Message from the President and CEO

Certified PAs are answering the call. That’s what I see in the data shared in this first NCCPA report on the PA workforce by specialty: certified PAs answering the call, meeting the needs of practices and patients throughout the medical and surgical specialties and subspecialties. This data also shows the tremendous role certified PAs fulfill in promoting healthcare equity, providing care to Medicare patients (including 50% of patients seen by certified PAs in cardiology and in cardiovascular and thoracic surgery, the highest among the specialties), Medicaid patients (including 55% seen by certified PAs in general pediatrics) and those whose medical services are uncompensated (including 15% of patients seen by PAs in emergency medicine). Ours is a story of meeting needs, improving access, and making a difference.

We hope that this report, like other statistical reports published by NCCPA, informs important dialogue within and outside the PA profession about opportunities to continue to grow and enhance the full utilization of certified PAs in all of the settings and specialties in which we work.

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About the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants

The National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) is the only certifying organization for the 139,000 physician assistants (PAs) in the United States. The PA-C credential is awarded by NCCPA to PAs who fulfill certification, certification maintenance and recertification requirements. NCCPA also administers the Certificate of Added Qualifications (CAQ) program for experienced, Certified PAs practicing in seven specialties. For more information, visit https://www.nccpa.net