Mo ale and Bu nou Among PAs
Examining Pe cep ions O e Time
AAPA Resea ch
11/25/202 5
Mo ale and bu nou among PAs: Examining pe cep ions o e ime
2 | 1 8
© Copy igh 202 5 Ame ican Academy o Physician Associa es. All igh s ese ed. No pa o his publica ion may
be ep oduced, s o ed in a e ie al sys em, o ansmi ed in any o m o by any means, elec onic, mechanical,
pho ocopying, eco ding, scanning, o o he wise wi hou he exp ess w i en pe mission o AAPA.
Table o Con en s
Abs ac ................................ ................................ ................................ ................ 3
Me hodology ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................... 3
Abou PAs ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ 3
Abou AAPA ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................. 3
How o Ci e ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .. 3
Execu i e Summa y ................................ ................................ ............................. 4
O e all sen imen : Though s on he s a e o he PA p o ession and heal hca e .................... 4
Ou look on heal hca e and he PA p o ession by gende ................................ ..................... 5
Sa is ac ion and Bu nou in he PA p o ession ................................ ................................ ......... 6
PA bu nou by gende and special y .............................................................................................. 8
Conclusion ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .. 9
Da a Tables ................................ ................................ ................................ ........ 10
Table 1. PA eelings on he cu en s a e o he PA p o ession, by yea ................................ 10
Table 2. PA eelings on he u u e o he PA p o ession, by yea ................................ ........... 10
Table 3. PA eelings on he u u e o heal hca e, by yea ................................ ........................ 11
Table 4. PA eelings on he p o ession and heal hca e sys em, by gende and yea ............ 11
Table 5. PAs employe sa is ac ion, by yea ................................ ................................ ............ 12
Table 6. Employe sa is ac ion by yea and employe ype ................................ .................... 13
Table 7. PAs pe cei ed le el o bu nou , by yea ................................ ................................ ..... 14
Table 8. S an o d PFI measu es by yea and gende ................................ .............................. 15
Table 9. S an o d PFI measu es by yea and special y a ea ................................ ................... 16
Re e ences ................................ ................................ ................................ .......... 18
Mo ale and bu nou among PAs : Examining pe cep ions o e ime 3 | 18
© 202 5 Ame ican Academy o Physician Associa es. All igh s ese ed. No o dis ibu ion o ep oduc ion.
Abs ac
PAs expe ience bu nou , and his s esso can lead o impac s on wellbeing, p oduc i i y, and
pa ien ca e . Howe e , le els o mo ale, bu nou , and employe sa is ac ion among PAs can
luc ua e o e ime . In his epo , we p o ide a b ie o e iew o ac o s ela ed o PA
pe cep ions o mo ale and bu nou om su ey da a collec ed be ween 2019 and 2025 .
Me hodology
Da a we e collec ed om PAs in he Uni ed S a es (U.S.) who had no op ed ou o AAPA
esea ch su eys o which AAPA had a alid email add ess. A se ies o ques ions ela ed o
PAs expe iences o bu nou and mo ale ha e been included in AAPA’s Sala y and PA P ac ice
Su ey in some o m om 20 19 o 2025 . The o e all ma gin o e o a ies by sec ion ,
b eakou , and da a collec ion . “N” e e s o he numbe o esponden s and is gene ally he
i s column in he da a ables. To als may no equal 100% due o ounding. Th e su ey i ems
epo ed in his publica ion we e deemed exemp by S e ling IRB (p ojec ID: 11613) as a
Ca ego y 2 exemp ion in acco dance wi h US Depa men o Heal h and Human Se ice's
Policy o P o ec ion o Human Resea ch Subjec s lis ed a 45 C.F.R. §46.104(d). The au ho
has no con lic s o epo .
Abou PAs
PAs (physician associa es) a e licensed clinicians who p ac ice medicine in e e y special y
and se ing. T us ed, igo ously educa ed and ained heal hca e p o essionals, PAs a e
dedica ed o expanding access o ca e and ans o ming heal h and wellness h ough pa ien -
cen e ed, eam -based medical p ac ice. A PA’s speci ic du ies depend on he se ings in
which hey wo k, hei le el o expe ience, and s a e law. The e a e app oxima ely 190,000
PAs in he Uni ed S a es, who engage in mo e han 514 million pa ien in e ac ions each yea .
