How to Hire a Physician Assistant

Finding the right Physician Assistant (PA) for your practice is crucial, as they can significantly impact the efficiency, productivity, and overall success of your healthcare team.

Here we review the steps involved in hiring a PA and implementing a thoughtful approach. This includes exploring key considerations, strategies, and best practices to help you attract, screen, and select the most suitable physician assistant for your practice.

This post contains links that cover each of the steps in more depth.

Overview of Steps to Hire a PA

1) Understand the PA Role

Read background information on the PA role and scope of practice to see if it is a good fit and what is involved with the PA/MD supervisory relationship

2) Perform a Needs Assessment

1. Does your practice need a PA? What are your goals to improve the practice? (decreased wait times, decrease physician workload/burnout, increase patients seen, etc.).

2. Scope of Work: What services do you want the PA pto provide? Where will the PA practice (hospital, outpatient, OR, call?). Determine specific assessments, procedures, treatments and other responsibiltiies you want the PA to take on.

3. Qualifications and Experience: Outline necessary qualifications such as educational background, certifications and licensure.

4. Cultural Fit: How will the PA be integrated? Who will mentor and orient the new PA hire to be familiarized? Who will be the supervising physician(s) for the PA?

3) Create a Business Model to integrate a PA

1. What value will the PA bring to the practice (monetary and non-monetary benefits)?

2. Funding the PA role: How will you make the PA role sustainable for the long term? What funding models are available? Can you take advantage of the Ontario PA Career Start Grant?

3. Craft the PA compensation package: What will be included in the compensation package (competitive salary, benefits, CME funding/education days)? What are minimum requirements vs. competitive compensation packages that will attract a top-tier PA candidate and keep them for the long term?

4) Recruit the ideal PA candidate

1. Complete necessary documents and paperwork ahead of time:

   1. Create a PA Job Posting: Write the job title, provide a practice overview, key responsibilities, required qualifications, desirable skills and attributes and clearly state the application process. Also include when the ideal start date would be for the PA.

   2. Create a PA Contract, have this reviewed by a lawyer ahead of time

   3. Create a PA/MD supervisory agreement

   4. Have PA medical directives in place (Ontario only): This can be done before a PA is hired, or the physician/PA can work together to craft the medical directives after the PA is hired.

2. Advertise the PA Job Posting: Use online platforms and job boards (e.g. LinkedIn, Indeed), send to the posting to Canadian PA programs and CAPA to share with their email alumni networks and members-only job boards, and use word of mouth.

3. Review Applications:

   1. Is the applicant a qualified PA? When screening applications, verifying the PA applying is a qualified Physician Assistant, which includes completing an accerdited PA program in Canada or the US, and being registered with the Canadian Association of Physician Assistnats (CAPA).

   2. Screen PA Resumes and Cover Letters: Carefully review each candidate’s resume to assess qualifications, background, and experience. Rate your top candidates.

   3. Select a minimum of 3 candidates to interview for 1 PA job. Interviewing more than one candidate

4. Conduct PA Job Interviews:

   1. Select standard interview questions: This may include a standardized set that starts with “Tell us about yourself” or “Why are you interested in this position?”, consider including behavioural interview questions or clinical scenarios. Tailor the questions to assess clinical competence, problem-solving abilities and alignment of the practice’s values.

   2. Determine who will be in the interview panel: This may include a representative from management, a clinical manager that the future PA hire may interact with, HR, chief of staff of the department, supervising physician(s), and any currently practicing PAs. Different stakeholders provide unique perspectives and insights.

   3. Determine the format of the interview: in-person, phone or virtual (e.g. Zoom or MS teams)?

   4. Schedule the Interviews: The easiest is usually over a period of 2-3 hours, back to back so its easy to compare notes and also have all interviewers available at the same time. Interviews typically take 20-30 minutes, leaving 10 minutes or for interviewers to discuss impressions and thoughts on the candidate.

   5. Reference Checks: Conduct reference checks to gain insights into the PA candidate’s work ethic, performance and professionalism. Contact their previous supervisors or colleagues and ask about their clinical abilities, interpersonal skills, and reliability. Reference checks provide valuable information to validate a candidate's qualifications and experience.

5) Offer Negotiation

Congratulations! You have identified the ideal physician assistant candidate for your practice. The next step is to extend an offer, and navigate the negotiation process if necessary.

1. Extend the Offer: Contact the selected candidate to offer them the position. Clearly communicate the terms of employment, including compensation, benefits, work schedule, and any additional pertinent details. Express your enthusiasm about having them join your practice and highlight the value they will bring to the team. This may start with a phone call, but should include a followup email with a copy of the contract for the PA to review within 1-2 days of a verbal job offer.

2. Provide time for PA to consider the job offer: it is generally considered good practice and respectful to provide candidates with a reasonable amount of time to evaluate the offer and make an informed decision. Typically, employers offer candidates a timeframe of around 5-7 days to consider the job offer. This allows candidates sufficient time to review the terms of employment, assess the compensation package, consider other offers they may have received, and potentially seek advice or input from trusted individuals.

3. Negotiation: Remain open to negotiation, especially if the candidate expresses any specific concerns or requests regarding compensation or other aspects of the offer. Consider factors such as the candidate's experience, specialty, market demand, and standards for pay for PAs. Aim for a mutually beneficial agreement that reflects the value of their skills and expertise. Be prepared to make adjustments to the original contract as necessary.

6) Onboard the PA

Develop a comprehensive onboarding program: This will ensure a smooth transition for the new PA. This process includes:

• Pre-orientation (Provide them with all necessary information, forms, and documentation required for employment)

• EMR/IT access

• Welcome and introduction the team

• Familiarize the PA to Practice Workflow

• Provide Specialty-Specific Training

• Frequent Check-ins and ongoing Support

• PA feedback and performance reviews

Final notes

Hiring a physician assistant for your practice is a significant decision that can greatly impact patient care and the overall success of your healthcare team. By following these steps to attract, screen, and select the most suitable candidate, you are ensuring that your practice benefits from the expertise and dedication of a qualified physician assistant.

Remember, hiring a physician assistant requires careful consideration of your practice's needs, crafting an engaging job description, implementing effective recruitment strategies, thoroughly screening and evaluating candidates, conducting in-person interviews and assessments, and successfully navigating the offer negotiation and onboarding process.

By investing time and effort into the hiring process, you increase the likelihood of finding a physician assistant who not only possesses the necessary skills and qualifications but also aligns well with your practice's values and culture. With the right physician assistant on board, your practice can thrive, providing exceptional patient care and achieving long-term success.