MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Alabama is one step closer to joining 21 other states in an interstate licensing agreement for physician assistants.
The Senate Healthcare Committee passed House Bill 156 Wednesday afternoon after a group of more than 60 practicing PAs, PA students and instructors gathered on the State House steps that morning in support. The House passed it by a vote of 101-0 last week.
The bill would opt Alabama into the Physician Assistant Licensure Compact and make it easier for PAs from other states in the group to get licensed in Alabama. More than 1,400 PAs currently work in Alabama.
Physician assistants are medical professionals licensed to perform tasks like conducting physical exams, prescribing certain drugs, performing rounds in hospitals and nursing homes and making medical diagnoses…