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California has roughly 19,000 licensed PAs; programs expanding to add nearly 1,100 annual slots
Summary
Board licensing staff reported 19,007 active physician assistant licensees and growth in initial applications and renewals. Board staff and members discussed certification requirements, timelines for initial review and issuance, and the distribution and capacity of PA training programs in California.
Board licensing staff on April 21 told the California Physician Assistant Board that the state’s population of active PA licensees has grown to about 19,007 and that educational capacity is expanding.
Julie Caldwell, lead licensing analyst, reported licensing statistics for the period Oct. 1, 2024 through March 30, 2025: staff received 1,094 initial‑license applications in that window, approved 1,117 applications, and processed 4,396 renewals. Caldwell said the current total of licensees in all statuses is roughly 27,970 and the current number of licensees with “current” status is about 19,007.
Caldwell described licensing performance measures: the target is to provide an initial review within 30 days of application and to issue a license about seven business days after receipt of the last required item, with a typical end‑to‑end processing window of 30–45 days barring unusual circumstances (e.g., criminal history checks or verification delays from other states).
On certification, staff and board members noted that California requires applicants to authorize release of PANCE (Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination) scores for initial licensure, but the state does not require continuing NCCPA certification for maintenance of licensure. Board discussion and audit experience show a portion of licensees are not currently certified even though most new graduates are certified at initial licensure.
Education pipeline: board staff reported 20 nationally accredited PA programs operating in California, with an annual enrollment capacity near 1,000 new students and planned cohort expansions that would increase capacity toward roughly 1,100 entrants per year. Of California PA programs currently in the state: 15 are in Southern California, 4 in the Bay Area and 1 in the Central Valley. There are six provisionally accredited programs and four developing programs noted in the presentation; none of the currently operating California programs are on probation.
Board members requested comparative data on PA growth in other states. Staff noted the NCCPA publishes state‑by‑state data and agreed to provide that report to the board for the August discussion on practice‑agreement policy and workforce implications.
No board action was required on the licensing report; staff will continue to share licensing metrics and accepted sources for comparative data.
