Physician assistants are licensed health professionals who practice medicine as members of a team working with supervising physicians. PAs deliver a broad range of medical and surgical services to diverse populations in rural and urban settings. As part of their comprehensive responsibilities, PAs conduct physical exams, diagnose and treat illnesses, order and interpret tests, counsel on preventive health care, assist in surgery, and prescribe medications.
The 2003 AAPA Census Report found that 36.5 percent of respondents reported that a hospital was their primary work setting (a slight decrease from last year's response of 37.9%). Just over 30 percent of physician assistants reported working in a physician group practice setting, and 12.9 percent in the office of a solo practice physician -- representing a cumulative increase in the percentage of PAs working in a physician's office (42.3% in 2003, compared to 40.3% in 2002).
The latest findings demonstrate a continuing trend of increasing numbers of PAs working in physician offices. In 1998, 26.3 percent of physician assistants reported working in a physician group practice, and 9.1 percent in a solo practice physician office.
"We know that physicians are increasingly turning to PAs to assist in their practice, and that the practice of medicine is changing in America. This is particularly true as we watch the evolution of managed care and our focus shifts to community-based and outpatient care," explains Steve Crane, executive vice president and CEO of AAPA.
"The AAPA census is a significant piece of annual research that reveals key trends and demonstrates that physician assistants are leading change agents. They provide direct patient benefits in many settings. These data indicate we will see increasing roles for the profession of physician assistants in the years ahead not only in hospitals, but increasingly in specialized and general practice medical offices."
While PAs practice in all medical specialties, 44.2 percent of this year's respondents reported that they focus on one of the primary care fields, such as family/general practice medicine (30.9%), general internal medicine (7.8%), obstetrics/gynecology (2.8%), and general pediatrics (2.7%). Cumulatively, these percentages represent a slight decrease from the total percentages of PAs working in primary care settings in 2002. Other prevalent specialties for PAs were general surgery/surgical subspecialties (23.0%), emergency medicine (10.0%), and the subspecialties of internal medicine (9.5 %); cumulatively representing a trend towards more specialty care being provided by PAs.
The average starting salary of PAs increased again over the previous year. New graduates who responded to this year's census reported their income averaged $64,565, up from $63,168 in 2002 and $59,839 in 2001. Overall, census respondents reported an average median salary of $72,457, up from $72,241 in 2002 and $71,046 in 2001. States in which the largest numbers of clinically practicing respondents are employed include New York (9.2%), California (8.1%), Texas (6.3%), Pennsylvania (5.4%), Florida (5.2%), and North Carolina (5.1%).
Increasingly Busy Physicians Turn to PAs
According to a longitudinal five-year survey of physicians released in 2003 by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC), physicians are busier than ever. They are experiencing increasing demands for direct patient time, while fewer physicians reported having adequate time to spend with their patients.
HSC reports the proportion of solo and group physicians working with physician assistants and similar health professionals has increased dramatically as doctors attempt to provide more direct patient care.
The percentage of physicians outside of institutional practice settings who worked with physician assistants and similar providers increased from 40 percent in 1997 to 48 percent in 2001. The trend was most evident for group physician practices employing three or more physicians: the percentage of these group practices employing non-physician providers such as PAs grew from 53 percent in 1997 to 66 percent in 2001. (Source: Center for Studying Health System Change. Community Tracking Study Physician Survey, cited in "So Much to Do, So Little Time: Physician Capacity Constraints, 1997-2001." http://www.hschange.com/CONTENT/556.)
About the 2003 Census and the AAPA
Data for the annual 2003 physician assistant census was collected by the AAPA between March and September 2003. More than 20,000 PAs – approximately 45 percent of all physician assistants in clinical practice – completed the survey. A complete copy of the 2003 AAPA Physician Assistant Census Report is available on the Web at www.aapa.org/research.
AAPA is the only national organization to represent physician assistants in all medical and surgical specialties. Founded in 1968, the Academy works to promote quality, cost-effective health care, and the professional and personal growth of PAs. For more information about the Academy and the PA profession, visit the AAPA's Web site, www.aapa.org.
Additional Contacts:
Gabriella Madden or Nancy Hughes
703/836-2272, ext. 3501 or 3505
gmadden@aapa.org or nancyh@aapa.org
Stephen Bingham
202/296-2002
sbingham@environics-usa.com