Objective

1. Assess the APPs neurology experience prior to and during the Program.
2. Assess the Neurology Physician Faculty perceptions of the Program.
3. Determine perceived benefits by Neurology Physicians of the Program graduates.

Background

There is a current and projected shortage of Neurologists to meet the need of neurology services in the United States.¹ The use of Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) has been suggested as a possible way to meet the need of patient access.² While there are differences in the education of Physician Assistants (PA) and Nurse Practioners (NP, collectively APPs), both groups have little exposure to neurology during their initial training.  In 2016, the Department of Neurology at Duke established the first ever formalized training program for APPs in neurology.³ This study attempts to capture the experience of the Program APPs prior to and during their training as well as the perceptions of the Neurology Physician Faculty during and after their training.

Design/Methods

1. We surveyed the APP graduates of the Program and Physician Neurology Faculty involved in the Program.Additional questions were asked of Neurologists who subsequently became collaborating Physicians of the Program graduates.
2. Questions were a combination of standardized questions with a five point Likert scale and open ended qualifiers.

Results

Parametric testing of survey data and compilation of open ended comments.

Conclusions

There was little exposure to neurology in the initial training programs for APPs.  Additional conclusions will be made upon data analysis.