Study shows ‘substantial underrepresentation’ of Black men in physician assistant workforce
Key takeaways:
- Physician assistant/associate programs grew considerably from 2013 to 2021.
- The rate of Black men who applied to and matriculated into those programs fell well short of expected levels.
Despite growth in training programs for physician assistants and associates, non-Hispanic Black men remain significantly underrepresented.
Given the expected proportion of Black men in the typical physician assistant/associate age range, there should have been 2,641 applicants and 972 matriculants in the 308 related programs that existed in 2021, researchers wrote. Instead, investigators identified 732 applicants and 156 matriculants.
“This cohort study underscores the urgent need to address the substantial underrepresentation of Black men in the [physician assistant and associates] profession,” Lucy W. Kibe, DrPH, MS, MHS, PA-C, program director and associate professor at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in Los Angeles, and colleagues wrote. “This crisis demands a call to action, open discussions and targeted strategic efforts to ensure opportunities for Black men.”
Kibe and colleagues conducted a cohort study to analyze patterns among Black men who applied to and matriculated into physician assistant/associate programs in the United States from 2013 to 2021. Researchers compared those data with the age-specific U.S. population of Black men.
Investigators used data from the U.S. Census and Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CAPSA) for PA training programs to conduct their analysis. They analysis included data from the 2012-2013 through 2020-2021 application cycles.
The patterns and proportion of applicants and matriculants identifying as Black men into physician assistant/associate programs relative to overall rates and expected numbers served as the main outcome.
From 2013 to 2021, total applicants to these programs increased from 19,761 to 30,196 and total matriculants increased from 6,192 to 11,115.
The number of Black male applicants increased from 435 to 732 per year during that time, and the number of Black male matriculants increased from 73 to 156 per year.
Data showed Black men accounted for 2.2% of all applicants and 1.2% of all matriculants during the study period, despite the fact they accounted for 8.7% of individuals aged 20 to 29 years in the U.S., according to census data.
Researchers also noted a lower matriculation rate among Black men (21.3%; n = 156 of 732 applicants) than the overall applicant pool (36.8%; n = 11,115 of 30,196 applicants) in 2021.
Researchers identified two Black male applicants and one Black male matriculant for every two programs in 2021. To accurately reflect population diversity, each program would have had to have nine applicants and three matriculants.
“This goal is attainable and represents a crucial step toward enhancing the diversity of the [physician assistant/associate] workforce and improving the health and well-being of all Americans,” Kibe and colleagues wrote.
Researchers acknowledged study limitations. For example, they did not include 2.5% of physician assistant/associate programs with in-house admissions. Also, they could not account for repeat applicants and noted their definition of Black race and male gender “did not capture the full spectrum of racial and gender identities.”
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Kibe LW, et al. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.41531.
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