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Bill would rename 'physician assistants' as 'physician associates' in state law; sponsors, PAs say scope won't change
Summary
Sen. David Rocheford introduced legislation to replace the term "physician assistant" with "physician associate" in state law; supporters said the change aligns New Hampshire with national and state PA organizations and does not alter a PA’s scope of practice.
Sen. David Rocheford introduced Senate Bill 285 to change statutory references from "physician assistant" to "physician associate," a nomenclature update supporters say better reflects the profession's education and role on modern health teams.
The sponsor and multiple physician associates and association representatives told the committee the proposal was the unanimous recommendation of a bipartisan legislative study committee formed after passage of a separate bill last year. "The bill in itself is is pretty straightforward. It just changes the word assistant to associate wherever a physician assistant is referenced in state statutes and requires executive departments to do the same in rules," Rocheford said.
Supporters and protections
Supporters emphasized that the change is only a name update and does not alter education, training, scope of practice, contractual relationships or employer designations. Malcolm Hathaway, president of the New Hampshire Society of Physician Associates, said the national organization changed its name in 2021 and that the bill aligns New Hampshire law with the profession's national and state associations. "Our profession's name did not adequately convey our education, our training, or how PA's practice medicine as part of the modern health care teams," Hathaway said.
The sponsor and other witnesses noted a drafting amendment drafted by Representative Leon to ensure that the statutory prohibition on falsely holding oneself out as a physician assistant would be updated to cover both old and new titles; the amendment would prevent someone from resurrecting the old title to evade penalties.
Board and public members
Nina Gardner, a public member of the Board of Medicine, spoke on the record in an informational capacity and urged consistent on‑site identification of clinicians so patients know who is treating them, regardless of title. Several witnesses told the committee the change is intended to reduce public confusion about the role and to reflect the profession’s contemporary practice across settings including primary care and emergency medicine.
No formal vote was recorded at the hearing. Sponsors said the amendment narrows drafting oversights and leaves substantive scope-of-practice unchanged; supporters urged the committee to treat the bill as a technical alignment rather than a practice change.
Ending
The committee received broad testimony in support from PA organizations, training programs and practicing PAs, and closed the hearing after discussing the Leon amendment to protect the statutory prohibition on improper titles.
Speakers quoted in this story: Sen. David Rocheford; Malcolm Hathaway, president, New Hampshire Society of Physician Associates; Michael Bartlett, representative of the American Academy of Physician Associates; Nina Gardner, public member, Board of Medicine.
