The demand for physician assistants (PAs) and other advanced practice providers tends to be relatively local, especially when considering a permanent position. If you are in the market for a physician assistant, there are a number of things to consider and keep in mind to ensure you hire the right talent for your practice.
What is a Physician Assistant?
A physician assistant (PA) is a designated health care professional who can provide medical services as delegated. This role is versatile, with PAs found in virtually every type of medical facility and practice.
Advanced practice providers (including PAs and nurse practitioners) can provide a number of skilled services to patients, and in many cases, PAs fulfill the role of a patient’s primary healthcare provider.
Tips for Hiring a Qualified PA
When looking to hire a physician assistant, make sure you first establish the nature of the PA role you want to fill. Additionally, you will need to be prepared to evaluate applicants to verify that their qualifications will meet your needs.
Permanent or Locum Tenens?
PA positions can be permanent or locum tenens, depending on what best suits your practice.
When it comes to permanent positions, physician assistants are great options when you are replacing an existing PA or looking to hire a team of PAs as a replacement or supplement for a physician. Hiring a perm PA means securing a skilled, committed professional who can build relationships with your team and your clients. Permanent PAs typically receive benefits such as sick days, health insurance, and PTO, which can cultivate loyalty and satisfaction.
If you are looking to hire a locum tenens physician assistant, you will be able to hire a skilled practitioner for a limited amount of time, benefiting from their expertise without needing to commit to a long-term employment situation. Physician assistants may find locum tenens work appealing thanks to competitive compensation potential and travel opportunities, so rural areas may offer this type of work to attract skilled PAs to their practice, if only temporarily.
Rural areas often have a high need for skilled practitioners, and PAs are more likely to take local jobs rather than move with their families to accept a new position. The demand for skilled PAs is largely regional, as some areas don’t have the right training programs, so PAs may find rural positions to be attractive as permanent or locum tenens opportunities.
PA Certifications
Evaluating PA applicants is an essential part of the hiring process; you need to make sure that candidates have the right qualifications, licenses, and certifications to meet professional standards and practice expectations.
Applicants should be able to provide proof of relevant credentials to verify that they are qualified for the job. While specific certification requirements may vary depending on your needs, you may consider some of the following to be relevant:
- Certified Physician Assistant (CPA)
- Registered Physician Assistant (RPA)
- National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA)
- American Academy of Physician Assistants
You may also reference state licensing boards, National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) records, and copies of any recent hospital privileges to verify an applicant’s credentials.
Relevant Experience
Physician assistants must undergo intensive training and accumulate a significant amount of patient experience before becoming PAs. When looking to hire a PA, you should have a desired skill set in mind to ensure you can find a qualified match. Physician assistants are typically trained in a variety of skills, such as:
- Observation
- Task delegation
- Physical examination
- Disease diagnostics
- Office procedures
- Medical interpretation
If there are specific skills or experiences you are looking for, you should be transparent to encourage only qualified applicants.
Practice Agreement
When you hire a physician assistant, one of the most important things that you should do is to draft a practice agreement. This will serve as a contract that lists the new PA’s responsibilities and duties. In creating this document, you can ensure that you make the best use of the PA’s education, experience, expertise, and licensure.
Additionally, a physician assistant practice agreement can cover a range of other important details, including:
- Employment terms
- PA services
- Compensation
- Benefits
- Coverage
How A PA Fits Into Your Practice
If you are hiring a physician assistant, you should understand how a PA will fit into your current practice. Throughout the hiring process, you must be aware of the training a new PA will require, how a new PA will impact and work with the structure of your practice, and what the new hire will be expected to do.
Training
To become a PA, individuals must go through a considerable amount of training, but when you hire a physician assistant, it is important that you take the necessary steps to train them for the specific responsibilities they will have in your practice.
Because PAs have such a wide range of knowledge, the training you need to provide may vary depending on the individual. It is important to have a flexible mindset when approaching PA training so that you can make the most of a new hire’s experience while also setting them up for success.
You should also take steps to educate your current team about PAs and their responsibilities. Doing so will help prevent disagreements and instead promote cohesion and efficiency.
Teams
In many cases today, PAs can operate as primary care providers, but they may also work under a physician or on a team of PAs with varying skill sets. Depending on the size, structure, and specialization of your practice, you may hire a PA to serve different functions.
Generally speaking, PAs operate in a team-based approach with a heavy focus on collaboration. Acknowledging and leveraging this model when hiring a physician assistant can ensure you make the most of their skills and experience.
Responsibilities
Determining what you need a PA to do before starting the hiring process will be pivotal to identifying top candidates for the position. Because physician assistants tend to have such a diverse array of skills and experiences, the responsibilities you intend to assign to a PA will influence the type of candidate you want to pursue.
PAs are often equipped to handle a variety of tasks, such as administrative duties and patient care, but it is important to be transparent about responsibility expectations upfront so that you only hear from qualified candidates.
Looking to Hire a Physician Assistant or Other Advanced Practice Provider?
Pinnacle Health Group is a healthcare recruitment firm dedicated to helping you find the best talent for your practice. If you need to hire a physician assistant and want help narrowing your search for the top candidates, reach out to us today.
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