To lea n mo e abou PAs, isi aapa.o g .
Abou AAPA
Founded in 1968, AAPA is he na ional p o essional socie y o physician
associa es/assis an s (PAs). I ep esen s a p o ession o app oxima ely 190,000 PAs
ac oss all medical and su gical special ies in all 50 s a es, he Dis ic o Columbia, U.S.
e i o ies, and he uni o med se ices.
PAs a e licensed clinicians who p ac ice medicine in e e y special y and se ing. T us ed,
igo ously educa ed and ained heal hca e p o essionals, PAs a e dedica ed o expanding
access o ca e and ans o ming heal h and wellness h ough pa ien -cen e ed , eam -based
medical p ac ice. In 2025, U.S. News & Wo ld Repo named PA he #3 Bes Job ac oss all
occupa ions, he #2 Bes Heal h Ca e Job, and he #3 Bes STEM Job. Lea n mo e abou he
p o ession a aapa.o g and engage h ough Facebook , LinkedIn , Ins ag am , and X ( o me ly
known as Twi e ).
How o Ci e
Mo ale and bu nou among PAs : Examining pe cep ions o e ime . 202 5. Ame ican Academy
o Physician Associa es. Alexand ia, VA. h ps://doi. o g/ 10.5281/zenodo.17715680 .
Mo ale and bu nou among PAs : Examining pe cep ions o e ime 4 | 18
© 202 5 Ame ican Academy o Physician Associa es. All igh s ese ed. No o dis ibu ion o ep oduc ion.
Execu i e Summa y
Like all heal hca e p o ide s, physician associa es (PAs) expe ience bu nou . P io esea ch
has documen ed how bu nou can in luence wellbeing, p oduc i i y, and pa ien ca e ac oss
all p o ide s and PAs speci ically. Al hough PAs o en epo high le els o p o essional
mo ale and employe sa is ac ion app oxi ma ely 12% indica ed lea ing a job in 2018. 1 Few
wo kplace conce ns impac a PA as much as bu nou . Expe iencing bu nou makes i mo e
likely ha a PA will educe hei clinical hou s and exp ess an in e es in lea ing hei posi ion.
1-3 Da a om 2025 indica es ha app oxima ely 34% o PAs a e expe iencing bu nou .4 While
eeling sa is ied a wo k and main aining a sense o wo k -li e balance has p e iously been
ound o help mi iga e he likelihood o expe iencing bu nou , a decline in wo kplace
condi ions – such as wha p o ide s encoun e ed du ing he COVID -19 pande mic – could
o se hese posi i e in luences. In his epo , we pick up he ends o mo ale and bu nou as
collec ed wi hin AAPA su eys om 2019 h ough o 2025 o e alua e eme ging ends and
lag po en ial a eas o conce n.
O e all sen imen : Though s on he s a e o he PA p o ession and heal hca e
PAs gene ally eel posi i e and op imis ic abou he PA p o ession . In 2019 – he ini ial yea
da a was collec ed – o e nine in 10 PAs (93%) indica ed hey we e ei he op imis ic o
somewha posi i e/op imis ic abou he cu en s a e o he p o ession . Howe e , he e has
been a sligh decline in his p opo ion be ween 2019 and 2025 . In ou mos ecen da a, he
p opo ion epo ing eeling posi i e was app oxima ely 83% . These numbe s we e a hei
lowes du ing he COVID -19 pandemic when jus o e 81% h ad an op imis ic ou look (Table 1,
Figu e 1) .
Figu e 1. O e all mo ale and eelings ela ed o he PA p o ession (2019 -2025)
92.9
87.0 82.0 81.2 81.1 81.9 82.6
0
25
50
75
100
2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
P opo ion Indica ing Op imis ic (%)
Su ey Yea
Mo ale and bu nou among PAs : Examining pe cep ions o e ime 5 | 18
© 202 5 Ame ican Academy o Physician Associa es. All igh s ese ed. No o dis ibu ion o ep oduc ion.
