Authorizing PAs to practice is a direct responsibility of which level?

• A. Federal
• B. State
• C. Local
• D. Hospitals

Answer: (B)

Authorizing PAs to practice is determined at the state level. Each state licenses PAs and sets their scope of practice, supervision requirements, and prescriptive authority through its medical board or licensing authority. The federal government doesn’t grant licensure or practice authority, and local governments or individual hospitals can credential PAs to work within their facilities, but they cannot authorize practice independently of state licensure. That state-level authority is what establishes who can practice and under what conditions.