2026-05-18T10:37:32Zhttps://keep.lib.asu.edu/oai/request

oai:keep.lib.asu.edu:node-2000642025-07-17T19:39:31Zoai_pmh:alloai_pmh:repo_items

200064 https://hdl.handle.net/2286/R.2.N.200064 http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0 2025-05 33 pages Lesan, Nicole Brooks-Gumbert, Amber Will, Kristen Barrett, The Honors College College of Health Solutions The Physician Assistant (PA) profession has grown significantly since the 1960s, becoming a critical role in healthcare teams. Restrictive barriers have limited PA practice, prompting the creation of the Optimal Team Practice (OTP) law. The potential impact OTP will have on healthcare teams, remains controversial and debated. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the harmful effects PA practice limitations had on access to patient care and physician burnout. OTP focuses on promoting PA autonomy to improve access to care, especially to disparate populations, and enhance team-based care. Although much has been publicized about national organizations’ viewpoints of the new OTP law, less is known about the perceptions of current and future PAs. Arizona recently became the fourth state to implement OTP and will serve as a case study for other states considering similar reforms. The increase in states implementing OTP has shown a growing trend in modernizing PA roles. This study used qualitative thematic analysis to examine the perspectives key stakeholders within the state of Arizona had regarding OTP. An inductive approach was used to identify the perceived benefits and consequences of OTP in healthcare. Data was collected through Zoom interviews and thematic analysis was performed on transcribed audio recordings to analyze responses. Results indicated similar responses between groups, including increased PA autonomy and fostering greater collaboration within healthcare teams. Responses also reflected the impact removing restrictive barriers would have on increasing access to care and aligning PA practice more closely with nurse practitioners (NP) practice in terms of autonomy and responsibilities. OTP will allow PAs to practice to the full extent of their education, training, and experience. The results demonstrate that OTP will lead to more efficient healthcare teams and better patient outcomes. More research is warranted using this approach to identify the permanent implications of OTP in healthcare. Optimal Team Practice Physician Assistant PA Perceptions Key Stakeholders Perspective of Optimal Team Practice in Arizona