A simila end was also obse ed o e he da a pe iod o PA’s hough s on he u u e
o he PA p o ession. Again, a as majo i y o PAs a e op imis ic abou he u u e – anging
om 92% in 2019 o 81.1% in 2025. A i s lowes in 2022, almos ou in i e PAs (78.8%) s ill
had a posi i e ou look on he oles PAs would play in he u u e o heal hca e. Howe e , i is
impo an o no e ha op imism o he u u e o he p o ession did no ha e he same pos -
COVID ebound in he 2025 da a ha was p esen in esponden s’ eelings abou he cu en
s a e o he p o ession. While hese di e ences we e no s a is ically signi ican , hey do
e lec a end ha should be moni o ed as PAs con inue o expe ience egula o y and
o ganiza ional challenges du ing hei clinical p ac ice (Table 2, Figu e 2).
Figu e 2. Pe cen o P As op imis ic abou he u u e o he PA p o ession (2019 -2025)
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
92%
85 %
81%
79%
81%
82%
81%
Unlike hei iews on he PA p o ession, su ey esponden s om 2019 -2025 had an
inc easingly pessimis ic iew o he u u e o heal hca e. A s a is ically signi ican logis ic
eg ession indica ed PAs we e 26 imes mo e likely o indica e being pessimis ic o each
one-yea inc ease in he da a collec ion pe iod. In 2019 less han hal (44.1%) o PAs we e
pessimis ic abou he u u e o heal hca e, bu his has only inc eased each yea . Almos
se en in 10 PAs (68.7%) had nega i e iews on he u u e o he al hca e in 2025, and his
igu e is p ojec ed o each almos 80% by 2027 (Table 3, Figu e 3).
Figu e 3. Pe cen o PAs pessimis ic abou he u u e o heal hca e o e ime
Ou look on heal hca e and he PA p o ession by gende
Gene ally, male and emale PAs had simila le els o op imism in hei eelings abou he
cu en s a e o he PA p o ession, he u u e o PAs, and he u u e o heal hca e. Howe e ,
he e we e some in e es ing ends ac oss he da a yea s. Fo example. T he e we e mul iple
ins ances whe e emale PAs epo ed subs an ially lowe le els o op imism ela ed o he
u u e o heal hca e. In 2022 ha gap was abou 6% (37% o emale PAs, 43% o male PAs)
– inc easing o 8% in 2025 (29% o emale PAs, 37% o male PAs). While he p opo ions
44.1 43.6
52.9
61.3
63.5 67.2 68.7
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027
Pe cen Pessimis ic (%)
P ojec ed: Pe cen
pessimis ic abou he
u u e o heal hca e
Mo ale and bu nou among PAs : Examining pe cep ions o e ime 6 | 18
© 202 5 Ame ican Academy o Physician Associa es. All igh s ese ed. No o dis ibu ion o ep oduc ion.
we e close in he in e ening yea s, his pa en e lec s a e e sal om ea ly da a collec ions
whe e emale PAs we e o en mo e op imis ic. This is bes e lec ed in 2019 whe e almos six
in en (58%) o emale PAs had a posi i e ou look on heal hca e. Compa a i ely, onl y 51% o
male PAs sha ed in ha op imism (Table 4, Figu e 4).
Figu e 4. Di e ences in op imism on he p o ession and heal hca e in 2019 and 2025
Su ey Yea
Gende
Pe cen op imis ic abou … (%)
Cu en PA
p o ession
Fu u e o he PA
P o ession
Fu u e o
Heal hca e
2019
Male
91
87
51
Female
94
94
58
2025
Male
85
83
37
Female
82
80
29
Sa is ac ion and bu nou in he PA p o ession
PAs we e ypically sa is ied wi h hei employe s be ween 2019 and 2025. While he e was a
dip be ween 2021 and 2024, employe sa is ac ion in 2025 was nea ing 2021 le els. On a i e -
poin scale anging om “Ex emely dissa is ied” o “Ex emely sa is ied ” he mos o en
selec ed esponse was “Sa is ied” ac oss all he su ey yea s. On a e age, 48% o PAs
selec ed his esponse be ween 2019 and 2025. PAs we e mos dissa is ied wi h hei
employe in 2023. In ha yea , almos one in i e PAs (16%) we e dis sa is ied a hei job –
wi h an addi ional 4.4% indica ing being “Ex emely dissa is ied” (Table 5).
