The PA Boom: More PAs, More Options

The medical community welcomed a record number of new physician associates (PAs) into the provider ranks in 2023 — 11,762 PA students earned their board certification last year — up from 11,092 in 2022, according to the National Commission on Certification of Physicians Assistants’ (NCCPA)’s Statistical Profile of Recently Board-Certified PAs annual report.

Dawn Morton-Rias, EdD, PA-C, ICE-CCP, FACHE, president and chief executive officer at the NCCPA, said the growth is a “testament to the growing demand for qualified healthcare professionals.”

“This reflects the increasing recognition of PAs as essential members of healthcare teams,” she told Medscape Medical News. “Patients benefit immensely from the increased number of board-certified PAs because they provide essential care, as well as reduce wait times for appointments and procedures.”

Lisa M. Gables, CPA, chief executive officer of the American Academy of Physician Associates, heartily agreed.

“PAs are rigorously trained and educated in medicine with one primary goal in mind — to improve healthcare delivery to better serve our patients,” she said. “As one of the fastest growing healthcare professions in the country, PAs play an increasingly important role in ensuring patients have access to timely and high-quality care.”

More Diversity Among the Ranks

The NCCPA survey not only showed an increase in certification numbers but also noted growing racial and ethnic diversity in PAs certified over the past 3 years, with greater percentages of PAs falling into Asian, Black/African American, multi-race, Native American or Alaskan Native, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander categories. The percentage of PAs identifying as Hispanic/Latino/a or Spanish origin also increased, jumping from 7.9% to 10%. Morton-Rias said she was happy to see such a positive trend in the data — but progress is needed to mirror the demographics of the patient population that PAs serve.

“It is encouraging that over the past few years, we have seen a slight increase in the racial and ethnic diversity of the newly certified cohort,” she said. “This growing number of PAs from diverse backgrounds enriches our profession and improves patient care. Research shows that patients experience better healthcare outcomes when cared for by culturally sensitive providers, as well as those of a similar ethnic and cultural background.”

Improving Access to Care

One of the most encouraging aspects of the record number of PA certifications is that it will help expand patient care access. Gables said that in a time when patients can wait, on average, for weeks or months for a routine medical appointment, it’s critically important to have more healthcare providers empowered to practice at the full scope of their training, education, and experience, at the ready.

“States that have modernized PA practice laws to remove unnecessary supervision requirements have already seen the benefit,” she added. “For example, since Iowa removed supervision requirements in 2023, a mental health clinical owned and run by a PA has doubled the number of patients seen in just a year and significantly reduced wait times. This is just one example of what is possible when we better utilize our PA workforce.”

And job acceptance rates have slightly increased with the number of certifications. The NCCPA survey found that 60.6% of newly certified PAs had already accepted a job — and, of those, nearly one third found employment within a month. Approximately 40% also said they felt “very prepared” to start their careers. It is also worth noting that the statistical profile also found that the median salary for PAs has increased, moving from $95,000 in 2019 to $105,000.

When you look at the data, Morton-Rios said things are looking very good for PAs as a whole. And thanks to the number of new PA programs opening across the country, she expects the number of certifications to continue growing. She also thinks the number of job opportunities will also increase for the profession.

“While the increasing number of PAs is a positive development, it’s important to ensure a sustainable job market,” she said. “The NCCPA maintains a free career page on our website that lists thousands of opportunities for PAs. With rising healthcare demands, coupled with the aging population, the future looks promising for PAs.”

William Friedman, a freshman at Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, who plans to attend PA school after graduation, certainly thinks so. After considering other medical careers — his mother is a nurse — he said he was excited to pursue a PA degree and certification because of its flexibility. He is also hopeful about future job prospects as new laws increase the scope of practice for PAs.

“The possibility of being able to move between specialties is really interesting to me,” he said. “If I want to move from podiatry to pediatrics, I can do that without having to go back to school for a few years. And with states giving PAs more freedom to practice, I think more types of career paths will open for people like me who just want to take care of patients.”

Kayt Sukel is a healthcare and science writer based outside Houston.