourth grade teacher was the first of many teachers who changed my life, who made a difference. It was not until years later that I understood just how influential she and my other teachers were in my life. I know that I would not be where or who I am today if it had not been for them. So I dedicated my life and my work to do for others what my teachers did for me. They touched my life, they opened my heart, and they made a profound difference. 

That is why I hold a deep reverence and respect for the role of teacher, and research shows that teachers are the most influential factor when it comes to student learning (Tucker & Stronge, 2005). So teaching and the teacher matter!

Each day we have the opportunity to touch a life, open a heart, and make a difference. It’s a wonderful and challenging responsibility. I thank you for being here and thank you for being a teacher. 

 References

 Graeff, E. C., Leafman, J. S., Wallace, L. & Stewart, G. (2014). Job satisfaction levels of physician assistant faculty in the United States. Journal of Physician Assistant Education, 25(2), 15-20.

Graham, K., & Beltyukova, S. (2015). Development and initial validation of a measure of intention to stay in academia for physician assistant faculty. Journal of Physician Assistant Education, 26(1), 10-18. doi:10.1097/JPA.0000000000000012

Physician Assistant Education Association. (2018). By the Numbers: Program Report 33: Data from the 2017 Program Survey, Washington, DC: PAEA; 2018. doi:10.17538/PR33.2018

Tucker, P. D., and Stronge, J. H. (2005). Linking teacher evaluation and student learning. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.