PA burnout, by specialty

Last year, 32.2 percent of certified physician assistants experienced at least one symptom of burnout, according to the "2022 Statistical Profile of Board Certified PAs by Specialty," a report on 24 specialties and primary care published by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants.

At the same time, 83.6 percent of PAs said they are satisfied with their current job, and 86.7 percent said they are satisfied with their career choice of becoming a physician assistant, according to the report, published Aug. 21. 

The report is based on aggregated responses from physician assistants who were board certified as of Dec. 31, 2022, and have made updates to their profile between Jan. 1, 2020, and Dec. 31, 2022. Physician assistants were asked to rate their burnout — from no symptoms of burnout to completely burned out — based on their own definition of the term. 

Here are physician assistant specialties, ranked by percentage of respondents reporting at least one burnout symptom: 

Note: The list includes ties.

1. Emergency medicine — 39.9 percent

2. Critical care medicine — 38.3 percent 

3. Oncology — 35.9 percent 

3. Hospital medicine — 35.9 percent

5. Family medicine/general practice — 35.5 percent

6. Primary care — 34.8 percent 

7. Internal medicine-general medicine — 34.3 percent 

8. Gastroenterology — 34.1 percent

9. Psychiatry — 33.2 percent

10. Geriatrics — 32.2 percent 

11. Neurology — 31.8 percent

12. Neurosurgery — 31.4 percent 

13. Urology — 30.2 percent 

14. Obstetrics and gynecology — 29.7 percent 

15. Pain medicine — 29.6 percent 

16. Pediatrics (general) — 29.4 percent 

17. Cardiothoracic and vascular surgery — 29.1 percent 

17. Cardiology — 29.1 percent

19. General surgery — 26.8 percent

20. Orthopedic surgery — 26.6 percent

21. Occupational medicine — 26 percent

22. Otolaryngology — 25.4 percent

23. Plastic surgery — 24.9 percent

24. Dermatology — 24.3 percent

25. Physical medicine/rehabilitation — 23.7 percent

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