Do PAs in clinical practice find their work satisfying?

Few PAs--17% of those eligible to practice--have left the profession or chosen another career. One hypothesis is that PAs are satisfied with their profession and their work. To test this hypothesis, the AAPA conducted a survey of the professional satisfaction of AAPA members in clinical practice, collecting data using the 1998 AAPA member opinion survey that had been mailed to 17,336 PAs. Usable responses were received from 12,766 (73.6%) members in clinical practice. Measured were satisfaction with work environment, satisfaction with clinical practice, satisfaction with job, impression of the job market, and outlook on the profession. By all measures, PAs are highly satisfied with their choice of career and job. When respondents were asked to rate all aspects of their job taken together, 90% responded excellent (31%) or good (59%). Ninety percent said that they would definitely (47%) or probably (43%) become a PA if they were starting a career today.