Evaluating the Clinical Implications of an Innovative Anatomy Lab Suturing Curriculum for Physician Assistant Students

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of a new suturing curriculum incorporated throughout the anatomy lab for Yale Physician Associate (YPA) students. METHODS: This controlled before-and-after study evaluated the class of 2017 (n = 39) as the control group and the class of 2018 (n = 37) as the intervention group. Suturing competency data were collected on all students from their clinical preceptor evaluations. Students completed surveys to measure perceived confidence in suturing skills. RESULTS: Preceptor evaluations showed a 14.98% increase in suturing competence between the control and intervention groups (P < .05). Student surveys showed no significant difference in self-perceived confidence in suturing skills between the 2 cohorts. CONCLUSIONS: After initiation of an innovative anatomy lab suturing curriculum, YPA students demonstrated improvement in preceptor-perceived suturing competency during clinical rotations.