Minnesota’s Health Workforce
Physician Assistants 2007
June 2008
Physician assistants are health care professionals licensed to practice medicine under physician supervision. The
profession dates from the late 1960s. The curriculum was based on fast-track training of military doctors during
World War II.
Physician assistant training programs usually take at least two years. Admission requirements vary, but programs
commonly require at least two years of college and some health care working experience. Accredited physician
assistant programs are offered by a wide variety of institutions, including baccalaureate colleges, university
schools of allied health, community colleges and the military. Licensing requires a passing score on the Physician
Assistant National Certifying Examination, administered by the National Commission on Certification of
Physician Assistants. The exam is open only to graduates of programs accredited by the Accreditation Review
Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant.
Augsburg College of Minneapolis offers the only accredited physician assistant program in Minnesota.
Wisconsin has three programs, Iowa two programs, and North and South Dakota each one program.
Numbers of physician assistants
In July 2007, Minnesota had 1,111 licensed physician
assistants, nearly three times the number 10 years
earlier, and a 34 percent increase in only two years. The
number of licensed physicians increased only 27
percent from 1997 to 2007. As a result, the ratio of
licensed physicians to physician assistants fell from 38
to 16.1.
Some licensees are retired, not working as physician
assistants, or living and practicing in other states. Based
on survey responses and licensing data from the
Minnesota Board of Medical Practice, the Office of
Rural Health and Primary Care estimates approximately
950 physician assistant were practicing at least part time
at Minnesota practice sites in mid 2007.
For explanation of this estimate, see the
methodological note at the end of this report.
Using the July 1, 2007 population estimate for
Minnesota, 950 physician assistants equate to 18 active
physician assistants per 100,000 people. Based on data
from about 2004, Minnesota ranked 33rd in the
number of physician assistants per capita.
1
Licensed physician assistants
Minnesota
1,200
1,000
800
600
400
200
0
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Note: numbers of registrations July 1 of each year; not
necessarily practicing in Minnesota.
Source: Minnesota Board of Medical Practice
Physician Assistants 2007
All data reported is for physician assistants who work at least part time at a primary practice site in Minnesota, according to the Office of
Rural Health and Primary Care survey of physician assistants renewing licenses for 2007.
Geographic location
2007 Population
Metropolitan – The 21 counties surrounding the seven metropolitan
statistical areas connected with Minnesota, as defined by the U.S.
Census (Minneapolis-St. Paul; St. Cloud; Rochester; Duluth-Superior ,
Minn.-Wisc.; Fargo, N. D.; Grand Forks, N. D;. and La Crosse,
WIsc.).
Micropolitan – The 20 Minnesota counties surrounding smaller
urban centers of at least 10,000 people.
State of Minnesota
Physician Assistants
Rural, 14%
Rural, 13%
Micropolitan,
11%
Micropolitan,
15%
Rural – The 46 Minnesota counties outside a Metropolitan or
Micropolitan area.
Metropolitan,
75%
Metropolitan,
72%
Geographic Distribution
•
•
•
Physician assistants are distributed across the
state in close proportion to population.
Compared to physicians, physician assistants are
more likely to practice in smaller cities and rural
areas.
The 46 most rural counties have 13 percent of
the state’s population and about 14 percent of
the state’s practicing physician assistants.
Age Group
Median age
Less than 35
35-44
45-54
55-64
65 and older
Total
2
Statewide (n = 653)
38 yr.
35.7%
29.4%
22.1%
11.8%
1.1%
100.0%
Metropolitan
counties
Micropolitan
counties
Rural
Metropolitan (n = 489)
37 yr.
39.5%
28.0%
19.0%
12.3%
1.2%
100.0%
2007
Population
3,810,396
%
Population
72.8%
%
Physician
assistants
74.9%
761,302
14.6%
11.2%
659,408
12.6%
13.9%
Micropolitan (n = 73)
39 yr.
28.8%
31.5%
34.2%
5.5%
-0100.0%
Rural (n =91)
43 yr.
20.9%
35.2%
28.6%
14.3%
1.1%
100.0%
Physician Assistants 2007
Gender of Physician Assistants
•
•
•
Age of physician assistants, 2005
More than 60 percent of all physician assistants
are female.
Women especially predominate among younger
ranks of physician assistants; 76 percent of
physician assistants under age 35 are female.
Conversely, most physician assistants age 55 or
older are male.
31.7%
35%
27.0%
30%
26.8%
25%
13.3%
20%
15%
10%
1.1%
5%
0%
Age of Physician Assistants
Physician assistants are relatively young compared to the
physicians they work alongside. The younger age of
physician assistants reflects both the shorter training
period and the large number of young physician assistants
entering the field in recent years.
•
•
•
•
Physician assistants (median = 38 yrs.) are much
younger than physicians (median = 48 yrs.). This
reflects both a shorter training period, as well as
the newness of the profession.
Fifty-three percent of physician assistants were
less than 40 years old in 2005; more than onethird were under 35.
Micropolitan and rural physician assistants are
older than physician assistants in metropolitan
counties. Only 21 percent of rural physician
assistants were under 35, compared to 39 percent
of physician assistants working in metropolitan
counties.
Eighty-three percent of physician assistants
under age 35 work in metropolitan counties.
Education experience and career plans
About 44 percent of physician assistants practicing in
Minnesota in 2007 entered the field with a bachelor’s
degree, and another 45 percent held a masters’ degree.
