Message from the President and CEO

This year’s Statistical Report of Certified PAs represents a milestone for NCCPA, as this is our fifth year publishing this report. We are able to document recent trends in the profession and help inform health care decision-makers regarding the current status of the profession. When I look at the data, it is clear that the PA profession is thriving. Since 2010, the number of Certified PAs has grown almost 54%.

This number speaks volumes about the effective, high-quality care that PAs deliver to millions of patients every week. The ARC-PA reports that the total number of accredited entry-level programs as of April of this year is 235, with the potential for an additional 32 new entry-level programs by January 2020. Just as more college graduates are pursuing the PA profession, the U.S. News and World Report has recently ranked PA as #2 in the Best Health Care Jobs of 2018. Each of these data points and the satisfaction rates as reported by PAs, physician and patients, just to name a few, illustrate that the profession is essential to the health of this nation and that PAs are respected providers. I couldn’t be more proud to be a PA-C. The data also indicates that Certified PAs practice medicine everywhere. While the more populous states have greater numbers of Certified PAs, the states with the largest number of Certified PAs per 100,000 population are those that are more rural. Additionally, the number of Certified PAs working in specialties outside of primary care continues to grow. Most notably, the number of Certified PAs practicing in surgical sub-specialties has grown over 70% since 2013.

NCCPA is able to share this aggregate data thanks to the over 91% of Certified PAs who provide input to their PA Profile. This extremely high percentage lends credibility to this comprehensive profile that may inform healthcare policy and workforce planning. In addition, it can provide evidence for the public and the media on the impact that Certified PAs are making in the nation’s health care system every day. I hope this information is helpful to you. We invite your review and your comments as we strive to
provide data that aids meaningful dialogue

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About the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA)

The National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) is the only certifying organization for the over 168,000 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, Board Certified PAs practicing in ten (11 in 2025) specialties. For more information, visit https://www.nccpa.net.