Physician Assistant or Physician Associate? Survey Finds PAs Are Split

Poll of 267 PAs Uncovers Lack of Consensus on Title Use Ahead of National PA Week

PEABODY, Mass. — Barton Associates, the 4th largest locum tenens staffing agency in the U.S. with 10 offices nationwide, conducted a survey of its network of PAs on whether they prefer using “physician assistant” or “physician associate” as their title.

The questions examined whether a change made in May 2021 by the AAPA to change the meaning of “PA” to “physician associate” from “physician assistant” has caught on among these medical professionals. The findings showed a near-even split in preference: 49% favored “physician assistant,” while 51% preferred “physician associate.”

Those who prefer using “physician assistant” primarily said they choose to use that title because it’s what has been used historically: “I have been in training and/or working in the PA world for 30 years. I have been a Physician Assistant for all that time, [and it would be] really tough to change now. I am not offended by the word assistant,” said one respondent.