Physician Assistant Gender Differences in Research, Professional Goals, and Perceptions of Support

Abstract

Purpose The majority of Physician assistant (PA) educators are women, yet men proportionately publish more and advance further in academic rank. This study examined if research interest, promotion goals, and perceptions of institutional support differed between PA educators with different gender identities. Methods This is a subset analysis of a previously published cross-sectional study. PA programs were stratified by region and Carnegie classification and were sampled by a stratified random sampling method. PA faculty from selected programs were invited to participate in an anonymous survey. Data were analyzed to account for the stratified sample design. Means and proportions with associated 95% confidence intervals are described. Results There was a 51% response rate (N = 110). Sixty-three percent of respondents identified as female and 36% as male. Men had a mean of 5.67 (0.17, 11.16) career research articles and women had 1.56 (0.68, 2.44) articles. Fifteen percent (3.7%, 26.3%) of men were full professor compared to 4.3% (0, 9.1%) of women. When transitioning to a faculty role, 72.5% (58.4%, 86.6%) of men and 52.9% (41%, 64.7%) of women felt supported by their institution. Both genders valued promotion, but 80% (67.6%, 92.4%) of men reported having clear 5-year goals compared to 58.8% (46.6%, 71%) of women (P = .034). Conclusion There was no statistical difference in publications between men and women in this study. Women felt less supported when transitioning to a faculty role compared to men. Both men and women valued promotion equally, but men reported working towards that goal more intentionally. This study found few consistent differences in the attitudes and behaviors towards scholarship between men and women.