Unseen Influences in Physician Assistant Education: Exploring Latent Factors in Supervised Clinical Practice Experiences

Findings indicate that standardized exams assess a common knowledge or clinical reasoning construct, while preceptor evaluations capture rotation-specific dimensions. This may be due to context-dependent performance and interpersonal/professional behaviors, distinct from test-based knowledge. These findings have implications for programs and stakeholders. Future work should examine environmental and evaluator influences and incorporate additional noncognitive domains.