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2004 AAPA Physician Assistant Census Report
Introduction Highlights of National Statistics List of Tables Subject Index
Introduction The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) was founded in 1968 and is the only national organization representing physician assistants (PAs) in all medical specialties. The Academy educates the general public about the PA profession, assures competency of PAs through active involvement in the accreditation of PA programs, provides continuing education, and conducts PA-related research. The Academy works to promote quality, cost-effective health care, and the professional and personal growth of PAs.
From 1990 to 1995, the AAPA conducted a census survey of its members. Beginning in 1996, the census survey was expanded to include those PAs who were not members of AAPA. While the survey instrument and the data collection process have undergone some revisions since the inception of the census, the general approach and data elements have remained much the same.
The data collection effort for the 2004 AAPA Physician Assistant Census was conducted between March 15 and September 15, 2004 . Survey forms were mailed to all individuals, both AAPA members and non-members, who were believed to be eligible to practice as PAs in the United States as of December 31, 2003 and for whom address information was available. Surveys were not mailed to individuals who had indicated on a previous Census that they were retired or working as a physician. In total, forms were mailed to 58,826 people - accounting for 95.0 percent of the 61,891 individuals eligible to practice as PAs. Completed surveys were received from 23,494 people, representing 38.0 percent of all individuals eligible to practice as PAs and 39.9 percent of the PAs who were mailed a survey form. Of the 30,019 AAPA members who were mailed a form, 16,138 (53.8%) responded; of the 28,807 non-members who were mailed a form, 7,356 (25.5%) responded. This document presents the responses received on the census survey and also includes certain static information derived from the AAPA Masterfile, such as sex, race, and age. It should be noted that these data have not been weighted or adjusted to account for non-response, the number of usable responses for each item varies due to item non-response, and that the percentages displayed in all tables may not sum to 100 due to rounding.
To facilitate locating specific items of interest, an index of the subjects addressed by the tables is provided in addition to a list of tables.
Highlights of National Statistics Section I. Characteristics of Respondents and Non-Respondents
- Sex:
Females accounted for 60 percent of the respondents to this year's census.
- Ethnicity:
White PAs comprise 88 percent of the respondents.
- Age:
The mean age of census respondents is 42 years; the median is 41.
- PA Education:
Half (50%) of respondents hold a bachelor's level PA degree; 22 percent of respondents hold a master's level PA degree.
- Types of Degrees Held:
Ninety-one percent of respondents hold a bachelor's degree or higher; thirty-five percent hold a masters degree. Only about two percent of respondents hold a doctoral degree.
- Age at Time of Graduation from PA School:
The mean age at time of graduation from PA school was 31 years; the median was 29.
- Years Since Graduation from PA School:
The mean number of years since graduation from PA school for census respondents is 11; the median is 7.Section II. Professional Status of Respondents
- Practice Status:
The vast majority of respondents (89%) are in clinical practice.
- Current Profession:
Four percent of respondents reported working as a PA educator. This was the most common professional activity other than providing clinical services as a PA.Section III: Information about Respondents in Clinical Practice
- Number of Clinical PA Jobs:
Eighty-five percent of respondents reported working exactly one clinical PA job; 15 percent work more than one clinical PA job concurrently.
- Employer Type:
More than four in ten respondents (43%) are employed by a single or multi-specialty physician group practice while 22 percent are employed by hospitals and 14 percent are employed by solo physician offices.
- Government Employment:
About 10 percent of respondents work for some type of government agency. The Department of Veterans' Affairs is the single largest government employer of PAs accounting for just over two percent of respondents; state governments collectively employ about two percent of this year's respondents.
- Primary Work Setting:
The most prevalent "primary" work setting, reported by 37 percent of respondents, is a hospital; the hospital departments cited most frequently as primary settings are hospital emergency rooms (10%), hospital inpatient units (9%), hospital outpatient units (8%), and hospital operating rooms (7%). Physician group practices are the primary work setting for 29 percent of respondents; 20 percent report working in a single-specialty group practice and 9 percent report working in a multi-specialty group practice.
Other settings reported as the primary work setting by large numbers of PAs include solo-practice physician offices (13%), and Federally Qualified Health Centers or community health facilities (8%).
- Work Settings where Clinical Services are Provided over the Course of a Typical Month:
Respondents were asked to indicate all of the settings where they provide clinical services for their primary clinical employer over the course of a typical month. The specific work settings reported by at least 20 percent of respondents are hospital inpatient units (33%), hospital emergency rooms (29%), single-specialty physician group practices (26%), hospital operating rooms (21%), hospital outpatient units (21%), and hospital intensive care/critical care units (20%).
