Facts At A Glance

March 24, 2008

NUMBER OF PAs — AAPA estimates there were 79,706 people eligible to practice as PAs and 68,124 people in clinical practice as PAs at the beginning of 2008.

MEMBERS — 40,127 (as of March 24, 2008). The number varies throughout the year as a result of renewals, reinstatements, and as new members join.

ACCREDITED PA PROGRAMS — 140. Programs are accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA, Web site, http://www.arc-pa.org; John McCarty, 770/476-1224. The ARC-PA is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

     The typical PA program is 24-32 months long and requires at least four years of college and some health care experience prior to admission. The majority of students have a BA/BS degree and prior health care experience before admission to a PA program.

     While all programs recognize the professional component of PA education with a document of completion for the professional credential (PA), 78 percent of the programs award a master’s degree. [111 award master’s degrees, 21 award bachelor’s degree, 3 award associate degrees, and 5 award certificates.]

     PA Program Directory  - The Physician Assistant Programs Directory is available on-line through http://www.paeaonline.org  at $35 for one year’s unlimited access.

STUDENTS — Approximately 12,000 students are enrolled in PA programs. The number of new graduates in 2007 was approximately 4,600. 

PRESCRIBING — All 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Guam have enacted laws that authorize PA prescribing.

INCOME — Results of the 2007 AAPA Physician Assistant Census Survey indicate that the mean total income from primary employer for PAs who are not self-employed and who work at least 32 hours per week for their primary employer is $86,214 (standard deviation $21,901); the median is $82,223. The comparable mean for PAs who have been in clinical practice for less than one year is $73,013 (standard deviation $13,015); the median is $71,825.

OUTLOOK ON PROFESSION — Eighty-five percent of all individuals eligible to practice as PAs were in clinical practice at the beginning of 2008.

      The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that the number of PA jobs will increase by 27 percent between 2006 and 2016. The BLS predicts the total number of jobs in the country will grow by 10 percent over this 10-year period. The PA profession was ranked the fourth fastest growing profession in the country by CNN.com and Forbes.com in 2007..

STATE LAWS — All states plus the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the United States Virgin Islands have laws or regulations authorizing PA practice.

CERTIFICATION AND CME — PAs receive their national certification from the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA). Only graduates of an accredited PA program are eligible to take the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE). Once a PA is certified, he/she must complete a continuous six-year cycle to keep her/his certificate current. Every two years, a PA must earn and log 100 CME hours and reregister her/his certificate with the NCCPA (second and fourth years), and by the end of the sixth year, recertify by successfully completing either the Physician Assistant National Recertifying Examination (PANRE) or Pathway II. All states require passage of the PANCE for state licensure. Forty-four states have provisions for new graduates to practice prior to passage of PANCE. 

MEMBERSHIP — AAPA membership costs $215 a year for fellow members; one-time fee of $75 for student members, which expires one month after they graduate.

SALARY PROFILES AND CENSUS REPORTS

 

MAILING LIST SALES:

MMS, Inc.-- 800/6335478                                 

DATABASE LIST SALES:

MMS, Inc.-- 800/633-5478                                                 

Wolters Kluwer Health -- 602/808-7076

IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS and RESOURCES:

 

Last Revised: 3/24/08