The number of certified physician assistants grew 6.52 percent between 2018 and 2019, with Rhode Island, Mississippi and New Jersey seeing the largest increases among states, according to a report released April 7 by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants.
The report is based on aggregated responses from physician assistants who were certified as of Dec. 31, 2019, and 2019 Federation of State Medical Boards licensure data.
Four other stats from the report:
1. Alaska (49.2 percent) and North Dakota (46.3 percent) had the most certified physician assistants working in primary care.
2. Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Hawaii and Kentucky saw the highest median number of patients seen by certified physician assistants per week (75).
3. Alaska reported the highest rate of certified physician assistants per 100,000 people.
4. Nearly 53 percent of certified physician assistants in California reported that they speak a language other than English with patients, the highest proportion among states.
Read more about the report here.