Physician Assistant Gender Differences in Research, Professional Goals, and Perceptions of Support

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Professions Education
• Physician Assistant Studies

Background:

• Physician Assistant (PA) educators are predominantly women, yet men achieve higher academic ranks and publish more.
• Existing research indicates a potential disparity in academic advancement and scholarly output between genders in PA education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate differences in research interest, promotion goals, and perceived institutional support between male and female Physician Assistant (PA) educators.
• To explore potential gender-based disparities in academic progression within the PA profession.

Main Methods:

• A subset analysis of a prior cross-sectional study involving Physician Assistant (PA) programs.
• Stratified random sampling of PA programs based on region and Carnegie classification.
• Anonymous survey distributed to PA faculty, with data analyzed using stratified sample design.

Main Results:

• A 51% response rate (N=110) with 63% identifying as female and 36% as male.
• Men reported significantly more career research articles (5.67) than women (1.56).
• Men were more likely to be full professors (15%) compared to women (4.3%), felt more supported during faculty transitions (72.5% vs. 52.9%), and had clearer 5-year promotion goals (80% vs. 58.8%).

Conclusions:

• No statistical difference in publication numbers was found between genders in this specific study cohort.
• Women reported lower perceived institutional support during faculty role transitions compared to men.
• While both genders valued promotion, men demonstrated more intentional goal-setting for career advancement.