Physician assistant dual employment

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Objective:Employment analyses demonstrate that physician assistants (PAs) exhibit role flexibility in US medicine. The next step in understanding this labor-shifting observation is to know at what career stage it first occurs.Methods:Using matriculate data linked to the American Academy of PAs (AAPA) census survey data, a longitudinal analysis of seven graduate cohorts revealed that one-third of PAs changed specialty roles at least once during their first decade of employment.Results:From this series, it appears that new PAs spend about 3.4 years in their first job, on average, before they decide to move to another medical or surgical field. In examining PAs who changed their clinical role during this time period, 28% shifted from primary care to another medical or specialty role. Overall, the PA career movement to nonprimary care specialties increased substantially.Conclusions:These findings support observations that PAs provide an adaptive role in a dynamic and changing medical workforce.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Retention and change in PAs' first years of employment

Quella¹,

Hooker²,

Zobitz³

2021

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“… 19 This study of military PAs was undertaken with the intent to set the stage for a more refined examination of the dual employment role of PAs. 20 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The questions posed to the various sources of information on PAs in the reserve components were brief and details of answers were set aside for more granular examination of roles and duality of PA careers. 20 …”

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

PAs in the National Guard and Reserves

Hooker¹,

Kozikowski²,

Paul³

2021

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The role of physician assistants (PAs) in the United States extends to the Army National Guard; Air National Guard; and reserves of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard (collectively known as reserve components). To understand the duality of civilian-military PA roles, a census of the armed forces was undertaken, drawing on knowledgeable senior PA medical officers in each of the services. The survey was supplemented with data from the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants. In 2020, there were 1,944 PAs in the five military reserve components with the majority (1,597) in the Army. Most National Guard, Air National Guard, and Reserve PAs fill medical officer roles, drill with units, and are subject to active duty. As soldiers, sailors, and airmen, military PAs are trained in health, safety, warfare readiness, casualty, trauma, and crisis response. The tenure of a reserve component PA in the military ranged between 10.2 and 17.8 years. In their civilian roles, most PAs are licensed and clinically active—the majority report they work in family/general medicine, emergency medicine, general surgery, or orthopedic medicine and surgery. This dual-career role and responsibility suggests the utility and flexibility of the PA is broader than previously reported. The findings set the stage for additional research on healthcare professionals during times of domestic and international emergencies.

“…The 15,771 PA respondents reported their primary job, but other NCCPA survey work has revealed that 14% may have a different secondary clinical job 14. Thus, the number of certified PAs reported in any of the specialty areas could be underreported.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

PA practice analysis

Barnhill

Dallas

Mauldin

et al. 2018

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In conducting its practice analysis, the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants incorporated new approaches in 2015. Twelve groups of PAs identified knowledge, tasks, and skills required for practice not only in primary care, but also in 11 practice focus areas (specialties). In addition, a list of diseases and disorders likely to be encountered was identified for each specialty. A representative sample of 15,771 certified PAs completed an online algorithm-driven survey and data were analyzed to determine how practice is the same for all PAs and how it differs depending on the practice focus. Larger differences between PAs in different specialties were seen in the frequency ratings of diseases and disorders encountered than for ratings of task, knowledge, and skill statements. Distinctions between PAs in primary care and those in other specialties were more pronounced, as the specialty was more divergent from primary care.