Physician Assistant Burnout and Fulfillment related to Career Development and Physician Relationship

Physician workforce shortages are driving increased clinical and administrative use of non-physician healthcare providers. As a result, physician assistants (PAs) may experience role expansion in a positive or negative manner. The purpose of this study was to determine if aspects of PA career development related to role expansion interacted with the quality of the collaborative physician (CP) relationship to predict PA well-being. The job demands-resources (JD-R) model was used as the theoretical foundation and the National Academy of Medicine’s conceptual model of clinician well-being was used as the conceptual framework. Research questions addressed whether PA experience level predicted well-being, and if this relationship was mediated by autonomy or leadership responsibility or moderated by the quality of the relationship with a CP. The quantitative study was nonexperimental and employed an archival dataset. Bivariate linear regression, mediation, and moderated mediation analyses were conducted. As PA experience level increased, fulfillment increased and burnout decreased, and leadership responsibility partially mediated these relationships. The quality of the CP relationship emerged as the strongest direct predictor of PA well-being, and also moderated the mediation of autonomy on the relationship between experience level and PA well-being. By fostering positive collaborative relationships and offering opportunities for leadership, employers may support PA role expansion. Supporting PA role expansion may lead to positive social change by augmenting the ability of PAs to provide access to healthcare for patients living in communities affected by physician workforce shortages