In recent years, the number of Board Certified PAs practicing in hospital settings grew substantially.

From 2013 to 2022, the percentage of PAs who practice in hospitals increased by 14%, according to “The Important Role and Contributions of PAs in Hospital Settings,” a scientific research poster presented by NCCPA.

By the end of 2022, the survey found that 41.7% of PAs were practicing in a hospital setting, and their primary specialties were surgical-subspecialties (23%), emergency medicine (21.7%), internal medicine-subspecialties (11%), hospital medicine (8.4%), general surgery (5.9%), and other (29.9%).

PAs in hospitals are working 40 hours a week on average with a median income of $125,000.

While the burnout rate for PAs in hospitals is higher than in other clinical settings, more than 80% of PAs in hospitals said they were satisfied with their job.

The poster was presented at the 2023 AAMC Health Workforce Research Conference, the 2023 AAPA Conference and the 2023 AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting. This research provides important insights into the utilization of PAs when providing hospital care and can help inform more accurate workforce planning and projections.

The findings also highlight the important contributions of PAs in hospital settings and the need for more research to explain the training and resources needed to support this growing role.