Heavy workloads, long hours and insufficient compensation are fueling burnout among physician assistants, according to Medscape's Physician Assistant Burnout Report published Oct. 6.
The report is based on insights from 1,139 U.S. physician assistants surveyed between March 6 and May 30.
Four report findings:
1. Sixty percent of PAs reported feeling burned out in 2023, while 24% reported being both burned out and depressed.
2. Thirty-nine percent of PAs said they've been burned out for at least one to two years, and 52% say they're more burned out now than they were during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020.
3. The leading contributors to burnout were too many bureaucratic tasks (57%), lack of respect from coworkers (43%) and insufficient compensation (42%).
4. PAs cited reasonable patient loads (47%), sufficient compensation (45%) and manageable work schedules (39%) as the three biggest factors that can help reduce burnout.
View the full report here.