Twenty-one states have taken action to suspend or waive certain practice requirements for physician assistants in response to COVID-19. However, more than 22.1 percent of PAs have been furloughed.
PAs face the challenges of many healthcare workers, lack of PPE, termination, and changing practice settings.
A recent survey from the American Academy of Physician Assistants show the challenges PAs are facing under COVID-19.
- Nearly one-third of respondents (31.7 percent) said they have had to go without necessary personal protective equipment.
- Of the PAs who have treated COVID-19 patients, 38.9 percent went without PPE.
- Nearly 6 percent of respondents said they have changed specialties over the last 10 weeks.
- Nearly 10 percent of respondents said they have changed practice settings over the last 10 weeks, such as moving from outpatient surgical center to intensive care unit.
- A portion of respondents (3.7 percent) said they had been terminated due to COVID-19.
- Nearly 3 in 5 PAs said their hours worked were reduced due to COVID-19.
- Nearly 31 percent of respondents said their base pay was reduced due to COVID-19.
Read more about the survey here. Get information on 21 state reactions.
Click here for more workforce changes during COVID-19.
Lisa Remington is president and publisher of the Remington Report magazine and President of Remington’s Home Care Leadership Think Tank. She has worked with more than 10,000 organizations in both a consultancy role and an educator. Lisa monitors the complex key trends and forces of change to develop a correct strategic approach to de-risk decision-making and create sustainable futures across the healthcare continuum.