ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Physician associates/assistants (PAs) with mature careers represent an important leadership resource for healthcare employers. This study sought to determine whether PA leadership task responsibility interacted with experience level to predict professional well-being. METHODS: This quantitative study used an archival dataset from a national sample of PAs. The Professional Fulfillment Index was used to measure well-being and career length was used to represent experience level. PA leadership task responsibility was calculated as an aggregate score. Bivariate linear regression with mediation analysis was conducted to determine the relationship between variables. RESULTS: An increase in PA experience level predicted higher professional fulfillment and lower burnout, and aggregate leadership task score partially mediated this relationship. CONCLUSIONS: Granting leadership task responsibility compatible with experience level may enhance PA professional fulfillment, mitigate burnout, and increase PA usefulness for healthcare employers.
Subject(s)
Burnout, Professional , Job Satisfaction , Leadership , Physician Assistants , Humans , Physician Assistants/psychology , Burnout, Professional/prevention & control , Burnout, Professional/psychology , Male , Female , Adult , Middle Aged , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Recent updates to physician associate/assistant (PA) laws reflect less mandated supervision. Although greater autonomy may inspire experienced PAs, newer PAs may struggle with less required oversight. This study examined the influence of autonomy, career length, and the quality of the collaborative physician (CP) relationship on PA well-being. METHODS: A secondary analysis of data gathered in 2018 by the American Academy of Physician Associates was conducted using bivariate and multiple linear regression with moderated mediation. RESULTS: Years of experience positively predicted PA well-being and negatively predicted the percentage of time spent consulting with a CP. The interaction of the percentage of time spent consulting with a CP and the quality of the CP relationship mediated the relationship between years of experience and well-being. CONCLUSIONS: Findings demonstrate that the quality of the CP relationship is most salient to the well-being of early-career PAs who spend more time in consultation with CPs.
