title: Race, ethnicity, and the physician assistant profession.
abstract: The physician assistant (PA) profession has long had a focus on providing primary healthcare to all. In order to best serve an increasingly diverse population, we examine the racial and ethnic diversity trends experienced in PA education and the PA profession, in the context of national demographics, and the racial and ethnic diversity of other health professions. We also offer recommendations to improve the racial and ethnic diversity of the PA profession.
authors.affiliation: At the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington, D.C., Susan LeLacheur is an associate professor in the PA program, and Jacqueline Barnett and Howard Straker are assistant professors in the PA program. The authors have disclosed no potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: LeLacheur
authors.forename: Jacqueline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Barnett
authors.forename: Howard
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Straker
mesh_terms: D018864:Cultural Diversity; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006281:Health Occupations / Q000193:education / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D010823:Physician Assistants / Q000193:education / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D044469:Racial Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States