Message from the President and CEO

This year we mark the 50th anniversary of the PA profession, noting that it was in 1967 that the first class of three physician assistants graduated from the inaugural class of the first PA Program—Duke University.
The PA Profession has come a long way. Today, we have over 115,500 Certified PAs working in every state in the U.S. and practicing in every specialty and clinical setting. Our numbers increased 44% in the last six years alone, and the future continues to be bright. Physicians and employers depend on Certified PAs to provide expanded access to care, and patients rely on us for treatment during over 8.1 million visits every week. Certified PAs are valuable members of healthcare teams, and the demand for our services continues to grow. This 2016 Statistical Profile of Certified Physician Assistants provides information on current PA distribution, demographics and specialty and clinical settings in the United States. With over 94% of Certified PAs contributing to this data set, you can be assured that the numbers are valid and that NCCPA is the most complete source for PA information. We hope that our stakeholders—the public, employers, insurers, policymakers and PAs, the media and others who need data about Certified PAs, will look to NCCPA. We trust that this report will contribute to greater understanding of the breadth, depth and positive impact of the PA profession. Thank you to all PAs for their dedicated efforts to provide high quality health care across the spectrum and for their contributions to this informational resource for the profession.

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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.