Survey
PRACTICE AND COMPENSATION
EXPECTATIONS FOR PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS
Overview
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this survey was to collect and quantify practice and compensation expectations of advanced practice clinicians (APCs). The survey includes data submitted by 809 physician assistants in a variety of specialties and practice settings.
This report includes the current compensation ranges of physician assistants, as well as their expectations and preferences when considering new opportunities:
• Compensation • Benefits and Incentives
• Practice Location and Setting • Temporary Assignments
• Community • Lifestyle
The specialties with the greatest representation in the survey are:
ADVANCED PRACTICE SPECIALTIES REPRESENTED IN THE SURVEY
Primary Care: Adult Medicine, Family
Medicine (with or without Urgent Care), General Internal Medicine, General Pediatrics, Geriatric Medicine, Obstetrics/ Gynecology Urgent Care
Internal Medicine Subspecialties:
Acute Care, Cardiology, Critical Care, Endocrinology, Gastroenterology,
Geriatrics, Hematology, Hospital Medicine, Immunology, Infectious Disease, Integrative Medicine, Nephrology, Neurology,
Occupational Medicine, Oncology, Pulmonology, Rheumatology
Pediatric Subspecialties: Adolescent
Medicine, Pediatric Allergy, Pediatric Cardiology, Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery, Pediatric Critical Care, Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Pediatric
Endocrinology, Pediatric Gastroenterology, Pediatric Hematology, Pediatric Infectious Disease, Pediatric Neurology, Pediatric Oncology, Pediatric Plastic Surgery, Pediatric Pulmonology, Pediatric Rheumatology, Pediatric Surgery
Surgical Subspecialties: Bariatric Surgery,
Cardiovascular/Cardiothoracic Surgery, Colon and Rectal Surgery, General Surgery, Hand Surgery, Hyperbaric Medicine, Neurosurgery, Ophthalmology, Orthopedic Surgery, Otolaryngology, Otorhinolaryngology Surgery, Pediatric Surgery, Plastic Surgery, Spine Surgery, Surgical Oncology, Thoracic Surgery, Transplant Surgery, Trauma Surgery, Urological Surgery, Vascular Surgery
Overview
Small Town
(population 2,500 - 9,999) (population < 2,500)Isolated Rural Area
Would Not Consider 32% Would Not Consider 64% Would Consider 68% Would Consider 36%
KEY FINDINGS
Recruiting APCs is becoming more challenging as demand grows for well-staffed care teams in the era of accountable care. The job search behaviors and decision-making factors reported by practicing physician assistants provide key insight that can help organizations invest in successful recruitment strategies.
The majority of physician assistants surveyed have between one and five years of experience (51%), prefer permanent positions (52%) and see three to four patients per hour (57%).
Urgent care/emergency room was the ideal practice setting for 21 percent of respondents, followed by single-specialty practice (15%) and hospital-based inpatient (15%).
Only 31% of respondents identified primary care as their specialty, while the rest practice subspecialties within the categories of internal medicine, pediatrics, surgery or other (see page 2).
Community Preferences
Location was the top personal factor considered by physician assistants when deciding on a practice opportunity (cited by 50 percent of respondents), but 83 percent of respondents would consider a non-ideal location for increased compensation.
A majority of respondents prefer to work in or near a metropolitan area, but survey results indicate that there is a viable pool of physician assistant candidates willing to work in small towns and rural locations. Almost half (44%) of respondents selected metropolitan suburban communities as their first choice, followed by 36.5 percent who chose metropolitan urban communities.
Yet, one-third (33%) chose small towns as their first or second community choice, and 15 percent selected isolated rural areas as their first or second choice.
Overview
Job Search Behaviors
Job decisions are dependent on family needs (including spouses, significant others or other family members) for 69 percent of physician assistants.
Temporary Assignments
Survey findings indicate that many physician assistants are willing to consider temporary assignments – even if they haven’t accepted a temporary job in the past. Almost half of respondents (48%) prefer temporary assignments at least some of the time, yet only 23 percent of respondents report working a temporary assignment in the past.
