cultural competence. Recruitment from overseas would still require an induction and settlement process to understand the unique challenges of the New Zealand health context, and particularly Māori health and their unique position as tangata whenua. Clarity of the work environment, including limitations on prescribing rights and more consistent orientation at sites would also be helpful for supporting integration. Considerations for development the physician assistant role in New Zealand If the PA is to develop into a ‘homegrown’ role, feedback from the sites suggests that the following issues will need to be considered: Workforce need and key areas of development Regulation and medico-legal issues Professional development Training base Advocacy and networking These are discussed in more detail in the full report. We acknowledge that this is an area of much contention, in particular the implications of the PA role for the development of existing professions. When reviewing the findings from this evaluation it is important to consider the strengths and limitations of the design. The evaluation presented here presents a comprehensive evaluation design that draws on multiple data sources to identify the perspectives and experiences of the PAs, doctors, nurses, managers, business owners, administrators and patients. Unlike previous evaluations, the strength of the evaluation design is also further bolstered through the integration of this evidence with the findings from the existing administrative and service data. When assessing the quality of mixed methods designs it is also important to review the individual data collection methods and procedures. The specific strengths and limitations of each data set are discussed in Section 12. We also acknowledge that the evaluation was designed to provide insight into the PA role at a specific sample of sites across New Zealand. The evaluation was not designed to explore aspects of regulation, establishing training programmes or other steps that might be considered for a longer term approach to integrating the role. In this respect, the evaluation offers insights and considerations that warrant further exploration by HWNZ, the Advisory Group and the wider sector in light of any policy decisions or development of the role.
cultural competence. Recruitment from overseas would still require an induction and settlement process to understand the unique challenges of the New Zealand health context, and particularly Māori health and their unique position as tangata whenua. Clarity of the work environment, including limitations on prescribing rights and more consistent orientation at sites would also be helpful for supporting integration. Considerations for development the physician assistant role in New Zealand If the PA is to develop into a ‘homegrown’ role, feedback from the sites suggests that the following issues will need to be considered: Workforce need and key areas of development Regulation and medico-legal issues Professional development Training base Advocacy and networking These are discussed in more detail in the full report. We acknowledge that this is an area of much contention, in particular the implications of the PA role for the development of existing professions. When reviewing the findings from this evaluation it is important to consider the strengths and limitations of the design. The evaluation presented here presents a comprehensive evaluation design that draws on multiple data sources to identify the perspectives and experiences of the PAs, doctors, nurses, managers, business owners, administrators and patients. Unlike previous evaluations, the strength of the evaluation design is also further bolstered through the integration of this evidence with the findings from the existing administrative and service data. When assessing the quality of mixed methods designs it is also important to review the individual data collection methods and procedures. The specific strengths and limitations of each data set are discussed in Section 12. We also acknowledge that the evaluation was designed to provide insight into the PA role at a specific sample of sites across New Zealand. The evaluation was not designed to explore aspects of regulation, establishing training programmes or other steps that might be considered for a longer term approach to integrating the role. In this respect, the evaluation offers insights and considerations that warrant further exploration by HWNZ, the Advisory Group and the wider sector in light of any policy decisions or development of the role.
phase-ii-physician-assistant-demonstrations-evaluation-report-jul15.docx