From Clinician to Educator: How Doctoral Education Can Prepare Physician Associates to Teach

Alan Heckman, DMSc, PA-C

Founding Program Director

Doctor of Medical Science Program

DeSales University

As doctoral education continues to expand within the physician associate (PA) profession, many programs have focused on preparing clinicians for leadership, healthcare systems management, and organizational strategy. While these areas are critically important, another need within the profession is becoming increasingly clear: preparing clinicians to become effective educators.

Across health professions education, it is commonly assumed that subject matter expertise is sufficient preparation for teaching. Clinicians with advanced degrees and significant professional experience often seek academic roles, where they are expected to educate the next generation of healthcare professionals.

Yet an important question often goes unaddressed.

Were these clinicians trained to teach?

In many cases, clinicians enter academic positions with deep expertise in their discipline but little formal preparation in educational methodology. They may have never been formally taught how to design learning objectives, develop meaningful assessments, construct high-quality examination questions, or apply instructional strategies that promote active learning.

As a result, many higher education professionals develop their teaching abilities through experience rather than through structured educational programs. While some clinicians become exceptional teachers through mentorship and practice, others rely on the instructional models they experienced as students. The result can sometimes be an environment in which information is delivered effectively, but learning is not always intentionally designed.

The distinction between presenting information and facilitating learning is an important one.

Teaching requires more than expertise in a subject. It requires an understanding of how students learn, how to design meaningful learning experiences, and how to evaluate whether those learning objectives have been achieved. Instructional methodology, curriculum development, assessment design, and educational technology are all components of effective teaching that often receive little attention in traditional clinical training.

As physician associates increasingly serve as faculty members, clinical preceptors, and academic leaders within academic programs, the need for structured preparation in educational practice continues to grow.

This challenge helped shape the development of the Medical Education track within the Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) program at DeSales University.

Rather than assuming that excellent clinicians automatically become effective educators, the Medical Education track was designed to provide PAs with the tools and training necessary to succeed in teaching roles across academic and clinical environments.

Within the program, students explore key principles of educational practice, including instructional methodology, curriculum design, learner assessment, and strategies for engaging adult learners.

Within the track, students also engage in coursework specifically designed to build practical teaching skills. Courses such as Instructional Methodologies for Health Professions, Technology in the Classroom, and Healthcare Program Assessment and Improvement focus on the mechanics of effective instruction—how to design lessons, integrate educational technology, evaluate learning outcomes, and continuously improve educational programs. These courses provide PAs with many of the same educational tools traditionally taught in formal teacher preparation programs, but adapted specifically for the needs of health professions education.

Students examine how learning objectives are developed and aligned with instructional activities and assessment strategies. They learn how to construct effective examination questions and how to evaluate student performance using both formative and summative assessment methods. The program also explores the role of technology in modern classrooms and how digital tools can enhance the educational experience for learners.

Equally important, the Medical Education track recognizes that teaching within healthcare does not occur exclusively in the classroom.

Physician associates routinely serve as educators in clinical settings, mentoring students during clinical rotations, guiding junior clinicians, leading simulation experiences, and participating in continuing education activities. These environments present unique teaching challenges that require an understanding of how to facilitate learning in fast-paced and complex clinical settings.

By integrating educational theory with practical application, the DeSales DMSc Medical Education track seeks to prepare clinicians not only to teach, but to teach effectively.

This preparation is particularly important as the number of PA programs continues to grow across the United States. Expanding educational programs require qualified faculty and clinical educators who can help train the next generation of clinicians. Preparing experienced PAs to succeed in these roles requires more than clinical expertise alone.

It requires an understanding of teaching as a professional skill.

Doctoral education provides an opportunity to address this need by combining advanced clinical experience with formal preparation in educational practice. Programs such as the DeSales DMSc Medical Education track aim to help physician associates develop the skills necessary to become effective instructors, mentors, and educational leaders.

As the PA profession matures, the role of clinicians in academic medicine and health professions education will likely expand. Supporting these roles requires intentional preparation for teaching responsibilities that many clinicians encounter throughout their careers.

The goal is not simply to prepare clinicians to present information. It is to prepare them to become educators who can design meaningful learning experiences, mentor future clinicians, and contribute to the continued advancement of health professions education.

Because in the end, healthcare students deserve more than instructors who simply present information.

They deserve educators who understand how learning happens.