The perceptions of physician assistants regarding doctorate level PA education

Abstract

Many mid-level health care professions have implemented the clinical doctorate. The physician assistant (PA) profession has not implemented doctoral-level education. This cross - sectional study was designed to determine the perceptions of practicing PAs regarding the Doctorate of Physician Assistant (DPA). A survey was sent to a randomized sample of United States PAs that were in the database of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA). The results were analyzed using Chi-Square analysis and descriptive statistics. The response rate for this survey was 23% (n=1,500). The majority of the respondents were not in favor of the DPA (55.8%). The study results reveal a group of practicing PAs in the United States that do not favor the profession moving toward offering a DPA degree.