As you read this, we are at the annual conference in Phoenix, Ariz. This year’s gathering has been one of high energy and inspiration. Congratulations to our annual conference committee, under the leadership of Nancy Dinon, for their vision and hard work in making this year’s lineup one of the best ever, if not the finest! The ASHHRA staff is in conference mode and working in high gear, as they always do, to make our conference highly successful. I thank them for their amazing efforts.

For me this great conference will be bittersweet. Most past presidents will tell you that the completion of the annual conference duties signal the end of major presidential responsibilities for the year! However, when you agree to do the ASHHRA president path, you sign on for three years, one as president-elect and vice president, one year as president, and your third year as immediate past president, which really provides great continuity for this office. I have been very fortunate to serve with some of the organization’s finest during my board tenure. I salute the efforts of those whom I have learned so much from in the past including Past Presidents Barbara Palmer, Molly Seals, Jeanene Martin, Dan Zuhlke, and Jeff Payne. I am proud to have served for this group of distinguished leaders and their influence has helped me to develop a great understanding of our organization. Our current board of directors has worked very hard on some challenging goals that I have mentioned in past newsletters. We will be discussing progress and outcomes in Phoenix, but I am happy to report that 2011 has all the ingredients of a great year. Kudos to the board and ASHHRA staff!

I am happy to return to my home of five years, Phoenix, and to see old friends and enjoy some of the places that I have missed since moving to Florida. So, while you are in Phoenix, make sure you take some time to visit the many great attractions it has to offer, including the Grand Canyon, Meteor Crater, Biosphere, and definitely Sedona, my all-time favorite location and most spiritual and romantic places in the world, among the red rocks!

Until next month,
Robert Walters, SPHR
Corporate Director, HR Operations
Health First, Inc.
3550 North Harbor City Blvd.
Melbourne, FL 32932-0069
(321) 434-1957
bob.walters@health-first.org

According to the Census, the number of practicing PA reached 83,466 in 2010, a 100 percent increase over last 10 years. Female PAs outnumber their male counterparts by nearly 20,000. More than 30 percent of PAs practice in primary care, making it the largest specialty for PAs.

Nearly 30 percent of PAs practice in single-specialty physician group practices, and 40-percent have been in their current primary specialty for at least six years. The Census also shows that PAs enjoy their work, as 66 percent indicate they are satisfied or mostly satisfied with their career.

"PAs are the only health care providers educated and credentialed with a primary care focus, providing a strong foundation for any specialty in which they may choose to practice," said AAPA President Robert Wooten, PA-C. "The information from AAPA’s salary and census reports clearly confirm what PAs and the health care world have known for years: The PA profession is growing rapidly, and it is key to expanding access to quality health care for millions of Americans."

PAs earn a median annual salary of $90,000 according to the salary report, an increase of 2.8-percent from the 2009 survey. The three states with the highest salary increase in 2010 were Rhode Island, South Dakota, and Missouri all with increases of more than 9 percent over the previous year.

While the majority of PAs are in clinical practice, an estimated 5,079 PAs work either alone or concurrently in health care education, administration, research, and public health – a figure that demonstrates the growing role PAs play in influencing the entire health care field.
The AAPA annual Census is a survey of physician assistants, both AAPA members and nonmembers. The data collected are used to track PA workforce issues, calculate summary statistics and describe the salary information.

Download the full reports at www.aapa.org/research/data_and_statistics.aspx.