Physician Assistants in Plastic Surgery: A Descriptive Analysis Using the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants Dataset.

Abstract: Physician assistants (PAs) play a vital role in the US health care system, particularly amid the persistent surgeon shortage and escalating health care demands. We aim to characterize the current cohort of PAs in plastic surgery by comparing them to PAs in all other specialties. Using a cross-sectional analysis of the 2022 National Commission on Certification of PAs dataset, we examined demographic and practice characteristics of PAs in plastic surgery with those in all other specialties. Analysis included descriptive and bivariate statistics. In 2022, 1.0% of PAs worked in plastic surgery, with the specialty's numbers nearly doubling from 2015 (n = 647) to 2022 (n = 1186). Bivariate analysis among PAs in plastic surgery and those in other settings revealed several important attributes (all P's < 0.001); PAs in plastic surgery were younger (median age, 36 vs 39), identified as female (91.0% vs 69.4%), resided in urban locations (97.6% vs 92.5%), and performed a higher proportion of clinical procedures (66.5% vs 33.9%). Furthermore, a statistically significant higher percentage of PAs in plastic surgery reported high job satisfaction and was more likely to report no symptoms of professional burnout. The expanding PA profession amid the scarcity of surgeons presents an ideal prospect for enhanced collaboration. In an era where surgeon burnout is increasingly common and PAs express a readiness to function at an advanced level, expanding PAs' role becomes desirable and imperative. This collaborative approach has the potential to address workforce challenges, elevate patient care, and enhance provider satisfaction.