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Published on: June 19, 2019
Burnout, job satisfaction, and stress levels of PAs
Bettie Coplan1, Timothy C McCall, Noël Smith
1Bettie Coplan is a clinical associate professor in the PA program at Northern Arizona University and an adjunct faculty member in the College of Health Solutions at Arizona State University, both in Phoenix, Ariz. Timothy C. McCall is research manager for the American Academy of PAs (AAPA) in Alexandria, Va., and director of health sciences undergraduate courses at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Noël Smith is senior director of PA and industry research and analysis at AAPA. Vivienne L. Gellert is a student in the School for the Science of Health Care Delivery at Arizona State University. Alison C. Essary is director of strategic academic initiatives in the College of Health Solutions, interim director and a clinical professor in the School for the Science of Health Care Delivery, and a faculty member in the honors college at Arizona State University. The authors have disclosed no potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise.
Objective:
The main goal of this study was to assess burnout, job satisfaction, and stress to gain insight into the work lives of female and male PAs.
Methods:
Data were obtained from the 2016 American Academy of PAs salary survey. Descriptive statistics were used to assess questions related to burnout, happiness, and stress and to compare responses by sex.
Results:
Analysis revealed that, in general, PAs experience modest levels of burnout but are happy at work. More than half (55.6%) rated spending too many hours at work as an important contributor to stress. A higher percentage of female PAs than male PAs (32.2% versus 25.6%) have quit a job due to stress.
Conclusions:
Overall, PAs rate aspects of work life favorably. Further research on factors that contribute to the PA work experience may help inform interventions aimed at improving job satisfaction among healthcare professionals.
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