Physician associates (PAs) are medical professionals who are certified nationally and licensed within a state to practice medicine. PAs are in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, as well as all U.S. territories. Over the last six decades, PAs have been part of the American healthcare system. Educated at the master’s degree level, PAs practice in every medical and surgical specialty and setting. PAs are unique in that they can change medical specialties without a need for added formal education or training. The boundaries of each PA’s scope of practice are determined by several parameters: education and experience, state law, policies of employers and facilities, and the needs of the patients at the practice. PAs practice medicine in teams with physicians and other healthcare professionals.

As clinicians, PAs obtain medical histories, perform physical examinations, diagnose and treat illnesses, order and interpret lab tests, assist in surgery, prescribe medications, coordinate care, provide patient education and counseling, and make rounds in hospitals and other inpatient facilities. As educators, PAs train the nation’s future healthcare providers in approximately 300 PA programs across the country, both in didactic and clinical education. As researchers, PAs investigate the issues that will affect the workforce and health policy in ways to move the profession forward. As administrators, PAs are on the front lines, leading a changing healthcare landscape and contributing to a more collaborative, team-based system.

PAs are educated in rigorous, nationally accredited graduate medical programs comprised of didactic classes, laboratory instruction, and clinical rotations. To enter PA school, students must possess a bachelor’s degree and typically have previous healthcare experience. Completion of a PA program typically takes 27 months and covers three academic years. Phase one is the didactic phase with instruction in the basic medical and clinical sciences, including anatomy, physiology, pathology, microbiology, pharmacology, behavioral sciences, medical ethics, and clinical medicine. The second phase includes approximately 2,000 hours of clinical rotations in all major specialties of medicine, including internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, women’s health, emergency medicine, psychiatry, and family medicine.

Graduates of PA programs must pass a national PA certifying exam, administered by NCCPA, and then obtain a state license to practice medicine. To maintain certification, PAs must pass a recertifying exam every 10 years as well as obtain 100 credits of continuing medical education every two years. Recertification is not required in every state but may be required by employers and insurers.

In the 2026 AAPA Salary Survey, more than seven in 10 respondents (72%) identified as female (Figure 1). Over eight in 10 PAs (85%) were white, and 6% reported they were of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin (Figure 2). Approximately half (53%) of PAs were under 40 years of age (Figure 3), and half (48%) had fewer than 10 years of clinical experience as a PA (Figure 4). These demographics reflect the recent, rapid growth in the number of PA programs and the profession’s status as one of the 2026 top jobs in the U.S., according to U.S. News & World Report.

Three specialties accounted for more than one-third of the PAs in this survey, just as in the last several years: family medicine (16%), orthopaedic surgery (11%), and emergency medicine (7%; Figure 5). AAPA defines “urgent care” as a separate specialty from family medicine and emergency medicine, and it is tied for the fifth-most reported specialty in which PAs practice (5%).
 

Figure 1. Distribution of PAs by Gender

Note: The data reflect all PAs who responded to the 2026 AAPA Salary Survey.
 

Figure 2. Distribution by Race and Ethnicity

Note: Race and ethnicity were included within the same question on the 2026 AAPA Salary Survey. Respondents could select any racial identity, and these responses appear in the bars on Figure 2. Any respondents who also indicated they were Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish are included within the insert in Figure 2.
 

Figure 3. Distribution of PAs by Age

Note: The data reflect all PAs who responded to the 2026 AAPA Salary Survey.

Figure 4. Distribution of PAs by Years of Clinical Experience

Note: The data reflect all PAs who responded to the 2026 AAPA Salary Survey.
 

Figure 5. Distribution of PAs by Specialty

Note: The data reflect all PAs who responded to the 2026 AAPA Salary Survey. Only the top eight specialties are listed, excluding “no medical specialty.” The 2026 AAPA Salary Survey allowed PAs who are not in clinical practice (such as PAs who are primarily educators, administrators, and researchers) to respond. AAPA collects “urgent care” as a separate specialty from family medicine and emergency medicine in contrast to NCCPA, and it is the fifth most-reported specialty in which PAs practice. PAs in urgent care are not reported by AAPA as specializing in primary care.