For Immediate Release

Media Contact:
Busola Saka, Senior Communications Specialist
email: [email protected]
phone: 678-417-8591

Johns Creek, Ga., September 20, 2022 – The latest data from the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) reports that job satisfaction remains high among Certified PAs, even after two years of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the 2021 Statistical Profile of Certified PAs by Specialty, 70.5% of Certified PAs indicate they’re completely or mostly satisfied with their job.

“One of the great attributes of the PA profession is the training and ability to practice across different specialties during the course of one’s career,” said NCCPA President and CEO Dawn Morton-Rias, Ed.D., PA-C. “Certified PAs have the flexibility to explore and find the specialty that works for them at various stages of their lives.” 

A significant percentage of Certified PAs reported burnout (30.6%) according to the report. The percentage of Certified PAs in critical care and emergency medicine specialties experiencing burnout increased when compared to the 2020 report. The critical care medicine specialty showed the highest percentage of Certified PAs reporting one or more symptoms of burnout (37.9% compared to 31.8%), followed by emergency medicine (36.8% compared to 30.6%).  

“We are all ready to return to pre-pandemic times, but health care providers are still treating patients for COVID-19,” said Morton-Rias. “The increase in burnout among Certified PAs in critical care and emergency medicine serves as a reminder that our health care facilities and providers are still grappling with the pandemic.” 

The annual Statistical Profile of Certified PAs by Specialty tracks growth and trends in 25 specialties across the PA workforce. Highlights from the 2021 report include: 

• Among Certified PAs practicing in plastic surgery, 78.7% report that they’re completely or mostly satisfied with their job.  
• 76.7% of Certified PAs in dermatology reported high job satisfaction. 
• 14.9% of Certified PAs in critical care medicine and 9.4% in emergency medicine completed a postgraduate training program. 
• Among Certified PAs who utilize telemedicine in their practice, the gastroenterology (92.9%) and general pediatrics (92.6%) specialties each reported high percentages of those diagnosing or treating patients through telemedicine.  
• 33.4% of Certified PAs indicated their principal place of employment is recruiting PAs.  
• The critical care medicine specialty reports the highest percentage where an employer is hiring/recruiting PAs (60.7%), followed by oncology (49.0%). 
• 15.1% of Certified PAs in occupational medicine plan to retire in the next five years.  

PAs are consistently ranked among the list of the top jobs in America. In 2022, U.S. News and World Report ranked PA as the #3 best job in the United States, the #2 best health care job and the #3 best job in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). 

About the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants  

The National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) is the only certifying organization for the over 155,000 PAs in the United States. The PA-C credential is awarded by NCCPA to PAs who fulfill certification, certification maintenance and recertification requirements. NCCPA also administers the Certificate of Added Qualifications (CAQ) program for experienced, Certified PAs practicing in seven specialties. For more information, please visit http://www.nccpa.net.