- Primary Specialty of Practice:
While PAs practice in at least 61 specialty fields, 42 percent of this year's respondents reported that their primary specialty was one of the primary care fields: family/general practice medicine (30%), general internal medicine (8%), obstetrics/gynecology (3%), and general pediatrics (3%). Other prevalent specialties for PAs include general surgery/surgical subspecialties (24%), emergency medicine (10%), and the subspecialties of internal medicine (10%).
- Years in Clinical Practice:
The mean number of years in clinical practice is 9.2; the median is 6 years.
- Years in Current Position:
The mean number of years respondents have worked in their current position is 5.0; the median is 3 years.
- Years in Current Specialty:
The mean number of years respondents have worked in their current specialty is 6.4; the median is 4 years.
- Geographic Distribution:
The states in which the largest numbers of clinically practicing respondents are employed include: New York (10%), California (8%), Texas (6%), Pennsylvania (6%), Florida (5%), and North Carolina (5%).
- Metropolitan Status of Work Site:
About one-fifth of respondents (19%) work in counties that are classified as non-metropolitan.
- Functions and Responsibilities:
PAs can perform a variety of functions for their primary employers. More than one-fourth of respondents (27%) reported assisting in surgery and about four in ten (42%) reported performing invasive procedures. Nine percent of respondents reported supervising other PAs, and one in five (20%) reported supervising other clinical staff. More than one-third of respondents (37%) indicated that they precept PA students; one-fourth (25%) reported precepting students of other health professions.
- Work Status:
The majority of clinically practicing respondents (87%) work full-time, defined as more than 32 hours per week, for their primary clinical employer.
- Hours Worked:
The mean number of hours worked by the respondents who work more than 32 hours in a typical week is 44.4; the median is 42 hours.
- Patient Visits/Encounters:
Due to the variety of work settings and specialty fields in which PAs practice, the types of patients PAs treat are quite varied. The vast majority (91%) of census respondents who work full-time see some outpatients in their primary job; the mean number of patient visits provided per week by PAs who see outpatients exclusively is 96.0. One-third of respondents who work full-time (33%) see some inpatients in their primary job; the mean number of patient encounters provided per week by respondents who see inpatients exclusively is 61.8. Six percent of full-time PAs reported seeing some nursing home patients in their primary job, and only four percent of respondents report seeing patients who can not be classified as inpatients, outpatients, or nursing home patients.
- Working in Hospitals:
- By number of hospitals in which PA sees patients.
- By number of hospitals in which PA is member of other staff category.
Almost two-thirds (64%) of respondents report seeing patients in at least one hospital and one in five (21%) report seeing patients in more than one hospital. The vast majority (98%) of respondents who see patients in hospitals have privileges granted by the medical staff in at least one hospital. Forty-five percent of respondents who see patients in hospitals are members of at least one hospital's medical staff and 42% are members of at least one hospital's PA staff.
- Taking Call:
More than one-third of full-time respondents (39%) reported taking call for their primary employer. The mean hours on call per month for those PAs who reported taking some call but who were not always on call is 99.
Base Pay:
The majority of respondents (80%) reported receiving their base pay in the form of a salary; 18 percent indicated that they receive an hourly wage.
Compensation:
- By types of additional compensation received.
- Incentive pay based on productivity or performance by measures on which incentive is based.
Respondents reported receiving several additional forms of compensation from their primary employer. The most common form of additional compensation was a bonus or incentive pay based on the PA's productivity or performance, reported by 24 percent of respondents. Eighteen percent of respondents reported receiving overtime pay while 17 percent reported receiving a bonus based on something other than productivity or performance. Almost half of those who reported receiving an incentive based on productivity or performance (46%) indicated that the incentive was based on revenue.
Annual Income:
- Who work at least 32 hours per week at primary clinical job.
- Who graduated in 2003 and Work at least 32 hours per week at primary clinical job.
The median total annual income from primary employer for respondents who work at least 32 hours per week for their primary employer and who are not self-employed is $74,264; the mean is $78,257. The comparable figures for respondents who graduated in 2003 are $64,536 and $65,641, respectively.
- CME Funding:
- Number and percent distribution of respondents who work at least 32 hours per week at primary clinical job by whether CME funds are available from primary employer.
- Summary measures of CME funds provided by primary clinical employer for respondents who work at least 32 hours per week at primary clinical job and receive CME funding.
Eighty-eight percent of respondents reported having CME funds available to them from their primary employer. For those PAs who reported the amount of CME funds available to them, the mean is $1,559; the median is $1,500.
- Source of Funds for Insurance and Other Expenses:
Ninety-seven percent of respondents reported that their employer pays 95-100% of the cost of their professional liability insurance. Other expenses for which employers often pay 95-100% of the cost include DEA registration fees (75%), credentialing fees (73%), state license fees (71%), AAPA dues (63%), and NCCPA fees (63%).
Last Revised: 10/13/04