Mo eo e , o e all employe sa is ac ion ac oss all da a yea s did no signi ican ly a y
be ween employe ypes. The a e age employe sa is ac ion sco e was 70% - ega dless o
employe ype. When employe ype is added as a compa a i e ac o , he a e age le el o
employe sa is ac ion a clinical p ac ices (g oup o solo; mul ispecial y o single special y)
was 71%; ma ginally highe han he epo ed a e age om PAs in hospi als (including
acad emic medical cen e s, 70%) and hose a all o he employe s (70%). Howe e , he e
we e some in e es ing ends ela ed o he mo emen in he p opo ion o PAs indica ing
hey we e sa is ied wi h hei employe be ween he
employe ypes ac oss he da a yea s. While PAs
wo king in hospi als we e he mos likely o epo being
sa is ied wi h hei employe in 2020 (78%), hese PAs
had he lowes le els o sa is ac ion pos COVID -19
pandemic – 61% in 2023. PAs a g oup o solo clinical
p ac ices and all o he employe s had simila end lines
in hei employe sa is ac ion, bu hose in “all o he
employe s” (e.g., sel -employed, con enien ca e,
hospice, college o uni e si y) had he lowes le els o
sa is ac ion be ween 2019 and 2021 (Table 6, Figu e 5).
On a e age,
70 %
o PAs we e “sa is ied ”
o “ex emely sa is ied”
wi h hei employe
be ween 2019 -2025 .
Mo ale and bu nou among PAs : Examining pe cep ions o e ime 7 | 18
© 202 5 Ame ican Academy o Physician Associa es. All igh s ese ed. No o dis ibu ion o ep oduc ion.
Figu e 5. Employe sa is ac ion by employe ype
No e: This scale does no s a a ze o in o de o illus a e he di e ences in employe
sa is ac ion be ween employe s . These di e ences a e no s a is ically signi ican .
AAPA su eys used he 16-i em S an o d P o essional Ful illmen Index (PFI ) o
measu e bu nou based on i ems ela ed o p o essional ul illmen , wo k exhaus ion, and
in e pe sonal disengagemen . 5 Typically, single i em measu es a e also included o measu e
employe sa is ac ion and bu nou . Speci ically, he one -ques ion bu nou measu e is
designed o gi e PAs an oppo uni y o p o ide esea che s wi h a “gu -check” on hei
cu en eelings o bu nou . Using his ques ion, we can see a end simila o P A mo ale in
pe cep ions o bu nou .
Based on esponses o he one -i em bu nou measu e, PAs we e mo e bu ned ou as
he US was eme ging om he COVID -19 pandemic in 2023 (45%) han hey we e in 2022
(40%) o 2021 (39%). While bu nou has declined om i s high in 2023 o 38% in 2025,
le els a e s ill highe han hey we e in 2020 (35%). Ac oss all da a collec ion yea s, he mos
selec ed esponse was “ Occasionally I am unde s ess, and I don' always ha e as much
ene gy as I once did, bu I don' eel bu ned ou ” – anging om 50% in 2020 o 43.3% in
2023. Gene ally, PAs who el bu ned ou we e mo e likely o selec “ I am de ini ely bu ning
ou and ha e one o mo e symp oms o bu nou , such as physical and emo ional exhaus ion ”
han he mo e se ious “ The symp oms o bu nou ha I'm expe iencing won' go away. I hink
abou us a ion a wo k a lo ” o “I eel comple ely bu ned ou and o en wonde i I can go
on. I am a he poin whe e I may need some changes o may need o seek some so o help ”
(Table 7, Figu e 6).
76.8
74.1
69.9
70.5
63.2
68.2
73.6
76.6
78.0
70.9
65.9
61.3
66.6
70.6
74.8 69.2
68.3
70.1
63.1
69.2 73.0
40
50
60
70
80
2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Pe cen Sa is ied (%)
Su ey Yea
Clinical p ac ice (g oup o solo)
Hospi al (including acad. medical cen e )
All o he employe s
Mo ale and bu nou among PAs : Examining pe cep ions o e ime 8 | 18
© 202 5 Ame ican Academy o Physician Associa es. All igh s ese ed. No o dis ibu ion o ep oduc ion.
