Des Moines, Iowa (RI) — The Iowa Legislature has sent the governor a bill that would likely expand the number of physician assistants practicing in Iowa — by creating a path to a multi-state license.
If the bill becomes law, Iowa will enter a compact next year that would let PAs licensed in 14 states practice in any of those states. The neighboring states of Nebraska, Minnesota, and Wisconsin will be part of the compact. Senator Kara Warme of Ames says this kind of reciprocal licensing arrangement is already available for doctors, nurses, and mental health professionals.
Representative Austin Baeth of Des Moines is a physician.
According to the American Academy of Physician Assistants, there are over 13 hundred PAs licensed to practice medicine in Iowa — and over half of them are working in rural areas. Two years ago, Governor Reynolds signed a law that removed the requirement that a PA be supervised by a doctor in order to practice medicine.
KIWA Staff Photo
