COLABORADORES:
Colette Jeffery, MA, analista de investigación sénior
Andrzej Kozikowski, PhD, director sénior de investigación
Kasey Puckett, MPH, analista de investigación sénior
Mirela Bruza-Augatis, PhD, PA-C, investigadora científica
Josh Goodman, PhD, vicepresidente de Investigación y Programas de Exámenes
Dawn Morton-Rias, EdD, PA-C, ICE-CCP, FACHE, presidenta y directora ejecutiva
PUBLISHED IN 2026 | NCCPA
KEYWORDS: Physician Assistant/Associate, PA Workforce Data
INFORMACIÓN:
New PA Data Highlights Adaptability and Workforce Demand Across Specialties
JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — August 12, 2026 — Strong employer demand and continued career mobility are shaping the PA profession, according to the 2025 Statistical Profile of Board Certified PAs by Specialty Annual Report from the National Commission on Certification of PAs (NCCPA).
Now in its 11th year, the report examines the PA profession across 24 specialties and primary care. NCCPA released its first specialty report in 2015.
“What stands out in this report is the range of ways PAs contribute to health care,” said NCCPA President and CEO Dawn Morton-Rias, Ed.D., PA-C, ICE-CCP, FACHE. “The latest data shows PAs are meeting workforce needs, managing complex conditions and bringing valuable experience to specialties and communities across the country.”
Key findings in the PA specialty report:
Recruitment demand: PAs reported continued hiring demand across specialties. Critical care medicine ranked highest, with 69.6% of PAs reporting their principal place of employment was recruiting or hiring PAs, followed by hospital medicine at 64.1% and oncology at 62.6%. Between 2021 and 2025, emergency medicine had the largest increase in reported recruitment activity, rising 18.2 percentage points, followed by hospital medicine at 17.7 points and gastroenterology at 15.2 points. These findings suggest broad employer demand for PAs across specialties.
Value of specialty flexibility: Overall, 86.1% of PAs said the ability to change specialties is important. The highest percentages were reported by PAs practicing in general surgery at 91.8%, pain medicine at 91.5%, critical care medicine and hospital medicine, both at 91%.
Recent specialty transitions: Among PAs who have changed specialties at least once, 43.6% made their most recent transition within the past three years. PAs practicing in physical medicine and rehabilitation were the most likely to report a recent transition (53.8%), followed by those in critical care medicine (51%) and plastic surgery (50.8%).
“PAs value the ability to move between specialties, but that flexibility also benefits patients and employers,” Morton-Rias said. “It allows the workforce to respond as health care needs change and helps PAs continue expanding their clinical expertise throughout their careers.”
Ease of changing specialties: Among PAs who have changed specialties, 61% described the transition as easy or somewhat easy. PAs practicing in occupational medicine were the most likely to report that changing specialties was easy or somewhat easy (77.1%), followed by those in physical medicine and rehabilitation (73.3%) and general pediatrics (70.3%).
Time to proficiency: Among PAs who have changed specialties, 61.3% reported feeling proficient in their new specialty within six months. PAs practicing in physical medicine and rehabilitation and pain medicine were most likely to report reaching proficiency within six months (75.1%), followed by those in occupational medicine (74.1%).
Chronic illness management: More than six in 10 PAs reported diagnosing, treating and managing chronic illnesses for most of their patients. Geriatrics led all specialties at 87.4%, followed by psychiatry at 85.8% and internal medicine/general practice at 83.8%.
Retirement plans: Occupational medicine reported the highest percentage of PAs planning to retire within the next five years at 16.1%, followed by geriatrics at 11.2% and family medicine/general practice at 7.5%.
Income satisfaction: Satisfaction with income was highest among PAs practicing in dermatology at 81.6%, followed by psychiatry at 79.4%; physical medicine/rehabilitation and otolaryngology tied for third at 78.2%.
Secondary positions: Overall, 10.7% of PAs reported holding a secondary position. Emergency medicine had the highest percentage at 21.3%, followed by critical care medicine at 19.8% and hospital medicine at 14.6%.
On-call responsibilities: Cardiovascular and thoracic surgery PAs were most likely to have on-call responsibilities at 64.3%, followed by geriatrics at 61.5% and orthopedic surgery at 60.1%.
Military service: Among PAs who indicated they serve or have served in the armed forces, 57.9% reported serving as a PA. The highest percentages were found among PAs whose principal specialties were family medicine/general practice at 72.5%, followed by primary care at 70.3% and occupational medicine at 64.2%.
“These findings provide a clearer picture of where the profession is today and where it may be headed,” Morton-Rias said. “By understanding these trends, we can better support Board Certified PAs and strengthen the workforce patients rely on.”
The full report, which analyzes data from Board Certified PAs across the United States, is available at nccpa.net.
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Acerca de la Comisión Nacional de Certificación de Asistentes Médicos (NCCPA):
NCCPA is the only certifying organization for more than 201,000 PAs in the U.S. The PA-C credential is awarded by NCCPA to PAs who fulfill certification, certification maintenance and recertification requirements. Board Certified PAs participate in accredited continuing medical education in core medical knowledge and specialty practice disciplines. Experienced Board Certified PAs can also earn NCCPA Certificates of Added Qualifications (CAQs) in 12 specialties. For more information, visit https://www.nccpa.net.