Pain Matters Podcast Network · AAPM - American Academy of Pain Medicine

Exploring PA Roles & Growth in Pain Medicine Practice

·35 min·1 clip

The episode opens with the new co-hosts introducing Jeremy Adler and noting that Pain Matters is the official podcast of the American Academy of Pain Medicine. Adler is described as a physician associate who has practiced pain management for over 25 years and is currently affiliated with the Center for Pain Medicine at the University of California, San Diego. He also serves as president of the American Academy of Pain Medicine Foundation, was the inaugural president of the Pain Medicine Academy of APPs, and has held leadership roles at the local, state, and national levels, including as a California delegate to the AAPA House of Delegates. The hosts frame the conversation around the growth of APP participation in pain medicine and what that might mean for pain clinics. Adler describes academic pain practice as a setting with a wider range of cases than many private practices, and says it is easier there to bring in other specialties when needed. He emphasizes that both academic and private settings have real strengths. The hosts then ask what advice he would give APPs interested in chronic pain and how he sees the APP role changing over the next five to 10 years. Adler points to the expected growth of PA practice, citing an 86% increase in practicing PAs in the United States from 2011 to 2021 and a 28% increase from 2019 to 2023. That leads into a discussion of why so many people are choosing the PA profession. UC San Diego's PA program comes up as an example, with 30 seats and 3,000 applicants for the inaugural class and 5,000 for the second class. The conversation ties that interest to broader workforce change, advocacy, and leadership in PA organizations.

As heard by us

A clear look at Jeremy Adler's pain-management career and the changing role of PAs in the specialty.

Jeremy Adler's pain-management career gives the piece its center of gravity, with more than 25 years in the field and his current role at the Center for Pain Medicine at UC San Diego framing a discussion of advocacy, training, and the expanding PA role in pain care.

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Why you'd press play

You want a grounded read on how PAs are shaping pain medicine now and where the role may go next.

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