Preview
Creation Date
10-25-2023
Description
Original Research: The impact of holding a doctoral credential by clinically practicing physician assistants (PAs) remains unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate practice patterns and describe demographic characteristics of PAs who have terminal doctoral degrees. This was a secondary analysis, using descriptive bivariate statistics and chi-square tests, with data obtained from the 2021 Salary Survey of the American Academy of PAs. There were statistically significant differences in practice patterns and demographic factors between PAs with and without doctoral degrees. Taken together, holding a doctoral credential may improve upward mobility at workplaces. This study was among the first to analyze data surrounding the characteristics of clinically practicing PAs with terminal doctoral degrees. We hope this work may shed more light on the potential impacts of doctoral degrees for PAs and provide needed evidence for the ongoing debate on whether the PA profession should move to doctoral level training.