This year the physician assistant (PA) profession celebrates 50 years of serving patients in North Carolina and beyond. North Carolina is proud to be the birthplace of the PA. The profession originated in the mid-1960s when a Duke University physician realized his vision of training former medics and hospital corpsman to perform basic medical tasks. The very first class of three PAs graduated from Duke in 1967; Today PAs are the fastest-growing group of medical professionals licensed by NCMB, accounting for nearly one out of every six licenses issued. In recent years the number of PAs in NC has increased by about 7 percent each year, and the total number of PAs licensed by the Board is on pace to reach 7,000 by the end of 2017. NCMB congratulates PAs everywhere on their contributions to patient care!

Download the timeline below.