2018 Physician Assistant Data Report

Abstract

Identifying supply and distribution of the physician assistant workforce is crucial in understanding the capacity to meet medical needs and improve overall population health of Indiana citizens. The emergence of physician assistants in the health care clinics has been seen as a response to the shortage of physicians, particularly in primary care settings. Data presented in this report provide a snapshot of key demographic and practice characteristics for the physician assistant workforce in Indiana. The 2018 Indiana Physician Assistant Licensure Survey Data Report presents key information derived from data collected from the Indiana Physician Assistants (PAs) re-licensure survey administered by the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (IPLA) during the license renewal period. In 2018, 1,679 PAs renewed their professional licenses. Of those who renewed their license, 1,004 (59.8%) had an actively license status, reported actively practicing, had a valid Indiana license address and were included in this report. There are several highlights found from the Indiana PA licensure survey. As with many other licensed health professions in Indiana, the PA workforce shows a lack of racial and ethnic diversity. However, this is a young workforce with half of survey respondents being under the age of 35. While the majority of PAs reported having an advanced graduate degree (72.2%), very few actually reported having completed post-graduate training (6.5%). Though more than half of PA reported spending 33 hours or more per week in direct patient care (56.6%), 25 rural counties in Indiana had no reported PA FTE. This report details important demographic and practice characteristics for the physician assistant workforce and examines these data specifically for physician assistants. The 2018 Physician Assistant Licensure Survey Data Report presents a snapshot of data on the physician assistant professions to provide stakeholders with information needed to improve the quality and accessibility of PA care for Indiana residents through policymaking, workforce development, and resource allocation.