Message from the President and CEO

In the three years since we started publishing the Statistical Report of Certified PAs by Specialty , the number of PAs in all specialties has grown over 13 percent. Yet the overall impact is even more significant as the
number of PAs per 1,000 physicians has increased over 23 percent in that same period of time. This report provides in-depth information about Certified PAs in 23 different specialties, including the fastest growing surgical sub-specialties where the percentage of PAs has increased over 70 percent since 2013. It also includes numbers of PAs in emerging areas like addiction medicine and hospice/palliative care. For each specialty, information is provided on demographics, services performed, number of patients seen and hours worked, payer mix and income range. This information can be useful to PAs, employers and others. It provides comparative information for PAs and insight about how to recruit, hire and retain certified PAs or to inform workforce discussions about shortages or overall scope of practice. As the only certifying body for the nation’s PAs, NCCPA is able to provide this information by aggregating the comprehensive data provided by more than 91 percent of the over 123,000 certified PAs who update their professional profiles, giving us an accurate portrayal of where PAs work and the services they perform. We value the trust that the PA profession places in us and appreciate PAs for their contribution to this report. NCCPA views this as a public resource for those who make health care and workforce decisions. We hope you will find it a valuable tool and that you will visit the nccpa.net website often for updates to all of our research.

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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.