The Complete Guide to Physician Assistant Recruiting
By Blake Moser · Published January 20, 2026
The PA Market in 2026: What Employers Need to Know
The United States has more than 170,000 certified physician assistants currently in active practice, with the PA profession projected to grow at 28% through 2031 — one of the fastest growth rates of any healthcare occupation. Despite this growth, demand continues to outpace supply in many specialties and geographies, making PA recruiting increasingly competitive.
The American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) reports a median annual salary of $134,000 for PAs nationally, with surgical subspecialties, emergency medicine, and dermatology commanding significantly higher compensation. For healthcare employers, understanding what PAs want — and how to compete for top candidates — is essential for building a successful advanced practice workforce.
Understanding the PA Workforce
Who Are Today's PAs?
Physician assistants complete a graduate-level PA program (typically a Master's degree) after earning undergraduate credit hours in health science prerequisites. PA programs are rigorous, clinically intensive, and competitive — the average PA program receives over 500 applications for 30–50 seats. Upon graduation, PAs sit for the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE) and must maintain certification through ongoing continuing medical education.
Unlike the NP pathway (which requires an RN license first), PA training is modeled on the medical school curriculum — PAs are trained as generalists first, then subspecialize through clinical experience. This gives PAs flexibility to move between specialties throughout their careers, which is an important consideration for both candidates and employers.
PA Practice Settings
PAs practice across virtually every clinical setting:
- Hospital medicine and hospitalist programs
- Emergency medicine and urgent care
- Surgical specialties (orthopedics, neurosurgery, cardiovascular/thoracic surgery, general surgery)
- Primary care (family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics)
- Specialty outpatient practices (dermatology, oncology, cardiology, neurology)
- Correctional medicine and federal health systems (VA, IHS)
Knowing which practice setting your PA will primarily work in shapes the entire recruiting approach — the candidate profile, compensation benchmarks, and search strategy differ significantly across settings.
Scope of Practice: What Employers Must Understand
PA scope of practice is defined by state law and requires a collaborative relationship with a supervising or collaborating physician. Key scope-of-practice considerations for employers include:
- Supervision requirements: Most states require PAs to have a supervising physician agreement; the oversight level varies from on-site supervision to general oversight.
- Prescriptive authority: PAs have prescriptive authority in all 50 states, including Schedule II controlled substances in most jurisdictions.
- Optimal Team Practice (OTP): The AAPA advocates for removing the formal supervision requirement in favor of a collaborative practice model; several states have moved in this direction.
Candidates in states with more autonomous practice models often have different expectations around physician involvement. Employers should be explicit about their practice model and supervision structure during the recruiting process to avoid mismatched expectations.
What PAs Look for in Employers
Understanding PA priorities is essential for competitive positioning. Based on AAPA workforce surveys and our recruiting experience, today's PAs prioritize:
1. Competitive Compensation
Compensation is a critical differentiator. The AAPA median of $134,000 masks substantial variation. Surgical PAs in cardiovascular surgery or orthopedics regularly earn $160,000–$200,000 or more. Emergency medicine PAs average $150,000–$175,000. Dermatology PA compensation has risen rapidly, with many experienced DermPAs earning $170,000+. Employers who benchmark below specialty-specific medians will struggle to attract top candidates.
2. Autonomy and Clinical Scope
PAs consistently rank clinical autonomy among their top job satisfaction drivers. Employers who create environments where PAs can practice at the full extent of their training and licensure attract better candidates and retain them longer. Over-supervised or administratively constrained practice environments are among the most common reasons PAs leave positions.
3. Quality Collaborating Physician Relationships
While PAs value autonomy, they also value accessible, collegial physician collaboration — not punitive or paternalistic supervision. Highlight the culture of your physician-PA relationships during site visits.
4. Manageable Patient Loads
Post-pandemic burnout has made workload a central concern. Employers who can offer sustainable patient volumes (and provide adequate support staff) differentiate themselves from organizations that are simply trying to use PAs to address a coverage gap without addressing root capacity issues.
5. Schedule and Work-Life Balance
Four-day work weeks, flexible scheduling options, and predictable schedules are increasingly valued. PAs who work in shift-based settings (emergency medicine, urgent care) typically prioritize schedule transparency and equitable distribution of weekend and holiday shifts.
The PA Recruiting Process
Building Your Job Description
Effective PA job descriptions go beyond listing clinical duties. Include: EMR system, average daily patient volume, call responsibilities (if any), supervision model, team composition, patient population, and what makes your practice environment distinctive. Vague job descriptions attract lower-quality candidate pools and slow searches.
Sourcing PA Candidates
PA candidates can be reached through: direct outreach to PA programs (particularly for new graduates), specialty PA forums and LinkedIn communities, AAPA annual conference, specialty PA organizations (e.g., SEMPA for emergency medicine, AAPAS for surgical PAs), and specialized advanced practice recruiting firms. Passive candidates — PAs currently employed but open to the right opportunity — represent the majority of the best talent and require direct outreach to reach.
Working with Specialized PA Recruiters
Specialized PA recruiting firms like MedicalRecruiting.com maintain active databases of PA candidates across all specialties and geographies. Our team of advanced practice recruiters has deep relationships with PAs at all career stages — from new graduates to experienced subspecialists. We handle sourcing, initial screening, scheduling, and offer facilitation, dramatically reducing the time and effort your internal team spends on the search.
We maintain state-specific PA recruiting teams covering all 50 states. Explore our state PA recruiting pages:
Retention: Keeping the PAs You Hire
AAPA data indicates that PA turnover is costly — replacing a PA typically costs 1.5–2× their annual salary when you account for recruiting costs, locum coverage, and onboarding time. Retention strategies that work include:
- Annual market-rate compensation reviews
- Clear advancement pathways (lead PA, PA supervisor, clinical coordinator roles)
- CME funding and specialty certification support
- Protected time for administrative and professional development activities
- Mentorship programs pairing new PAs with experienced clinicians
- Regular feedback and clinical quality discussions — not just annual reviews
Partner with MedicalRecruiting.com for PA Recruiting
Since 2006, MedicalRecruiting.com has specialized in advanced practice recruiting, connecting healthcare organizations with qualified PAs across all specialties and geographies. Our physician assistant recruiting team understands the nuances of PA compensation, scope of practice, and career motivations that drive successful placements.
Contact Blake Moser to discuss your PA recruiting needs: