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PAs in India: A survey report on qualifications, deployment, specialties, and job satisfaction
Manesh Muraleedharan1, Alaka Omprakash Chandak, Somu Chatterjee
1At Symbiosis International University in Pune, India, Manesh Muraleedharan is a senior research fellow at the Symbiosis Centre for Healthcare and Alaka Omprakash Chandak is a professor in the Symbiosis Institute of Health Sciences and director of the Symbiosis Centre for Healthcare. Somu Chatterjee is an associate professor in the PA program at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Ky. R. Shivakumar is president of the Indian Association of Physician Assistants (IAPA) and Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases at the Madras Medical Mission in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Nalla Swapna is vice president of the IAPA and practices at AIG Hospitals in Gachibowli, India. The authors have disclosed no potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise.
Background:
This report is based on a 2023 nationwide survey and literature review of physician associates/assistants (PAs) in India. The National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Act, 2021, which is being implemented in India, included guidelines for PA licensing, creating a unified national curriculum, and preventing malpractice.
Methods:
Using a purposive sampling strategy, we surveyed 536 PAs in India between February 10 and April 30, 2023. The survey collected data on demographics, academic qualifications, specialties, salaries, job satisfaction, and future outlooks through an online questionnaire.
Results:
The survey showed that most PAs are below age 30 years, and most graduated PAs were involved in clinical practice in 2023. PAs work in almost all clinical specialties; most practice in private hospitals. States in southern India continued to dominate educating and employing PAs, with a nationwide representation of more than 14 states. More than 80% of practicing PAs are satisfied with their profession; however, the majority are unsatisfied with their wages.
Conclusions:
This first formal survey on India's PAs illustrates the challenges of PA professional practice and standardization of education and licensure in the Indian healthcare system.
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