Racial and Gender Disparities in the Physician Assistant Profession
Darron T Smith1, Cardell K Jacobson2
1Department of Physician Assistant Studies, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, 38163.
Health Services Research
|September 15, 2015
Summary
Gender and racial salary disparities persist among physician assistants (PAs). Female PAs earn less than males, while racial salary differences are not statistically significant after controlling for other factors.
Area of Science:
- Health Policy
- Medical Economics
- Professional Studies
Background:
- Physician Assistant (PA) profession is growing rapidly.
- Understanding salary equity is crucial for workforce retention and development.
- Previous research has not fully elucidated salary disparities within the PA profession.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate racial, gender, and ethnic salary disparities in the physician assistant (PA) profession.
- To identify factors associated with observed salary differentials.
- To inform policies aimed at promoting pay equity in the PA workforce.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a nationally representative survey of 15,105 physician assistants (PAs) from the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA).
- Employed bivariate and multivariate statistical analyses to examine pay differentials.
- Controlled for various demographic and professional variables in the analysis.
Main Results:
- Female PAs earn approximately $18,000 less in primary compensation than male PAs.
- After adjusting for covariates, the gender pay gap narrows to approximately $9,500.
- Minority PAs showed a trend towards slightly higher salaries than White PAs, but this difference was not statistically significant when controlling for other variables.
Conclusions:
- Significant gender-based salary disparities persist within the PA profession, with women earning less than their male counterparts.
- While racial salary differences were not statistically significant in this analysis, underrepresentation of PAs of color remains a concern.
- Addressing gender pay gaps is essential for achieving greater equity in the physician assistant workforce.
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