Central application service for PAs (CASPA) application and matriculation trends in race, ethnicity and gender 2002-2021
Creators: name: Sobia Shariff Hussaini
name: Coplan, Bettie
name: Gillette, Chris
name: Russell, Gregory B.
name: M Jane McDaniel
Publisher: name: F1000 Research Limited
Year: 2023

description: <b>Background</b><br> Prior studies have examined applicant and matriculation data from the first fifteen years of the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants/Associates (CASPA). CASPA is an online applicant portal where applicants can apply to multiple PA programs in the US. This study will identify Physician Associate (PA) applicant and matriculation trends regarding race and ethnicity data obtained from the first 20 years of the CASPA service in the United States. <br> <b>Summary Of Work</b><br> This is a retrospective analysis of CASPA data from all CASPA participating programs from 2002 to 2021. CASPA staff verified all applicant academic information. Beginning in 2007, the online CASPA Admissions Portal linked matriculant data with applicant data. This presentation will present trends for both applicants and matriculants in the areas of gender, race, and ethnicity from 2007 to 2021. <br> <b>Summary Of Results</b><br> We analyzed the CASPA data from 2007-2021 for applicant and matriculation trends. The percentages of male and female applicants and matriculants remained relatively constant during this period of time, with a slight increase in female applicants and matriculants and a slight decrease in male applicants and matriculants in the 2019-2021 application cycles, which was statistically significant. Examining race and ethnicity, between 2007 and 2021, the percentage of applicants and matriculants who identified as white (i.e., non-Hispanic white) declined from 70.34% to 55.09% and from 76.40% to 66.92% respectively. The percentage of applicants and matriculants who identified their race as Black/African American decreased from 2007 to 2016 but saw a steady increase in both applicants and matriculants from 2017 to 2021, with the percentage of Black/African American matriculants increasing slightly from 3.1% to 4.51%. During the period from 2007 to 2021, the percentage of applicants and matriculants that identified as Hispanic/Latino increased from 6.94% to 13.42% and 5.79% to 9.71% respectively. The percentage of white matriculants continues to exceed the percentage of white applicants each year, whereas the opposite occurs for all other races/ethnicities. There was an increasing trend in race or ethnicity not being reported between 2010 and 2018, with a significant decrease in non-reported data starting in 2019.<br> <b>Discussion And Conclusion</b><br> This twenty-year comprehensive analysis of the CASPA applicant and matriculant race, ethnicity and gender data will benefit the profession by providing historical information that faculty and policymakers can use as a basis for developing and evaluating future admissions policies and practices.<br> <b>Take Home Message</b><br> The PA profession continues to face challenges with minority representation, which has implications for caring for and treating diverse populations.