JOHNS CREEK, Ga.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) today released its first statistical profile of certified physician assistants. The cumulative data represents responses from over 76,000 (80%) of certified physician assistants (PAs), making it the most comprehensive workforce data available anywhere about the PA profession.
Significant findings of the statistical profile include:
- 66% of physician assistants are female
- Median age of certified PAs was 38 in 2013
- PAs see an average of 70 patients per week in their principal clinical setting
- Over 75% of PAs practice in an office-based private practice or hospital setting
- Over 52% of recent graduates have three or more job offers
“It is not surprising to see that demand is high for certified PAs in the era of health care reform,” says Dawn Morton-Rias, Ed.D, PA-C, President and CEO of NCCPA. “The PAs who responded cumulatively see over 5 million patients a week and are well entrenched in the delivery of health care to patients across the nation. As newly insured patients increase and more Baby Boomers enter the Medicare system, demand for PAs will continue to surge as proven providers of quality care.”
Certified PAs must pass rigorous certification requirements, are licensed by state medical boards and are held to the same high standards of care that physicians provide. Certified PAs practice medicine with physicians, obtain patient histories, conduct physical exams, diagnose and treat illnesses, order and interpret tests, prescribe medication, counsel patients on preventative health care, assist in surgery, and perform a variety of procedures.
Download the 2013 Statistical Profile of Certified Physician Assistants. Please visit us on Facebook.
About the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants
The National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) is the only certifying organization for 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. There are approximately 95,000 certified PAs in the U.S. today. In addition to its generalist credential, NCCPA launched its Certificate of Added Qualifications (CAQ) program in 2011, for certified physician assistants practicing in Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, Emergency Medicine, Nephrology, Orthopaedic Surgery and Psychiatry; CAQs in two new specialties (Pediatrics and Hospital Medicine) launched in 2014. For more information, please call 678-417-8100 or visit www.NCCPA.net.
