Black and Hispanic Representation Declined After Increased Degree Requirements for Physician Assistants

Abstract

Introduction The physician assistant (PA) profession is one of the least racially and ethnically diverse health professions requiring advanced education. New PA graduates are even less diverse than the current PA workforce and less diverse than professions requiring doctoral degrees. Between 1995 and 2020, the percent of all PA graduates that were Black individuals fell from 7% to 3.1%, while Hispanic representation increased from 4.5% to 7.9%. Methods Using the federal Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, we examine the impact of transitions to master’s degrees for PAs on Black and Hispanic representation between 1995 and 2020, using individual universities as the unit of analysis. Results After adjusting for state and year effects, PA programs that transitioned from bachelor’s to master’s degrees experienced a 5.3% point decline in Black representation and a 3.8% point decline in Hispanic representation. Relative to the already low proportions of Black and Hispanic graduates in PA programs, these declines are significant. Discussion Steps should be taken to ensure that underrepresented populations have greater access to PA education.