Multidisciplinary Evaluation of the Physician Assistant Role in an American Burn Association-Verified Burn Centre in Canada

Abstract

Physician assistants are increasingly incorporated into acute care and surgical services, yet their role within specialized burn centres remains incompletely defined. Burn care is particularly resource-intensive, requiring continuity across resuscitation, critical care, surgery, rehabilitation, and longitudinal outpatient follow-up. Workforce pressures, including resident duty-hour restrictions, growing documentation burden, and limited specialist manpower, have heightened interest in durable advanced practice provider models. We conducted a multidisciplinary quality improvement survey at an American Burn Association-verified Canadian burn centre to evaluate staff understanding of the physician assistant role, perceived contributions to patient care and workflow, and priorities for future development. An anonymous 25-question electronic survey was distributed to physicians, trainees, nurses, allied health professionals, and administrative staff. Quantitative responses were summarized descriptively and free-text responses were analyzed thematically.

Thirty-two of 63 eligible staff members responded (50.8%). Most interacted with the physician assistant daily or several times daily. Eighty-four percent supported continued employment, 50% supported hiring additional physician assistants, and 41% supported role expansion. Respondents perceived positive effects on continuity, physician workload, procedural availability, multidisciplinary efficiency, documentation, and mitigation of staffing gaps. Only 34% reported full awareness of the formal scope of practice, and overlap with residents and fellows was frequently identified. Free-text responses similarly emphasized continuity, accessibility, and procedural support, while calling for clearer role delineation and additional critical care training. These findings describe strong multidisciplinary support for the physician assistant role while identifying role clarity, structured competency development, and objective prospective evaluation as priorities for the next phase of implementation.