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PURPOSE: To examine physician assistant (PA) job satisfaction and identify factors predicting job satisfaction and identify areas of needed research. With a global PA movement underway and a half-century in development, the empirical basis for informing employers of approaches to improve job satisfaction has not received a careful review.METHODS: A narrative review of empirical research was undertaken to inform stakeholders about PA employment with a goal of improved management. The a priori criteria included published studies that asked PAs about job satisfaction. Articles addressing PA job satisfaction, written in English, were reviewed and categorized according to the Job Characteristics Model.RESULTS: Of 68 publications reviewed, 29 met criteria and were categorized in a Job Characteristics Model. Most studies report a high degree of job satisfaction when autonomy, income, patient responsibility, physician support, and career advancement opportunities are surveyed. Age, sex, specialty, and occupational background are needed to understand the effect on job satisfaction. Quality of studies varies widely.CONCLUSIONS: Employers may want to examine their relationships with PAs periodically. The factors of job satisfaction may assist policymakers and health administrators in creating welcoming professional employment environments. The main limitation: no study comprehensively evaluated all the antecedents of job satisfaction. PAs seem to experience job satisfaction supported by low attrition rates and competitive wages. Contributing factors are autonomy, experienced responsibility, pay, and supportive supervising physician. A number of intrinsic rewards derived from the performance of the job within the social environment, along with extrinsic rewards, may contribute to overall job satisfaction. PA job satisfaction research is underdeveloped; investigations should include longitudinal studies, cohort analyses, and economic determinants.
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INTRODUCTION: Physician Assistants are medical care providers working under supervision and/or in collaboration with a medical doctor. The Physician Assistant profession has its origin in the United States, but in the last decade has also reached other nations to overcome medical staffing issues. With little summarized literature available, the aim of this study is to portray the Physician Assistant movement in Europe.METHODS: A literature search was conducted in Academic Search Premier, CINAHL, ERIC and MEDLINE databases. In addition, European PA educational programs, professional associations, and local experts on the PA profession were queried.RESULTS: Currently, in Europe there are three countries in which physician assistants are trained and are working. The educational models of physician assistant training in the United Kingdom, Germany and the Netherlands differ, as do the degrees offered by the training institutions.CONCLUSIONS: There is scant literature about physician assistant training and practice in Europe available in the common scientific databases. The paucity of literature makes it difficult for an outsider to observe the developments and to value the impact of a new profession on national health systems. Further high-quality research is needed to adequately characterize physician assistant education and implementation across Europe.
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Physician assistants (PAs) were introduced in the Netherlands in 2002 and are now widely deployed. However, little is known about patient satisfaction with Dutch PAs. A comparative study of patient satisfaction was undertaken in the primary care setting. Patients seen by general practitioners (GPs) and PAs were surveyed using the Consumer Quality Index, a European quality survey instrument. Quality of performance indicators included patient satisfaction, effectiveness of treatment, and safety of treatment. The results found that few differences emerged, and Dutch patients appear to be as satisfied with the care received by PAs as with GPs.
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