Of those who currently work or have worked temporary assignments, 36 percent of respondents typically accept assignments lasting four weeks or less, while 30 percent accept assignments lasting 13 weeks. Most (65%) were willing to obtain additional licenses to work temporary assignments in another state.
Compensation is the driving factor affecting the decision to accept a temporary position for 39 percent of respondents. All other factors (including location, scope of practice/services, proximity to family, lifestyle and more) were selected by less than 20 percent of respondents as the most important factor.
What do you enjoy most about your current position?
“It is very rewarding to help kids and adults have a better quality of life. It’s the perfect amount of autonomy and responsibility.”
“Great relationship with supervising physicians. Well utilized as a PA with my current skills. Great lifestyle.” “I have a tremendous amount of autonomy and the ability to make decisions regarding the care of my patients.”
“Amount of autonomy and the impact I get to make on the community.”
“Flexibility in schedule and
participating in both clinical care and research.”
Overview
Incentives and Benefits
When asked to rate benefits considered when deciding on a permanent opportunity, almost all physician assistants rated malpractice insurance (95.9%) and liability insurance (93.2%) as important or very important. Vacation time (91.1%), health insurance (86.3%) and retirement plans (87.5%) were also highly rated benefits. Educational allowance was rated by 83.5 percent of respondents as important, and productivity bonus (74.8%) and dues for professional organizations (75.7%) were also popular.Compensation Structure and Expectations
About two-thirds (64%) of respondents receive a salary, and 29 percent are paid hourly. Other compensation models – accounting for seven percent of respondents – include a combination of salary and bonus incentives.
Less than $40, 6%
$105k or More, 33%
Details
QUESTIONS AND RESPONSES
1. What is your ideal practice setting? Urgent care/emergency room 21%
Single-specialty practice 15% Hospital-based inpatient 15% Private/solo physician practice 12% No preference 11% Multi-specialty practice 8% Hospital-based outpatient 7%
Rural health clinic 3% Community health center 3%
Other* 2% Government facility 2%
Private/home care 1% Academic setting 1%
*Examples of “Other” practice settings include combined hospital-based inpatient and outpatient.
2. Please rank your community preference:
First Choice Second Choice Third Choice Would Not Consider
Metropolitan urban (50,000 or more) 36.5% 26.1% 21.2% 16.2%
Metropolitan surburan (50,000 or more) 44.0% 38.5% 13.4% 4.1%
Micropolitan (10,000-49,000) 18.2% 28.1% 50.1% 3.6%
Small town (2,500-9,999) 16.4% 16.9% 34.8% 31.9%
Details
3. Please indicate the personal reasons for selecting your practice location: (select all that apply)
Location 50% Lifestyle 48% Close to family 46% Compensation 42% Scope of practice 39% Reputation of healthcare organization 28% Amount of physician supervision 23% Trained in area 20% Personal ties 15%
*Respondents also mentioned the willingness to accept and train new graduates and other benefits offered. 4. Which resources do you use to look for available job opportunities?
(select all that apply)
Online job boards 72% Network with colleagues 69% Emailed opportunities 61% State or national association websites 48% Search engine query 43% Recruitment firms 40% Health care organization websites 39% Conference attendance 19% Social media (LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.) 16%
Details
5. Rate the following benefits when deciding upon a permanent practice opportunity:
Important Very Important Combined
Malpractice insurance 18.2% 77.7% 95.9% Liability insurance 24.3% 68.9% 93.2% Vacation time 29.7% 61.4% 91.1% Health insurance 18.6% 67.7% 86.3% Retirement plan 31.8% 55.7% 87.5% Professional leave 37.5% 31.3% 68.8% Dental insurance 32.5% 29.3% 61.8% Sick leave 35.4% 23.6% 59.0% Disability insurance 31.8% 23.1% 54.9%
*Respondents also mentioned vision insurance, life insurance and the ability to purchase supplemental insurance. 6. Rate the following incentives when deciding upon a permanent practice opportunity:
Important Very Important Combined
Educational allowance 39.2% 44.3% 83.5%
Productivity bonus 32.6% 42.2% 74.8%
Dues for professional organizations 39.3% 36.4% 75.7%
Travel allowance 38.0% 28.1% 66.1%
Journal allowance 21.1% 7.8% 28.9%
*Respondents also mentioned loan repayment, licensing fees and CME compensation.
