| Abstrakt: |
PURPOSE A large proportion of the US population suffers from mental illness and the limited access to psychiatrists significantly contributes to the underuse of mental health services. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the psychiatric workforce shortage. Physician associates/assistants (PAs) and NPs can address the gap between psychiatrists and access to mental health care. Little is known about the size, practice characteristics, and contributions of PAs in psychiatry. This study's objective was to quantify demographic, practice, and other important personal and professional characteristics of board-certified PAs practicing in psychiatry. METHODS Data were derived from the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) PA Professional Profile. NCCPA data from 2021 included responses from 111,428 PAs who provided or updated their information or certified that their responses were up to date within the past 3 years. We compared demographic and practice characteristics of PAs practicing in psychiatry (n = 2,262) versus PAs in all other specialties (n = 109,166). Analysis of the data consisted of descriptive statistics and bivariate analyses using chi-square and Mann-Whitney U tests. RESULTS PAs in psychiatry, compared with those in other specialties, are more likely to be female (71.4% versus 69.1%; P = .015), under age 30 years (15% versus 11.6%; P < .001), and live in the South (43.8% versus 34.1%; P < .001). Most PAs in psychiatry (86%) are satisfied with their present position, and 68.1% report no symptoms of burnout. The self-reported income distribution by PAs for 2021 is similar for those in psychiatry and all other specialties. PAs practicing in psychiatry versus all other disciplines are more likely to participate in telemedicine (62.7% versus 32.9%; P < .001) and use telemedicine for 40 or more hours per week (15.4% versus 1.3%; P < .001). Two-fifths (41.6%) of PAs in psychiatry work in office-based private practice versus 37.3% of all other specialties; 17.7% practice in hospitals versus 42.1% of all others (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS Understanding characteristics and employment settings of PAs in psychiatry is essential in medical labor supply and demand research. PAs in psychiatry represent a needed source of expertise in US mental health delivery services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
