Report: Nationwide growth seen in number of certified physician assistants prior to pandemic

The total number of certified physician assistants (PA) grew 6.52% between 2018 and 2019, according to a report by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA).

In 2019, there were more than 139,000 certified PAs in the U.S., according to the NCCPA. Rhode Island, Mississippi, and New Jersey reported the largest growth in certified PAs from the year prior, each increasing by about 10%.

The NCCPA says the growth in certified PAs positioned them to help address the country's primary care provider shortages, especially in rural communities, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Rural states had higher percentages of their certified PAs practicing in primary care. For example, 49.2% of certified PAs in Alaska work in primary care. North Dakota (46.3%), Wyoming (45.6%) and South Dakota (42.2%) also have a high number of certified PAs working in primary care.

Prior to the pandemic, Maine had the highest percentage of certified PAs working in a hospital setting (58%), followed by New York (57.3%) and Massachusetts (57.2%).

The median number of patients seen by certified PAs nationwide in a typical week was 60. Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Hawaii, and Kentucky reported the highest median number of patients seen per week (75).

Source: NCCPA