Even though all physician assistants must practice under the supervision of a physician, their scope of practice varies from state to state.
According to Barton Associates, the following 12 states place some limit on PAs' prescribing powers. They are listed below alphabetically, along with details on the limits.
1. Alabama — Not authorized to prescribe schedule II medications
2. Arkansas — Not authorized to prescribe schedule II medications
3. Florida — Cannot prescribe controlled substances, general anesthetics and radiographic contrast materials
4. Georgia — Not authorized to prescribe schedule II medications
5. Hawaii — The medical board defines the scope of prescriptive authority
6. Iowa — Not authorized to prescribe schedule II medications
7. Kentucky — Cannot prescribe or administer scheduled drugs
8. Louisiana — Not authorized to prescribe schedule II medications
9. Maine — Not authorized to prescribe schedule II medications
10. Missouri — Not authorized to prescribe schedule II medications
11. Oklahoma — The medical board defines the scope of prescriptive authority
12. West Virginia — Not authorized to prescribe schedule II medications
In the remaining 38 states and Washington, D.C., the PA's prescriptive power is determined by his or her supervising physician.
This information was gleaned from Barton Associates' PA Scope of Practice Law Guide, found here.