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Salary Profiles
What is a salary profile?A salary profile is an information tool used by PAs and employers of PAs to answer the question "How much have PAs, in positions with certain characteristics, earned?" Salary Profiles are descriptive and not prescriptive. AAPA provides them for informational purposes only and disclaims any attempt to directly or indirectly use the data to establish compensation schedules.
What is the source of the data used to produce a salary profile?
AAPA's Annual Physician Assistant Census is the source of the data used to prepare salary profiles; it is the most current and comprehensive information about PA compensation available anywhere! This information is updated in October of each year.
What characteristics does a salary profile take into account?
The position to be studied needs to be identified in terms of the specialty of practice and the geographic location of the work site. Once this is established, the analyst extracts data for all PAs in the census database that meet the defined parameters.
What if there aren't enough PAs who work in jobs like the one specified?
In the event that there are too few PAs matching the parameters defined, the analyst expands the parameters until the sample is sufficiently large. Normally this means including one or two neighboring states and/or expanding the range of populations to be accepted. Occasionally, it means using the entire United States. When this occurs, the data are still meaningful, since the labor market for such a PA position is indeed national in scope.
What statistics are reported in a salary profile?
The following summary measures are presented for total income from primary PA job for subgroups of PAs defined by years of experience:
- Mean - the simple average of all reported incomes.Standard error of the mean - a measure of variation, it is used to calculate 95% confidence intervals by adding and subtracting two standard errors to and from the mean.
- 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th and 90th percentiles - measures depicting the distribution of incomes in the sample. An income at the 10th percentile is greater than the income reported by 10 percent of the respondents; the median or 50th percentile represents the income that is greater than that reported by half of the respondents; et cetera.
Who can order a salary profile?
Only AAPA members can order salary profiles. The fee for fellow and student members is $35.00; the fee for other members is $150.00. General reports for each state and a number of specialties are available on this Web site at www.aapa.org/research. These Adobe files are free to the public, and describe respondents in all specialties in each state or all respondents in a specialty practicing across the country. To learn the salary specifications for a certain specialty in a particular state or region, please order an individualized salary profile.
How can a salary profile be ordered?
Orders can be placed anytime throughout the year by calling 703/836-2272, ext. 3128 (Jasmin) or ext. 3807 (Sally). Orders will only be accepted by phone, but questions or concerns may be addressed by e-mailing the Analysts at jsmith@aapa.org or shazard@aapa.org. Salary Profile orders are usually completed within 3-5 business days.
Last Revised: 1/25/08
