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Associations between professional development benefits and PA career satisfaction.
Adam B Wilson1, Janet Furman, Jennifer M Orozco
1Adam B. Wilson is an assistant professor and director of anatomy education in the Department of Cell and Molecular Medicine at Rush University in Chicago, Ill. Janet Furman is director of advanced practice provider education and competency and an assistant professor in the PA program at Rush University and practices at Rush University Walk-In Clinic. Jennifer M. Orozco is director of advanced practice providers and practices vascular surgery at Rush University Medical Center, and is an assistant professor in the PA program at Rush University. The authors disclose that the study was funded by a 2017 PA workforce grant from the American Academy of PAs. They have disclosed no other potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise.
Physician assistants (PAs) report high career satisfaction regardless of employer-provided professional development benefits. Intrinsic rewards appear more influential than extrinsic benefits for PA career satisfaction.
Area of Science:
- Medical Professional Development
- Physician Assistant Studies
- Career Satisfaction Research
Background:
- Employer-provided professional development is common for physician assistants (PAs).
- Understanding the impact of these benefits on PA career trajectories is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the correlation between employer-provided professional development benefits and PA self-perceptions of leadership potential, committee involvement, and career satisfaction.
- To determine if extrinsic benefits influence intrinsic career satisfaction.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of the 2015 AAPA National Survey and 2016 AAPA Salary Survey.
- Bivariate correlation analysis was employed to assess associations between variables.
Main Results:
- A mild positive correlation was observed between self-perceived leadership attributes and committee involvement (CC = 0.245, P < .001).
- Leadership potential showed a significant correlation with career satisfaction (CC = 0.059, P ≤ .001).
- Employer coverage of professional development fees, memberships, and expenses did not significantly impact career satisfaction (P = .438).
Conclusions:
- Physician assistants exhibit high career satisfaction irrespective of employer-sponsored professional development benefits.
- Intrinsic rewards may contribute more significantly to career satisfaction than extrinsic benefits alone.
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