Nearly Half of PAs Find the Term 'Mid-Level Provider' Offensive

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Jun 10, 2024, 09:00 ET

Survey of 440 PAs uncovers those 45 and older are 23 percent more likely to find the term offensive

PEABODY, Mass., June 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Barton Associates, the fourth-largest locum tenens staffing agency in the United States with nine offices nationwide, conducted a survey of its network of physician assistants/associates (PAs) to gauge whether they find the term "mid-level provider" offensive.

The questions examined PA sentiment on the term amid recent criticism over the term's usage. In recent years, the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) has encouraged the discontinuation of using "mid-level provider" to describe PAs, arguing that the term is antiquated and offensive. The survey revealed that 45% of respondent PAs find the term "mid-level provider" offensive.

The survey indicated that PAs aged 45 and older are 23% more likely than PAs aged 25–44 to find the term "mid-level provider" offensive. In fact, 39% of this younger cohort find the term offensive, compared to 48% of the PAs aged 45 and older.

The survey also found that the majority of PAs aged 55–64 (51%) said that they find "mid-level provider" offensive. In contrast, only 38% of respondent PAs aged 25–34 said that they find the term offensive.

Additionally, current locum tenens PAs surveyed were 11% more likely to say that they find the term "mid-level provider" offensive, with 49% of those respondents finding the term offensive compared to 44% of non-locum tenens providers who had the same opinion.

The survey, which was conducted on SurveyMonkey from April 22 to April 29, 2024, received responses from 440 PAs in Barton Associates' network. Read more about the survey and its methodology on Barton Associates' website.

About Barton Associates
Barton Associates, headquartered in Peabody, Massachusetts, is a leading national locum tenens physician, nurse practitioner (NP), physician assistant (PA), and dentist staffing and recruiting firm. Learn more at BartonAssociates.com.

SOURCE Barton Associates