Mapping the public health competency coverage of global physician associate (PA) and PA comparable profession education curricula using LOOOP curriculum mapping tool
1
1. Institute of Research in Health Sciences Education, Faculty of Health Sciences Brandenburg, Brandenburg Medical School Theodor Fontane, Neuruppin, Germany
2
2. Executive Board, International Academy of Physician Associate Educators, Lewes, Delaware, United States
3
3. Institute of Medical Informatics, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
4
4. Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care CCM/CVK, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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5. Department of Neonatology, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A1131
ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT:
Physician associate (PA) and PA comparable professions have delivered medical care and public health services globally for over a century1, yet comparative evidence on their educational preparation remains limited. This study references 68 countries with PA and analogue education programs2 without a shared international framework for learning objectives, assessment, or competency outcomes. We describe the development of an international PA curriculum map within the ‘LOOOP Network for Research in Health Sciences Education’ using the ‘Learning Opportunities, Objectives, and Outcomes Platform’ (LOOOP) as a digital tool for data collection and analysis.3 The study aims to map international PA curricula to standard educational variables and public health competencies outlined in the WHO Global Competency Framework.4 International PA educators with LOOOP Network adapted the web based platform for cross country curriculum mapping. Using the WHO Global Competency and Outcomes Framework for Universal Health Coverage, the team mapped 24 competencies across six domains including essential public health functions relevant to PA and PA comparable roles. Data captured included degree type, courses, credits, teaching formats, medical content, learning objectives, assessments, MeSH indexing to support curricular standardization and comparison. 46 curricula have been collected to date. Thirteen countries are 100% mapped, with an additional 10 countries at various stages of completion. Early analysis demonstrates LOOOP effectively integrates diverse curricular elements despite variation in credit systems and levels of learning objective detail. The platform enables comparison across national curricula, highlighting both similarities and divergences. Preliminary findings indicate broad coverage of public health competencies within the WHO Global Competency Framework. This research outlines the development and early findings of an international curriculum mapping initiative for PAs. The LOOOP platform demonstrates effectiveness in comparing global curricular data. The results support alignment of PA and PA comparable curricula with essential public health competencies defined by the WHO Global Competency Framework.
Physician associate (PA) and PA comparable professions have delivered medical care and public health services globally for over a century1, yet comparative evidence on their educational preparation remains limited. This study references 68 countries with PA and analogue education programs2 without a shared international framework for learning objectives, assessment, or competency outcomes. We describe the development of an international PA curriculum map within the ‘LOOOP Network for Research in Health Sciences Education’ using the ‘Learning Opportunities, Objectives, and Outcomes Platform’ (LOOOP) as a digital tool for data collection and analysis.3 The study aims to map international PA curricula to standard educational variables and public health competencies outlined in the WHO Global Competency Framework.4 International PA educators with LOOOP Network adapted the web based platform for cross country curriculum mapping. Using the WHO Global Competency and Outcomes Framework for Universal Health Coverage, the team mapped 24 competencies across six domains including essential public health functions relevant to PA and PA comparable roles. Data captured included degree type, courses, credits, teaching formats, medical content, learning objectives, assessments, MeSH indexing to support curricular standardization and comparison. 46 curricula have been collected to date. Thirteen countries are 100% mapped, with an additional 10 countries at various stages of completion. Early analysis demonstrates LOOOP effectively integrates diverse curricular elements despite variation in credit systems and levels of learning objective detail. The platform enables comparison across national curricula, highlighting both similarities and divergences. Preliminary findings indicate broad coverage of public health competencies within the WHO Global Competency Framework. This research outlines the development and early findings of an international curriculum mapping initiative for PAs. The LOOOP platform demonstrates effectiveness in comparing global curricular data. The results support alignment of PA and PA comparable curricula with essential public health competencies defined by the WHO Global Competency Framework.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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