Profile and Attributes of Physician Assistants/Associates in Rheumatology: An In-depth Analysis.

Objective: This work describes the demographics and practice characteristics of physician assistants/associates (PAs) practicing in rheumatology.

Methods: We examined 2022 cross-sectional data from the National Commission on Certification of PAs (NCCPA). The investigation included demographics and practice characteristics of PAs working in rheumatology compared to those working in all other specialties. We analyzed data using descriptive and bivariate statistics comparing the two groups.

Results: In 2022, 430 PAs self-reported practicing in rheumatology. The median age of these PAs was 39 years, and 84.7% self-identified as female. They primarily (78.8%) worked in office-based private practices and were more likely to engage in telemedicine services (62.5%) than their colleagues in all other specialties. PAs in rheumatology typically worked similar hours as their peers in other medical disciplines but saw a higher proportion of patients in the 61-80 range. At the same time, PAs in rheumatology reported slightly higher job satisfaction and lower burnout symptom rates compared to PAs practicing in other disciplines.

Conclusions: Understanding PAs' characteristics and employment settings in rheumatology is crucial to estimating the health workforce supply and demand in this discipline. Further research should explore the economics of PAs in rheumatology, including aspects of teamwork, scope of practice, patient outcomes, and satisfaction.