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Practitioner:

Physician Assistants

Physician assistants are nationally certified and state-licensed medical professionals, and practice on health care teams with physicians and other providers. They are formally trained to examine patients, diagnose injuries and illnesses and provide treatment.

The links to the right lead to maps showing a comparison of all states and territories for the following three policy areas:

1) supervision requirements
2) prescriptive authority
3) scope of practice determination

Choose a tab to explore different options. For more detailed information, please click on a state or territory.

Physician Assistants:
Supervision Requirements

Mobile users can use this dropdown of states if the map is too small.

LEGEND

  • Supervision or collaboration not required
  • Supervision with a physician required
  • Collaboration allowed with a physician
  • Information is not currently available

Supervision requirements focus on the need for a written collaborative agreement with a physician that can outline the procedures a physician assistant is allowed to perform. State policy specifies whether the supervisory relationship between the physician assistant and the physician is determined at the practice level (within the medical practice where the physician assistant will be practicing) or determined by the state medical board or in state law.

Policy areas for Physician Assistants

Supervision Requirements

Scope of Practice Determination

Prescriptive Authority for Physician Assistants


Practitioner Scope of Practice

  • Behavioral Health Providers
  • Nurse Practitioners
  • Optometrists
  • Oral Health Providers
  • Pharmacists
  • Physician Assistants

Physician Assistants Overview

Learn More About Physician Assistants

For More Information

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Acknowledgement and Disclaimer: This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under UD3OA22893, National Organizations for State and Local Officials. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. government.

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