Physician's assistants, their physician employers, and the problem of autonomy: consensus or conflict?

Do physician's assistants (PAs) and their physician employers disagree about levels of supervision and autonomy, and does level of physician's assistant autonomy relate in any way to other aspects of practice satisfaction? An indepth study of MD-PA teams in practice reveals that there is greater consensus than conflict concerning the autonomy of the physician's assistant; that the level of physician's assistant autonomy is not related to salary or to physician's assistant employment satisfaction; and that physician-employers who consider their physician's assistants to be more autonomous also tend to feel that the quality of their lives has improved as a result of hiring an assistant.