Data Report: 2016 Indiana Physician Assistant Licensure Survey
Identifying supply and distribution of the Physician Assistant (PA) workforce is crucial in understanding the capacity to meet health needs and improve overall population health of Indiana citizens. Data presented in this report provide a snapshot of key demographic and practice characteristics for Indiana’s PA workforce. The 2016 Indiana Physician Assistant Data Report presents information derived from data collected from the PA re-licensure survey administered by the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (IPLA) during the biennial license renewal period. In 2016 1,346 PAs renewed their professional licenses. Of these, 806 reported having a verified Indiana practice address and are included in this report. The greatest number of PAs report practicing in Marion County and Allen County yet over one-third of Indiana counties (37.0%) do not have any reported PA full-time equivalents (FTE). As with other health workforce professions, the greatest need for PAs exists in rural, less populous counties; over three-quarters (79.4%) of those counties absent PA professionals are designated as rural. This report details important demographic and practice characteristics for the PA workforce, examining these data specifically in relation to PA supply and distribution. The 2016 Indiana Physician Assistant Data Report provides stakeholders with information needed to improve the quality of and accessibility to primary care for Indiana residents through policymaking, workforce development and resource allocation.
2016 Physician Assistant Workforce Fact Sheet
Physician assistants (PAs) are medical practitioners who work under the supervision of a licensed physician. They play a vital role in the health care system by performing physical examinations, making diagnoses, and prescribing treatment to patients. In addition to these general responsibilities, PAs order and interpret laboratory tests, including X-rays, as well as suturing, splinting, and casting injuries. The physician assistant role was created in the 1960s to reducing barriers to accessing health care that had resulted from the increasing shortage or maldistribution of physicians, particularly in rural and underserved communities. Data on the PA workforce is critical to understanding capacity of this workforce in Indiana.
Physician Assistant Re-Licensure 2010 Survey Report
The Indiana State Department of Health and the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency developed a collaborative partnership to collect data through the licensing process to better understand the health professions workforce within the state. Beginning in 2004, physician assistants were asked to participate in voluntary surveys when renewing their licenses every two years. The purpose of this report is to summarize the participants’ responses to the survey items. The responses provide a detailed description of the physician assistant workforce in the state of Indiana to aid in the development of policies and programs to recruit and retain these health professionals where they are needed in Indiana.
Report of Responses to the 2004, 2006, and 2008 Physician Assistant Re-Licensure Surveys
The Indiana State Department of Health and the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency developed a collaborative partnership to collect data through the licensing process to better understand the health professions workforce within the state. Beginning in 2004, physician assistants were asked to participate in voluntary surveys when renewing their licenses ever y two years. The purpose of this report is to summarize the participants’ responses to the survey items. The responses provide a detailed description of the physician assistant workforce in the state of Indiana to aid in the development of policies and programs to recruit and retain these health professionals where they are needed in Indiana.