National Survey on Support for Nurse Practitioner and Physician Assistant/Associate Postgraduate Fellowship/Residency Programs and Director Compensation

Abstract

Introduction Although there has been a significant and steady increase nationwide in the number of physician assistant/associate (PA) and nurse practitioner (NP) postgraduate residency/fellowship programs, there remains a paucity of research related to the level of operational support available in many of these programs to facilitate specialty training. Therefore, the primary aim of this study is to conduct a national survey to gather foundational data regarding advanced practice provider (APP) postgraduate fellowship/residency operational support and program director total compensation data in the United States. Methodology A descriptive cross-sectional survey consisting of 27 questions was distributed via email to 336 postgraduate NP, PA, joint NP/PA, and certified nurse-midwifery residency/fellowship programs between November 2023 and December 2023. Frequency tables and descriptive statistics were used to summarize the survey data. Additionally, Spearman's rank correlation coefficients were performed to determine the relationship between the dependent variables and the independent variable. Results There was a statistically significant positive relationship between the organization values the postgraduate program and having sufficient administrative time (r_s = 0.342, p < 0.001), having adequate support staff (r_s = 0.340, p < 0.001), and being fairly compensated (r_s = 0.356, p < 0.001) for program roles and responsibilities. Moreover, slightly less than half of respondents reported having adequate support staff and sufficient administrative time to address program responsibilities. Only 50% of respondents believed they were fairly compensated for their position. Respondents moderately agreed that their organization values the postgraduate training program (M = 4.00, SD = 1.00). Conclusions The results of this study highlight the perceptions of postgraduate program directors regarding adequate administrative support and resources to facilitate specialty-specific training for NPs and PAs. Further research is warranted to evaluate the level of operational support needed to develop and sustain postgraduate APP residency/fellowship training programs now and in the future.

Keywords: advanced practice provider; advanced practice registered nurse; fellowship; nurse practitioner; physician assistant; physician associate; postgraduate training; program director salaries; program support; residency.

Figure 1. Respondents’ affiliation

Total respondents: 151 U.S.: United States

Figure 2. Number of accredited postgraduate programs

Total respondents: 149 N/A: not applicable, ACEN/ARC-PA: Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing/Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant

Figure 3. Program personnel

Total respondents: 148

Figure 4. Program director compensation

Total respondents: 144

Figure 5. Mean response scores

Q1: question 1, Q2: question 2, Q3: question 3, Q4: question 4, Q5: question 5, Q6: question 6