Figu e 6. PA pe cep ions o bu nou (2020 - 2025)
While he S an o d PFI is mo e p ecise han one -ques ion bu nou measu e p e iously
e e enced wi hin his b ie , he p opo ion o PAs iden i ied by each measu e as expe iencing
bu nou was simila ac oss each da a yea (Figu e 7). Wi h he excep ion o 2024, PFI sco es
ela ed o bu nou we e sligh ly highe han he p opo ion who epo ed eeling bu ned ou
on he single -i em measu e . Al hough he e we e luc ua ions in he a e age le el o bu nou
epo ed by PAs wi hin each da a yea he e was no s a is ically signi ican in e ac ion
be ween ime and bu nou le els.
Figu e 7. P opo ion o PAs expe iencing bu nou by measu e and da a yea
Measu e
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
A g.
1-Ques ion Bu nou
35%
39%
40%
45%
42%
40%
S an o d PFI: O e all
Bu nou Cu poin
38%
41%
43%
47%
39%
42%
PA bu nou by gende and special y
Taking a close look a o he ac o s d i ing epo ed le els o bu nou , emale PAs
consis en ly had highe p opo ion s o p o ide s expe iencing bu nou han male PAs. The
la ges gap was in 2022 when 37% o male PAs epo ed being bu ned ou while almos hal
(46%) o emale PAs we e conside ed bu ned ou . Bu nou peaked in 2023 o male (43%)
and emale (47%) PAs. While wo in i e emale PAs (41%) we e epo ing bu nou in 2024,
he p opo ion o male PAs expe iencing bu nou d opped o ma ch hei lowes eco ded
le els (34%). Mu ch o he bu nou expe ienced du ing his ime appea s o be d i en mo e by
expe iencing wo k exhaus ion han in e pe sonal disengagemen . Le els o in e pe sonal
disengagemen we e simila each yea o male and emale PAs, bu gaps in wo k exhaus ion
mi o di e ences in o e all bu nou . This sense o wo k exhaus ion may also impac eelings
65.4
60.8 59.4
55.3
61.3 61.9
34.7
39.2 40.3
44.7 41.5 38.0
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Pe cen (%)
Su ey Yea
No Indica ing Bu nou Indica ing Bu nou
Mo ale and bu nou among PAs : Examining pe cep ions o e ime 9 | 18
© 202 5 Ame ican Academy o Physician Associa es. All igh s ese ed. No o dis ibu ion o ep oduc ion.
o p o essional ul illmen – whe e emale PAs also consis en ly epo ed lowe sco es han
hei male colleagues (Table 8).
Special y also played a ole in PA bu nou . Speci ically, PAs p ac icing in eme gency
medicine had highe p opo ions o esponden s expe iencing bu nou wi hin all da a yea s .
In 2023 almos h ee in i e eme gency medicine PAs (58%) we e conside ed bu ned ou
based on hei PFI sco es. This was ma kedly highe han he a e age p opo ion
expe iencing bu nou ac oss all PAs who esponded in ha da a yea (47%, Table 9). Simila
o o he epo ed ends, bu nou wi hin special y g oups ended o inc ease be ween 2020
and 2023 be o e alling sligh ly be ween 2023 and 2024. Howe e , he a e o inc ease was
no equal amongs all g oups. PAs who epo ed wo king in su gical subspecial ies, pedia ic
subspecial ies, no medical special y (e.g., adminis a i e o academic oles), and “all o he
special ies” (e.g., alle gy & immunology, psychia y, obs e ics & gynecology) o en had
lowe a es o bu nou han hei pee s in p ima y ca e (Table 9, Figu e 8).
Figu e 8. P opo ion o PAs expe iencing bu nou by special y a ea (2020 and 2024)
Da a yea
P ima y
ca e
In e nal
medicine
Pedia ic
special ies
Su gical
special ies
Eme gency
medicine
O he
special ies
A g.
