COLABORADORES:
Colette Jeffery, MA, analista de investigación sénior
Andrzej Kozikowski, PhD, director sénior de investigación
Kasey Puckett, MPH, analista de investigación sénior
Mirela Bruza-Augatis, PhD, PA-C, investigadora científica
Josh Goodman, PhD, vicepresidente de Investigación y Programas de Exámenes
Dawn Morton-Rias, EdD, PA-C, ICE-CCP, FACHE, presidenta y directora ejecutiva
PUBLISHED IN 2026 | NCCPA
KEYWORDS: Physician Assistant/Associate, PA Workforce Data
INFORMACIÓN:
PAs Continue to Grow, Adapt and Move Across Specialties, NCCPA Report Finds
JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — May 13, 2026 — The newly released National Commission on Certification of PAs (NCCPA) 2025 Statistical Profile of Board Certified PAs, the 13th annual edition of the report, highlights sustained workforce growth and the profession’s long-standing flexibility across specialties, practice settings and career stages.
Each week, PAs have about 12 million patient interactions, making a vital difference in communities nationwide.
“This year’s profile reinforces what we continue to see across the health care landscape that PAs are a growing, adaptable workforce meeting the evolving needs of patients and health systems,” said NCCPA President and CEO Dawn Morton-Rias, Ed.D., PA-C, ICE-CCP, FACHE. “Their flexibility to practice across specialties and health care settings is a powerful strength that supports improved access to care throughout the country.”
PA Workforce Continues to Grow
By the end of 2025, there were 201,038 PAs, marking a 5.9% increase from 2024, and continuing a consistent upward trend. The latest report features trends spanning more than 10 years in demographics, education, practice areas and income to show the profession’s evolution.
Specialty Flexibility Remains a Defining Feature
New and expanded appendix data highlights the importance of specialty mobility within the profession. Nearly six in 10 PAs (59.4%) said the ability to change specialties is extremely or very important. When “moderately important” responses are included, 86.1% rated specialty flexibility as important.
More than half of PAs (52.7%) reported changing specialties at least once during their careers, while 14.3% said they are considering a change within the next year.
Among PAs who changed specialties prior to their current role, the most common previous practice areas were family medicine or general practice at 16%, surgical subspecialties at 15.4%, emergency medicine at 13% and internal medicine subspecialties at 9.1%.
Transitioning Between Specialties
The timing of specialty changes varied widely. About 22.8% of PAs reported changing specialties within the past year, while 26.4% said their most recent change occurred more than 10 years ago.
Most PAs described the transition positively, with 27% rating the process as very easy and 34% as somewhat easy. Among those who changed specialties, the median time to feel proficient in a new area was six months (mean: 8.5 months).
Transferable clinical skills and support from colleagues or the health care team were identified as the most influential factors in facilitating successful transitions.
“Flexibility is not just a hallmark of the PA profession – it’s essential to delivering high-quality, patient-centered care,” Morton-Rias said. “These findings show that PAs respond to changing patient needs and evolving health care demands.”
What Drives Specialty Choice
When selecting their current practice area, PAs most often cited work-life balance, personal interest in the clinical focus, practice setting, and schedule flexibility as key influences.
Shifts in Workforce and Education
The report also documents continued changes in workforce composition. Females represented 72.1% of PAs in 2025, up from 66% in 2013.
In education, about 5.8% of PAs have finished a postgraduate program. Most postgraduate training occurs in emergency medicine, general surgery and surgical subspecialties.
Practice Areas and Patient Panels
Surgical subspecialties remained the most common practice area at 18.3%, led by orthopaedic surgery, cardiothoracic surgery and neurosurgery. Family medicine/general general practice accounted for 15.9% of PAs, followed by emergency medicine at 10.4%.
Overall, 35.7% of PAs reported having a patient panel. Patient panel responsibility was more common in isolated areas, small rural settings and large rural settings than in urban areas.
Income Trends Over the Past Decade
Mean income for PAs increased from $95,602 in 2013 to $134,010 in 2025, representing a 40.2% increase over the 13-year period.
The full report and previous editions are available at nccpa.net.
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Acerca de la Comisión Nacional de Certificación de Asistentes Médicos (NCCPA):
The National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) is the only certifying organization for more than 201,000 PAs in the U.S. The PA-C credential is awarded by NCCPA to PAs who fulfill certification, certification maintenance and recertification requirements. Board Certified PAs participate in accredited continuing medical education in core medical knowledge and specialty practice disciplines. NCCPA also offers the Certificate of Added Qualifications (CAQ) for experienced Board Certified PAs practicing in 11 specialties (+1 pending in Geriatrics). For more information, visit https://www.nccpa.net.