What is a PA?

PAs are medical professionals who diagnose illness, develop and manage treatment plans, prescribe medications, and often serve as a patient’s principal healthcare provider.

With thousands of hours of medical training, PAs are versatile and collaborative. PAs practice in every state and in every medical setting and specialty, improving healthcare access and quality.

123,000
PA s
in the U.S.

NCCPA, 2017

PA s
have more than

2017 AAPA Salary Survey

400000000 patient interactions per year

2017 AAPA Salary Survey

Education By The Numbers

255+

PA programs in the U.S.

Physician Assistant Education Association
(PAEA), 2018

2000+

hours of
clinical rotations

Programs are 27 months
or 3 academic years

(Bachelor's degree is required for acceptance)

Educated at

MASTER’S
DEGREE level

Certification & Licensing

To obtain a license, PA s must:

Graduate from an
accredited PA program

Pass a
certification exam

To maintain their certification, PA s must complete:

100 Hours

100 hours of continuing
medical education (CME)
every two years

10 Years

A
recertification exam
every 10 years

PA s
practice medicine in all specialties

PA s
practice in every work setting

Research on PA Quality

"...PA management of pediatric patients 6 years or younger is similar to that of attending emergency physicians (EPs). In addition, this study suggests that PAs have the ability to recognize more severely ill children and elicit the input of a supervising physician in those individuals."

Pediatric Emergency Care

"...Practices that work closely with their PAs and ensured that PAs were able to work to the full extent of their education and experience ranked the highest [among the best primary care practices in the country]"

Peterson Center on Healthcare

"A first-of-its-kind study found that PAs and nurse practitioners (NPs) delivered similar quality of care, services, and referrals in community health centers as physicians."

Medical Care

"...diabetes management by NPs and PAs was comparable to management by physicians. The Veterans Health Administration model for roles of NPs and PAs may be broadly useful to help meet the demand for primary care providers in the U.S."

The American Journal of Medicine

PAs are trusted healthcare providers

Having a PA makes it easier to get medical appointments

PAs improve the quality of healthcare

*“Attitudes Toward PAs: A 2014 Survey by the American Academy of PAs.” The Harris online survey was conducted September 15–22, 2014 among 1,544 adults age 18 and older living in the US, including an oversample of 680 adults who have seen a PA and/or have accompanied a loved one to see a PA in the past 12 months. For full methodology visit aapa.org/media.’

Your PA Can Handle It

What is a PA?

123,000
PA s
in the U.S.

PA s
have more than

400000000 patient interactions per year

Education By The Numbers

255+

PA programs in the U.S.

2000+

hours of
clinical rotations

Programs are 27 months
or 3 academic years

Educated at

MASTER’S
DEGREE level

Certification & Licensing

To obtain a license, PA s must:

Graduate from an
accredited PA program

Pass a
certification exam

To maintain their certification, PA s must complete:

100 Hours

100 hours of continuing
medical education (CME)
every two years

10 Years

A
recertification exam
every 10 years

PA s
practice medicine in all specialties

PA s
practice in every work setting

Research on PA Quality

PA Profession in the News

What is a PA?

123,000 PA s in the U.S.

PA s have more than

400000000 patient interactions per year

255+

PA programs in the U.S.

2000+

hours ofclinical rotations

Programs are 27 monthsor 3 academic years

Educated at

MASTER’SDEGREE level

To obtain a license, PA s must:

Graduate from anaccredited PA program

Pass acertification exam

To maintain their certification, PA s must complete:

100 Hours

100 hours of continuingmedical education (CME)every two years

10 Years

Arecertification examevery 10 years

PA s practice medicine in all specialties

PA s practice in every work setting

Research on PA Quality

PA Profession in the News

123,000
PA s
in the U.S.

PA s
have more than

hours of
clinical rotations

Programs are 27 months
or 3 academic years

MASTER’S
DEGREE level

Graduate from an
accredited PA program

Pass a
certification exam

100 hours of continuing
medical education (CME)
every two years

A
recertification exam
every 10 years

PA s
practice medicine in all specialties

PA s
practice in every work setting