7. Rate the following flexible scheduling options:
Important Very Important Combined
Flexible scheduling and work hours 27.5% 54.9% 82.4%
Four-day work week 32.2% 39.8% 72.0%
Details
8. Which of the following benefits/incentives would entice you to consider a community that is not in your preferred location? (select all that apply)
Increased compensation 83% Shorter work schedule 60% Greater autonomy 29% Bigger scope of practice/service 27% Better call schedule 22% Would not consider 14%
9. Is your next position dependent on your spouse/significant other or family member’s interest/ needs?
Yes 69% No 31%
10. How many years of experience do you have in your current occupation? 1-5 years 51%
6-10 years 20% 11-15 years 12% 16-20 years 5% 21 or more years 12%
11. What is your current method of compensation? Salary 64%
Hourly 29% Other* 7%
12. What is your current compensation?
Salary Hourly
Less than $85,000 22% Less than $40/hour 6%
$85,000-$90,000 14% $40-45/hour 11%
$90,000-$95,000 9% $45-50/hour 21%
$95,000-$100,000 11% $50-55/hour 18%
$100,000-$105,000 11% $55-60/hour 12%
$105,000-$110,000 9% $60-65/hour 12%
More than $110,000 24% More than $65/hour 20%
13. If you were to leave your current position, what type of compensation would you expect for your next opportunity?
Salary Hourly
Less than $90,000 10% Less than $40/hour 0%
$90,000-$95,000 16% $40-45/hour 8%
$95,000-$100,000 14% $45-50/hour 12%
$100,000-$105,000 12% $50-55/hour 20%
$105,000-$110,000 10% $55-60/hour 16%
$110,000-$115,000 11% $60-65/hour 20%
More than $115,000 27% More than $65/hour 24%
14. On average, how many patients do you see per hour?
1-2 patient(s) 27% 3-4 patients 57% 5-6 patients 13%
7 or more patients 3%
15. Have you ever worked a temporary assignment?
Details
16. Which work arrangement do you prefer?
Permanent positions 52% Temporary assignments 12% Combination permanent and temporary 36%
17. What is the typical duration of the temporary assignments that you have worked?
2 weeks or less 18% 4 weeks or less 18% 13 weeks 30% Long-term 19% Other (please specify) 15%
*27 percent of respondents who selected “Other” typically work on a six-month basis. Other responses varied from six weeks to nine months.
18. Which factor most affects your decision to accept a temporary assignment?
Compensation 39% Location 17% Scope of practice/services 12% Other (please specify) 10% Close to family 8% Trained in the area 5% Lifestyle 4% Reputation of healthcare organization 1% Personal ties 1% Amount of physician supervision 1%
19. Would you be willing to obtain additional licenses to work a temporary assignment in another state?
Yes 65% No 35%
DEPEND ON US FOR THE
PEOPLE YOUR PATIENTS
DEPEND ON.
Your business depends on people – people who have the ability to heal, the power to comfort and the wisdom to make a difference in the lives and well-being of others.
You can depend on Medical Doctor Associates to provide you with these extraordinary people exactly where and when you need them. Whether your coverage need is for locum tenens, temporary staffing or permanent placement, we can help you find the right medical professional quickly and painlessly. We pair our recruiting expertise with the best customer service in the business for a hassle-free staffing experience for medical facilities and professionals alike, ensuring the greatest success in all of our relationships.
At MDA, we wholeheartedly believe that when it comes to
provider coverage, you shouldn’t have to trade speed for quality, which is why we deliver both.
Finding the right
CANDIDATE
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