Advanced Practice Providers in Cellular Therapy: Survey Results from the ASTCT APP Special Interest Group Exploring...

Area of Science:

• Hematology
• Oncology
• Transplant Medicine
• Advanced Practice Providers

Background:

• Advanced practice providers (APPs), including physician assistants/associates and advanced practice nurses, are integral to transplant and cellular therapy (TCT) care teams.
• Limited literature exists on the specific roles, compensation, and job satisfaction of TCT APPs.
• This study surveyed TCT APPs to define their workforce characteristics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize the clinical roles and responsibilities of TCT APPs.
• To investigate compensation, institutional support, and job satisfaction among TCT APPs.
• To identify factors influencing the TCT APP workforce.

Main Methods:

• A national web-based survey with 25 items was distributed to TCT APPs.
• The survey covered transplant center data, APP roles, compensation, institutional support, and job satisfaction.
• Data analysis included descriptive statistics and multinomial logistic regression.

Main Results:

• 198 responses from 64 transplant centers were analyzed, detailing APP involvement in procedures like bone marrow biopsy and cellular infusions.
• Median APP salary ranged from $110,000-$119,000, influenced by location and experience.
• A majority of APPs expressed dissatisfaction with compensation (55.1%) and work-life balance (54.3%), with 35.4% feeling undervalued.

Conclusions:

• This is the first national survey characterizing the U.S. TCT APP workforce.
• APPs are crucial for patient access to TCT therapies, especially amid physician shortages.
• Dissatisfaction with compensation and work-life balance may hinder APP recruitment and retention in TCT.