| Sumario: | Introduction: Computer technology is certainly used in educational programs to teach, to communicate, and to streamline program administration, but little is known regarding the precise extent and manner in which physician assistant (PA) programs utilize this technology. Purpose: A survey of PA programs was undertaken to assess the status of computer-based educational technology in PA programs. Method: A 38-question survey was mailed to 126 PA programs to assess 5 domains of educational technology: program characteristics, administration, preclinical phase, clinical phase, and general assessment. Responses were entered into an Access database for tabulation and analysis. Selected data were compared with data from 1998. Results: Responses from 103 programs (82%) were received. All programs report currently using some type of educational technology, more commonly in the preclinical year than the clinical year. Most PA students have access to dedicated computer facilities. Presentation software for lectures, e-mail, Internet and Medline access, patient simulations, and various aspects of Web-based courseware are common uses of technology in the preclinical year. In the clinical year, the only application used by more than one third of the programs was e-mail communication. Fewer programs currently use technology to test or teach students at distant sites. More than half of the programs reported relative or complete independence in making technology-related decisions. Conclusions: PA programs are now using computer technology extensively. When current data is compared to data from 1998, the changes in technology use are occurring rapidly. Future research in efficacy and optimal use of technology by PA programs is warranted.
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