PA job availability in primary care during 2014 and 2016

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Workforce Analysis
• Medical Professional Demand
• Physician Assistant Specialization

Background:

• Physician Assistants (PAs) play a crucial role in healthcare delivery.
• Understanding PA demand across different practice areas is essential for workforce planning.
• Previous analyses have not fully captured the nuances of PA job market trends by specialty.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the demand for Physician Assistants (PAs) by analyzing job postings.
• To compare the proportion of PAs in primary care with primary care job postings in 2014 and 2016.
• To describe PA job postings by specialty for the years 2014 and 2016.

Main Methods:

• Utilized internet job postings for PAs provided by Burning Glass Technologies.
• Categorized job postings by practice specialty.
• Compared job posting data with filled positions by specialty from the National Commission for the Certification of Physician Assistants.

Main Results:

• In 2014 and 2016, over 25% of practicing PAs were in primary care.
• Fewer than 20% of PA job openings were in primary care during the study period.
• More than half of all PA job postings were concentrated in medical and surgical subspecialties.

Conclusions:

• Job posting analysis indicates a higher demand for PAs in specialized medical and surgical fields compared to primary care.
• These findings highlight emerging areas of high demand for PAs.
• The trend suggests a stronger market for PAs in specialty practice settings.