PA Educator Advancement Is a Workforce Issue: National Survey Findings

Approximately 80% of physician assistant/associate (PA) new faculty come directly from clinical practice into academia, often with limited preparation for academic career advancement. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the perceived barriers, institutional resources, and predictors of self-efficacy navigating promotion and tenure (P&T) decisions among PA educators nationwide.

A pilot-tested, IRB-approved survey was administered via multichannel convenience sampling (n = 270). Independent variables included institutional criteria, resource utility, mentorship type, and professional barriers. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, nonparametric tests, and multiple linear regression to identify primary predictors of faculty self-efficacy.

Participants reported low overall self-efficacy navigating P&T (M = 2.93, on a 5-point Likert scale). Significant barriers included high teaching/service loads (63.3%) and perceived lack of clinical valuation (52.6%). Faculty at institutions that formally valued clinical experience reported significantly higher self-efficacy (M = 3.33/5) than those at institutions without such criteria (M = 2.84/5; P = .02). The regression model (R2 = .436, P < .001) identified structured mentorship as the strongest independent predictor of self-efficacy (β = 0.36), followed by perceived clinical valuation (β = 0.28) and resource variety (β = 0.26). Gender disparities were noted, with female faculty reporting higher service loads and greater uncertainty regarding resources.

Current P&T systems do not adequately account for the clinician-educator role. To foster equity and retention, institutions must prioritize targeted support, including formalized structured mentorship, the formal acknowledgement of clinical expertise in the advancement criterion, and the provision of a diverse set of scholarly resources for P&T.