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Research Snapshot Theater: Professional Development and Education, Adult I

Physician Assistant Confidence Improvement in Critical Care Management After Standardized Training

Sunday, March 22, 2026
9:45 AM - 10:45 AM Central Time
Location: Connections Central - RST 15
Introduction: Since the founding of the first Physician Assistant (PA) program in 1965, the role of PAs has shifted dramatically. Their scope of practice has broadened and includes provision of care for critically ill patients. For over 30 years, the Society of Critical Care Medicine has delivered the Fundamental Critical Care Support (FCCS) Course to provide multidisciplinary education for diagnosis and management of patients with critical illness. Our goal was to assess changes in PA confidence in management of critical illness after exposure to the FCCS course.


Methods: Between May 2018 and November 2019, PAs (both practicing and students) enrolled in our institution’s FCCS course were asked to participate in a study exploring the effects of FCCS education. Using 5-point Likert scales, critical care confidence was assessed in 11 domains pre-course, post-course, and after a 3-month follow-up period. Statistical analysis was performed using a combination of parametric and non-parametric methods. Demographics and opinions on the effectiveness of course participation were also collected.


Results: Overall, a total of 38 PAs participated in the course during the study period and enrolled in the study. Thirty (78.9%) completed the post-course survey with demographic information and 24 (63.2% of total) completed the 3-month follow-up. Characteristics of the 30 participants included: 24 females (80%) with a mean age of 30 years; 17 students (56.7%); 4 post-graduate PA fellows (13.3%); and 9 practicing PAs with a mean of 2.4 years of experience (30%). Participant total confidence in critical care assessment and management increased by a mean of 8.41, p< 0.0001 after course completion. The increases were significant over all 11 domains of course content. Analysis at 3 months post-course demonstrated the increased confidence persisted in all domains. Overall, 25 participants completing the post-course evaluation (86.2%) rated the course content as helpful in their practice and 26 (89.7%) would recommend the course to others.


Conclusions: Physician Assistant confidence in the assessment and management of critical illness increased significantly after FCCS participation. Further study is needed to investigate if this increased confidence translates to improvement in patient care and outcomes.