Abstract
Purpose. The purpose of the study was to identify specific factors that influence a student's decision to stay enrolled in current online postgraduate Physician Assistant programs. Methodology. A questionnaire was sent electronically to the sample of current online postgraduate Physician Assistant students in five participating programs (N = 127). Seventy-eight questionnaires were returned. Data were analyzed, using the Spearman rho correlation coefficient. Variables significant at the .05 level were discussed. Mean scores were also considered. Findings. (1) Most students felt that timely feedback from the instructor had a positive influence on their decision to stay enrolled, except for those with Certificate degrees, 50–54 year olds, Asian-Pacific Islanders, and Native Americans; (2) All respondents felt that tutoring provided for students in their program had a positive influence on their decision to stay enrolled, except for those with associate and advanced degrees, 45–59 year olds, and African and Native Americans; (3) Academic counseling had a positive influence on a student's decision to stay enrolled, but was not consistently available to all students in all programs; (4) Access to library resources had a positive influence on a student's decision to stay enrolled, and was particularly important to those with bachelor's degrees, women, Whites, Latino/Hispanics, and several age groups; (5) Obtaining financial resources to pay for their education was not a predictor of staying enrolled for all students, but it was particularly important for those with bachelor's degrees, females, and Whites in their decision to stay enrolled. Conclusions. (1) Colleges and universities should continue to offer support services that include timely feedback from the instructor, tutoring, academic counseling, and access to library resources to increase the likelihood that students will stay enrolled. (2) Colleges and universities should continue to offer financial resources that help students to pay their tuition in online postgraduate Physician Assistant programs to increase the likelihood that students will stay enrolled. Recommendations for future research. (1) Develop a case study that looks at the factors students and program faculty view as important to success or failure in the online program. (2) Conduct a study that looks specifically at what kinds of tutoring and academic counseling can help online postgraduate Physician Assistant students stay enrolled in these programs.