Demographic and Practice Characteristics of Physician Assistants in the Psychiatric Workforce

Abstract: In recent years, demand for psychiatric care has been rapidly growing. At the same time, estimates show that 122 million people in the US reside in mental health professional shortage areas. Additional mental health providers are urgently needed to fill these deficits. Owing to their advanced education and training, physician assistants (PAs) can play a vital role in helping alleviate mental health professional shortages and increase patient access. Using an updated (2021) robust national dataset from the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants, we quantify demographic, practice, and other important personal/professional characteristics of PAs practicing in psychiatry. In 2021, 2.0% or 2,262 certified PAs reported practicing in psychiatry – compared to 1,201 or 1.3% in 2016. PAs in psychiatry, when compared to all other specialties, are more likely to be female (71.4% vs. 69.1%; p=0.015), less than 30 years old (15.0% vs. 11.6%; p