2020
41%
36%
16%
36%
44%
41%
38%
2024
42%
36%
31%
37%
57%
36%
39%
Conclusion
PAs a e op imis ic abou he u u e o hei p o ession bu inc easingly pessimis ic abou he
u u e o heal hca e w i la ge. While employe sa is ac ion has s a ed o ebound om i s
pandemic lows, PA bu nou is s ill highe han p e -pandemic le els. The e ec s o bu nou
a e also une en ac oss gende and special y. Despi e being a majo i y o he PA wo k o ce,
emale PAs consis en ly epo highe le els o bu nou han hei male colleagues and lowe
le els o op imism abou he u u e o heal hca e and he PA p o ession. Mo eo e , PAs
wo king in c i ical special y a eas like eme gency medicine and p ima y ca e a e o en
expe iencing bu nou a highe le els han he a e age su ey esponden . While p og ess
has been made o help cu ail he impac o bu nou wi hin heal h p o essions, mo e wo k is
needed o de elop in e en ions speci ic o he PA p o ession. Cu en and u u e PAs need
sys ems in place o incen i ize wellbeing , and mo e esea ch is needed o be e unde s and
he ole pe sonal and p o essional demog aphics play in expe iencing and o e coming
bu nou . The Na ional Academy o Medicine (NAM) eleased a Na ional Plan o Heal h
Wo k o ce Well -Being which s esses he impo ance o in es ing in ools o measu e
bu nou , ans o ming heal h sys ems by de eloping aining and educa ion aimed a
os e ing well -being, and add essing egula o y and policy ba ie s adding unnecessa y
bu dens o heal h wo ke s. While AAPA con inues o wo k on behal o PAs o imp o e
condi ions o he heal hca e wo k o ce , PAs also ha e a unique oppo uni y o imp o e well -
being in hei wo kplaces. Fo mo e in o ma ion on educa ion, ools, and ways o ge in ol ed
isi aapa.o g/ca ee -cen al .
Mo ale and bu nou among PAs: Examining pe cep ions o e ime 16 | 18
© 202 5 Ame ican Academy o Physician Associa es. All igh s ese ed. No o dis ibu ion o ep oduc ion.
Table 9. S an o d PFI measu es by yea and special y a ea
Su ey yea
Special y a ea
N
Bu nou
O e all:
P opo ion
Bu ned ou
O e all
Bu nou
Wo k
Exhaus ion
In e pe sonal
Disengagemen
P o essional
Ful illmen
A e age Scale Sco es (0 -4)
2020
5,198
38.4
1.19
1.58
0.93
2.54
P ima y ca e
439
40.8
1.22
1.62
2.57
0.95
In e nal medicine subspecial ies
227
35.6
1.18
1.57
2.60
0.93
Pedia ic subspecial ies
40
16.1
0.89
1.30
2.71
0.61
Su gical subspecial ies
548
35.9
1.13
1.48
2.57
0.89
Eme gency medicine
221
43.5
1.29
1.69
2.34
1.03
O he special ies
578
40.6
1.23
1.63
2.52
0.96
No medical special y
85
29.8
1.00
1.52
2.50
0.70
2021
2,976
41.2
1.26
1.68
0.98
2.44
P ima y ca e
546
43.3
1.32
1.78
2.50
1.02
In e nal medicine subspecial ies
334
39.5
1.28
1.65
2.50
1.04
Pedia ic subspecial ies
31
40.0
1.31
1.88
2.39
0.93
Su gical subspecial ies
654
39.0
1.21
1.61
2.48
0.95
Eme gency medicine
206
50.4
1.43
1.85
2.29
1.14
O he special ies
648
40.4
1.22
1.65
2.36
0.94
No medical special y
77
36.5
0.99
1.47
2.43
0.69
2022
12,852
43.1
1.29
1.60
1.02
2.34
P ima y ca e
2,529
43.9
1.30
1.63
2.38
1.05
In e nal medicine subspecial ies
1,561
47.3
1.36
1.72
2.33
1.07
Pedia ic subspecial ies
201
42.9
1.29
1.66
2.37
1.11
Su gical subspecial ies
3,181
38.9
1.21
1.50
2.40
0.99
Eme gency medicine
958
54.6
1.50
1.74
2.19
1.22
O he special ies
3,166
41.6
1.27
1.59
2.29
0.96
No medical special y
484
39.0
1.14
1.48
2.35
0.73
Mo ale and bu nou among PAs : Examining pe cep ions o e ime 17 | 18
© 202 5 Ame ican Academy o Physician Associa es. All igh s ese ed. No o dis ibu ion o ep oduc ion.
