Objectives: The objective of this project was to evaluate demand for PAs by examination of job postings. We compared proportions of PAs in primary care with proportions of job postings in primary care in 2014 and 2016 and described job postings for PAs by specialty in 2014 and 2016.
Methods: Internet job postings for PAs supplied by Burning Glass Technologies were evaluated for practice specialty. Job postings were compared with existing filled positions by specialty as reported by the National Commission for the Certification of Physician Assistants.
Results: In both years, more than 25% of PAs in practice were in primary care and fewer than 20% of job openings were in primary care. More than half of postings were in medical and surgical subspecialties.
Conclusions: Our findings provide insights into which specialties have emerging high demand for PAs. The demand for PAs appears to remain much stronger for specialty jobs than for primary care jobs.