The majority of your peers gave an enthusiastic thumbs up to PA practice as a profession choice. Knowing what you know now, 86% of you agreed that you would follow the same career path today as when you entered practice, which is up 5% from last year.
Educational preparation came in for a ringing endorsement, increasing since last year’s survey results (a 3% increase), and practice setting remained virtually the same.
Of PAs in practice between < 1 and 5 years, 94% felt their educational training was adequate; 53% felt their current responsibilities matched their expectations accurately; and 74% said their career expectations were met.
WOULD YOU TAKE A NEW JOB TODAY?
Continuing to probe about your level of satisfaction, we asked how you feel about changing your job. The answer choices were, “I would…”
- Change my job if I could get a better one (ie, better paid)
- Take any other job in which I could earn as much as I do now (ie, Yes, to leave the profession)
- Change both my job and my occupation (ie, I am burned out)
- Not make any changes (ie, No, not for any reason)
We also asked you how many times you’ve changed jobs since graduating from your PA program. The 4 answer choices ranged from “None” to “More than 3 times.” The final question asked which factors influence your decision about seeking/accepting a new position, allowing more than one choice from the list below.
- Salary/compensation
- Options for supplemental income
- Greater independence/more autonomy
- Opportunities for professional growth/development
- Formal career ladder for advancement
- Defined career path
- Recognition and appreciation
- Schedule flexibility
- Geographic location
- Access to and subsidy for more educational opportunities
- Employer reimbursement of school loans
- Specific state scope of practice and licensure law
- Work-life balance, including addressing burnout
- Working conditions
- Avoid toxic coworkers
- Top-of-the-line tools
- Telecommuting
- Cost of living
- Opportunity for outdoor activities/lifestyle
To see what your colleagues said, go to the next page