Locating and Analyzing Content in LibGuides Geared Towards Physician Assistant Students
03/06/2026 , Morrice-Lismer-Leduc
Langue: English

Introduction While the physician assistant (PA) role is not new in North America, there has been a proliferation of second entry and graduate-level academic programs within the past 10 years. Three out of six Canadian programs have begun in the five years alone. Providing library services to clinical students is central to evidence-based practice and fostering research confidence. Librarians may provide support through research and subject LibGuides (https://www.springshare.com/libguides). There are several studies analyzing LibGuides for other academic programs, yet few for PA studies. Indeed, there have only been three articles published by librarians investigating PA-specific information services in the past eight years, none of which are in the Canadian context. There is a need to scan what information is available to Canadian PA students so they can be better supported. Methods This analysis involved searching for Canadian university PA program-specific LibGuides to locate and report program specific content. Data was categorized and descriptive analysis conducted. Results Among Canadian university PA LibGuides, there is considerable overlap in content. Most guides share information on general medical sciences/foundations, access to textbooks, research support and literature review help, and clerkship. Some guides have sections for professional competencies and transition into practice (with exam and certification information). Discussion There are limited librarian-led investigations on PA-specific library content, programming, and services. Through identifying and analyzing LibGuide content that is currently available to Canadian PA students, we can pinpoint information gaps and address student needs. Further, in documenting what content is available today, we can have a baseline for future comparisons.

Karly Gunson (BA Hons., BHSc., MI) is an Assistant Librarian at the Leslie and Irene Dubé Health Sciences Library at the University of Saskatchewan. Karly works with other health science librarians to support the needs of students and researchers. She is currently collaborating with the USask College of Medicine, the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), and Saskatchewan Centre for Patient Oriented Research (SCPOR) on a pilot project for a rapid evidence synthesis (RES) service to provide clinicians, researchers, and policymakers with timely and relevant health information.

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