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A Specialized Look at Physician Assistants for National PA Week
Since 1987, every October 6–12 is designated National Physician Assistant Week, a time to highlight the advanced practice providers who fulfill an expanding role within healthcare. All of us at All Star Healthcare Solutions appreciate the opportunity to assist physician assistants (PAs) in their locum tenens journey as well as their quest for new long-term career opportunities.
Before diving into an overview of today’s PAs — including specialties and where they practice — let’s start with an interesting historical tidbit. Did you know four U.S. Navy corpsman were the first providers to officially be called physician assistants? According to the National Library of Medicine, they graduated in 1967 from the inaugural PA program at Duke University, which was founded to help address a physician shortage that developed over the 1950s and 1960s.
Fast forward to today and the PA ranks have grown to more than 178,700, and as healthcare is once again struggling with staffing shortages, hospitals, clinics, multispecialty private practice groups, along with other healthcare organizations continue to rely on PAs to compensate for the demand in patient care.
Top PA Specialties
Per the 2022 Statistical Profile of Board Certified PAs, published in 2023 by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA), PAs care for an estimated 10 million individuals each week. It also lists the following as the top practice areas in 2022:
- Surgical subspecialties – orthopedic surgery was the top subspecialty
- Family medicine
- Emergency medicine
- Internal medicine – cardiology was the top subspecialty
- Dermatology
- Hospital practice
- General surgery
- Psychiatry
- Critical care medicine
Physician assistants also work in anesthesia, otolaryngology, obstetrics and gynecology, radiology, urology, and pediatrics, and more.
Preferred PA Clinical Settings
Physician assistants practice in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., and even though NCCPA states the vast majority choose to work in hospitals or office-based private practice groups, the advanced practitioners also care for people in urgent care centers, community health organizations, ambulatory surgical centers, and home health care. Plus, they serve as locum tenens professionals, bringing their knowledge, experience, and expertise to patients and facilities in need of additional clinicians nationwide.
Your PA Partner
All Star Healthcare Solutions is honored to partner with PAs across all specialties, finding temporary and direct-hire opportunities in a variety of clinical settings across the country. Our dedicated consultants not only possess expert knowledge about the profession and the current staffing environment, but they always go above and beyond to deliver our signature “Red Carpet” Service. Whether you’re looking to enjoy the schedule freedom of locum tenens or want to take the next step on your career path, our Locums and Direct Hire Divisions collaborate and coordinate efforts to help you achieve your goals.
To learn more about opportunities with All Star Healthcare Solutions, call us today at 800-928-0229, or contact us online.