Table 9. S an o d PFI measu es by yea and special y (con .)
Su ey yea
Special y a ea
N
Bu nou
O e all:
P opo ion
Bu ned ou
O e all
Bu nou
Wo k
Exhaus ion
In e pe sonal
Disengagemen
P o essional
Ful illmen
2023
12,455
46.5
1.33
1.69
1.09
2.23
P ima y ca e
2,445
47.9
1.34
1.76
2.25
1.07
In e nal medicine subspecial ies
1,669
45.9
1.32
1.68
2.29
1.08
Pedia ic subspecial ies
202
43.2
1.28
1.77
1.97
0.96
Su gical subspecial ies
3,317
46.2
1.32
1.65
2.27
1.10
Eme gency medicine
911
58.2
1.53
1.85
2.06
1.31
O he special ies
3,307
43.2
1.29
1.64
2.21
1.05
No medical special y
572
44.5
1.28
1.64
2.25
1.04
2024
11,778
38.8
1.19
1.52
0.97
2.36
P ima y ca e
2,314
41.8
1.24
1.60
2.39
0.99
In e nal medicine subspecial ies
1,526
35.6
1.13
1.47
2.46
0.91
Pedia ic subspecial ies
197
31.0
1.02
1.40
2.47
0.77
Su gical subspecial ies
3,203
37.2
1.18
1.50
2.40
0.97
Eme gency medicine
856
56.9
1.46
1.71
2.10
1.30
O he special ies
3,045
35.8
1.15
1.45
2.34
0.95
No medical special y
385
35.6
1.07
1.51
2.22
0.77
Sou ce: 2020 - 2023 PA P ac ice Su ey; 2022 - 2024 AAPA Sala y Su ey
Ques ion s: S an o d P o essional Ful illmen Index
No e: Scale sco es we e calcula ed by a e aging he i em sco es o all he i ems wi hin he co esponding scale . These scale sco es we e a e aged ac oss all
alid esponden s o p oduce da a yea a e ages.
The o e all p opo ion expe iencing bu nou ca ego ies a e de e mined om he a e age i em sco e ( ange 0 o 4) o all 10 bu nou i ems (wo k exhaus ion
and in e pe sonal disengagemen ), using a cu -poin o 1.33 – wi h sco es abo e he h eshold indica ed bu nou .
Mo ale and bu nou among PAs: Examining pe cep ions o e ime 18 | 18
© 202 5 Ame ican Academy o Physician Associa es. All igh s ese ed. No o dis ibu ion o ep oduc ion.
Re e ences
1. Reed H, Be na d K, Smi h N. Reasons PAs lea e hei jobs. JAAPA O J Am Acad
Physician Assis . 2021;34(8):43 -47. doi:10.1097/01.JAA.0000758224.29328. 4
2. Halasy MP, Wes CP, Shana el T, O’Laughlin DJ, Sa ele D, Dy bye LN. PA job
sa is ac ion and ca ee plans. JAAPA O J Am Acad Physician Assis . 2021;34(6):1 -12.
doi:10.1097/01.JAA.0000750968.07814.d0
3. Coplan B, McCall TC, Smi h N, Gelle V, Essa y AC. Bu nou , job sa is ac ion, and
s ess le els o PAs. JAAPA O J Am Acad Physician Assis . 2018;31(9).
doi:10.1097/01.JAA.0000544305.38577.84
4. Kozikowski A, B uza -Auga is M, Maddux S, Pucke K, Mo on -Rias D, Goodman J.
Unde s anding bu nou in physician assis an s/associa es h ough he lens o
Conse a ion o Resou ces heo y. Heal h A Sch . 2025;3(9):qxa 176. Published
2025 Sep 2. doi:10.1093/haschl/qxa 176
5. T ockel M, Bohman B, Lesu e E, e al. A B ie Ins umen o Assess Bo h Bu nou and
P o essional Ful illmen in Physicians: Reliabili y and Validi y, Including Co ela ion
wi h Sel -Repo ed Medical E o s, in a Sample o Residen and P ac icing
Physicians . Acad Psychia y . 2018;42(1):11 -24. doi:10.1007/s40596 -017-0849 -3
