The Association of Academic Surgical Administrators (AASA) and ECG Management Consultants, Inc., are teaming up to write a series of articles on the current and evolving roles of advanced practice clinicians (APCs), specifically, surgical physician assistants (PAs), in the care delivery process. In this first segment, we frame the current market dynamics that are forcing changes in how organizations utilize surgical PAs in the outpatient and inpatient settings and the impact this is having on their compensation and production.