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Poster
1580423
Enhancing Access to Mental Health Services: The Growing Use of Telemedicine Among Physician Assistants/Associates in Psychiatry
Psych Congress 2023
The pandemic was a major driving force that spurred telemedicine's rapid adoption and expansion. During this time, the number of PAs choosing to practice in psychiatry has also increased; however, there is a dearth of research exploring telemedicine use by PAs practicing in the discipline of psychiatry.
Using the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) data (Nf117,748) from 2022, we investigated telemedicine use patterns and other key characteristics of PAs practicing in psychiatry.
In 2022, 2.2% (n=2,594) of board certified PAs reported working in psychiatry. Over 28% of PAs practicing in psychiatry have a certificate of added qualifications (CAQ) in psychiatry, and 7.8% completed postgraduate training (fellowship/residency). PAs in psychiatry were significantly more likely to participate in telemedicine than PAs in all other specialties (73.3% vs. 39.5%; p