Data & Statistics > Types of Compensation Received by Physician Assistants from their Primary Employers in 2007
Types of Compensation Received by Physician Assistants from their Primary Employers in 2007

Overview

The American Academy of Physician Assistants has conducted a Census Survey of PAs in each year since 1991. In 2007, the Census asked respondents to report the amount of money they expected to receive for ten distinct categories of compensation in calendar year 2007. This analysis examines the proportion of total income represented by base pay and the number and percentage of respondents who reported various amounts for each of the other compensation types.

Methodology

As part of the 2007 AAPA Physician Assistant Census, respondents were asked to report the total income they expected to receive in 2007. Respondents were also asked to report the amount of money they expected to receive in 2007 for the following ten compensations types:

  1. Base pay (salary or hourly wage)
  2. Surgical assisting fees
  3. Overtime pay
  4. Shift differential
  5. Administrative pay
  6. Pay for on-call availability
  7. Pay for on-call services/events
  8. Bonus not based on productivity/performance
  9. Bonus based on productivity/performance of practice
  10. Bonus based on your own productivity/performance

Thus, we have two measures of total income: the dollar amount of total income as reported by the respondent and the sum of the ten compensation types.

For this analysis, we excluded responses from individuals whose reported total income differed from the sum of their compensation types by more than $2500 times the number of compensation types reported. We did this because total income and each compensation type were collected primarily in increments of $5,000 and the midpoint of each increment was used to represent the response. Therefore, it is reasonable for the sum of the categories to differ from total income by as much as 2500 times the number of compensation types reported.

We exclude from this analysis responses from government employed PAs, as we found that they are much less likely than their private sector counterparts to receive compensation over and above their base pay. There was one noteworthy exception to this finding: nearly one-quarter (23%) of PAs in the Army reported receiving bonuses in excess of $10,000; 15% reported receiving bonuses in excess of $20,000. Since these bonuses were not based on productivity or performance, we assume that they were an incentive for re-enlisting during this time of war and therefore we did not include them in the present analysis.

Calculations

We calculated the proportion of total income represented by base pay (salary or hourly wage) received by each respondent. This calculation involved dividing the amount of base pay received by the sum of all compensation types for each respondent.

For each of the other compensation types for which data were collected, we computed the number and percentage of respondents who received various amounts of each. Specifically, we classified this information in the following categories:

Results

In the specialty tables that follow, we report the mean, standard deviation, and percentile distribution of the proportion of total income represented by base pay. We also report the number and percent distribution of respondents who received various amounts of each specific compensation type. These statistics are reported by years of experience as a PA within each of the 37 specialty categories for which there are at least 50 valid responses:

AllergyThis .PDF file must be viewed using Acrobat Reader Medical OncologyThis .PDF file must be viewed using Acrobat Reader
Bariatric SurgeryThis .PDF file must be viewed using Acrobat Reader Neonatology-PerinatologyThis .PDF file must be viewed using Acrobat Reader
CardiologyThis .PDF file must be viewed using Acrobat Reader NephrologyThis .PDF file must be viewed using Acrobat Reader
Cardiovascular/ Cardiothoracic SurgeryThis .PDF file must be viewed using Acrobat Reader NeurologyThis .PDF file must be viewed using Acrobat Reader
Critical Care MedicineThis .PDF file must be viewed using Acrobat Reader NeurosurgeryThis .PDF file must be viewed using Acrobat Reader
DermatologyThis .PDF file must be viewed using Acrobat Reader Obstetrics and GynecologyThis .PDF file must be viewed using Acrobat Reader
Emergency MedicineThis .PDF file must be viewed using Acrobat Reader Occupational MedicineThis .PDF file must be viewed using Acrobat Reader
EndocrinologyThis .PDF file must be viewed using Acrobat Reader OrthopedicsThis .PDF file must be viewed using Acrobat Reader
Family Practice with Urgent CareThis .PDF file must be viewed using Acrobat Reader OtorhinolaryngologyThis .PDF file must be viewed using Acrobat Reader
Family Practice without Urgent CareThis .PDF file must be viewed using Acrobat Reader Pain ManagementThis .PDF file must be viewed using Acrobat Reader
GastroenterologyThis .PDF file must be viewed using Acrobat Reader Physical Medicine & RehabilitationThis .PDF file must be viewed using Acrobat Reader
General Internal MedicineThis .PDF file must be viewed using Acrobat Reader Plastic SurgeryThis .PDF file must be viewed using Acrobat Reader
General PediatricsThis .PDF file must be viewed using Acrobat Reader PsychiatryThis .PDF file must be viewed using Acrobat Reader
General SurgeryThis .PDF file must be viewed using Acrobat Reader PulmonologyThis .PDF file must be viewed using Acrobat Reader
GeriatricsThis .PDF file must be viewed using Acrobat Reader RheumatologyThis .PDF file must be viewed using Acrobat Reader
Hospital MedicineThis .PDF file must be viewed using Acrobat Reader Spine SurgeryThis .PDF file must be viewed using Acrobat Reader
Infectious DiseaseThis .PDF file must be viewed using Acrobat Reader Trauma SurgeryThis .PDF file must be viewed using Acrobat Reader
Interventional RadiologyThis .PDF file must be viewed using Acrobat Reader UrologyThis .PDF file must be viewed using Acrobat Reader
Vascular SurgeryThis .PDF file must be viewed using Acrobat Reader


 

Last Revised: 4/10/08