Less than two percent held doctorate-level degrees.
About 9 percent had less than a 4-year college degree.
3
< 35
Age
35-44
45-54
Responses
All active
physician
assistants
Under 35
35-44
45-54
55-64
65 and older
Metropolitan
Micropolitan
Rural
55-64
% Male
65+
653
37.4%
%
Female
62.6%
233
192
144
77
7
489
73
91
23.6%
38.5%
37.5%
74.0%
76.4%
61.5%
62.5%
26.0%
38.0%
26.0%
42.9%
62.0%
74.0%
57.1%
Responses (n= 637)
No Physician Assistant degree
Associate degree
Bachelor’s degree
Master’s degree
Doctorate
Physician Assistants 2007
Percent
3.6%
5.1%
44.4%
45.2%
1.6%
Twenty-three percent received their physician assistant
education in Minnesota. Younger physician assistants are
more likely than older physician assistants to have trained
in Minnesota.
•
•
Thirty percent of physician assistants under 40
trained in Minnesota.
Twelve percent of physicians 40-54 trained in
Minnesota.
Unlike the case for physicians, nurses and dentists, nearterm retirements are not a major concern for physician
assistants. Less than 20 percent expect to leave the field
within five years. Nearly six-in-10 (59 percent) expect to
practice more than 10 additional years.
Types of Practice Site
The 2007 survey found a substantially lower percentage
of physician assistants working in provider offices and
clinics, and a higher percentage working in hospitals than
in 2006. It is not clear if the shifts are real, or due to
changes in response rates.
Age group
Under age 40
Age 40-54
Age 55 and over
All active physician
assistants
Percent
trained in
Minnesota
30%
12%
27%
23%
Responses
338
219
70
637
StateMetroMicroType of Site
wide
politan
politan
Rural
Responses
640
480
72
88
Office/clinic
59.5%
55.2%
69.4%
75.0%
Urgent Care
9.7%
10.6%
13.9%
1.1%
Hospital
25.3%
27.9%
13.9%
20.5%
Other
5.8%
6.3%
2.8%
3.4%
Note: percentages for micropolitan and rural are less reliable
because of the small number of respondents.
s
•
•
•
•
•
•
4
Most physician assistants work in provider
offices, clinics or urgent care facilities.
Hospitals are the principal work site of onefourth of physician assistants.
Metropolitan physician assistants are more likely
than micropolitan or rural physician assistants to
work in hospitals.
Three out of four rural physician assistants work
in provider offices or clinics, compared with only
55 percent in metropolitan counties.
More than 10 percent of metropolitan and
micropolitan physician assistants work in urgent
care clinics; urgent care clinics are uncommon in
the 46 most rural counties.
Despite the overall predominance of female
physician assistants, nearly half of physician
assistants working in hospitals are male. Twothirds of physician assistants in provider offices
and clinics are female.
Type of Site
Office/clinic
Hospital –
inpatient
Responses
Male
381
162
Responses (n=631)
Expect to work 0-5 years
Expect to work 6-10 years
Expect to work more than 10 years
Physician Assistants 2007
33%
48%
Female
67%
52%
Percent
19.2%
21.7%
59.1%
Methodology
The Office of Rural Health and Primary Care asks physician assistants to answer questions about their employment
status and the nature of their practices each year when they renew their registrations. Response to the survey is
voluntary and does not affect license renewal.
Data reported here is from responses received from physician assistants renewing their licenses for 2007-08. Renewals
were due July 1, 2007, so most physician assistants answered the survey in May or June 2007.
The Board of Medicine received about 975 registration renewals in 2007. This estimate is based on the number of active
registrations on July 1, minus the number of new registrations during 2006. Survey responses were received from 761
physician assistants renewing licenses, for a response rate of 78 percent.
At the time of registration renewal, 653, or 86 percent, of these said they were working at least part time at a primary
practice site in Minnesota.
The exact number of physician assistants actually practicing in Minnesota is not known. If the 86 percent figure is
applied to the total number of registered physician assistants, about 950 physician assistants were working in Minnesota
in mid-2007. This would be a reasonable estimate if practitioners working in Minnesota were no more likely than
physician assistants not working in Minnesota to respond to the survey. However, active Minnesota practitioners were
probably more likely to respond, making this estimate somewhat high.
Using the July 1, 2007, population estimate for Minnesota, 950 physician assistants equate to 18 active physician
assistants per 100,000 people.
Because of different data sources and definitions, the estimate of 18 active physician assistants per 100,000 people is not
directly comparable to other reported data. The United States Health Workforce Profile (The New York Center for
Health Workforce Studies, 2006) reported that Minnesota had 14.3 physician assistants per 100,000 population,
compared to 16.9 nationally. Minnesota ranked 33rd among 50 states. The highest per capita numbers were in New
England states and sparsely settled plains and mountain states to the west of Minnesota. Physician assistant data was
obtained from the American Academy of Physician Assistants, and while not dated, probably was from about 2004.
Minnesota Department of Health
Office of Rural Health and Primary Care
Health Workforce Analysis Program
P.O. Box 64882
St. Paul, MN 55164-0882
(651) 201-3838
www.health.state.mn.us
5
If you require this document in another format, such
as large print, Braille or cassette tape, call
(651) 201-3838 or TTY (651) 201-5797.
Contact for more information
The Health Workforce Analysis Program
(651) 201-3854
June 2008
Physician Assistants 2007