Most states limit how many physician assistants a single physician may supervise or collaborate with. The number varies, and so does what counts against it.
Why it becomes your problem
You are not the one tracking it, but you are the one whose license waits. If the named physician is already at the limit, your application cannot proceed until either another physician is named or someone else comes off the list.
Practices do not always know their own position, particularly where PAs have joined and left across several sites, or where the physician also covers nurse practitioners under a separate cap.
What varies
The number itself. Whether it counts full-time equivalents or individuals. Whether it is per physician or per site. Whether alternate or covering physicians count. And whether the cap can be waived by the board on application — some states allow this, with its own processing time.
The practical move
Ask the question before the application, not during it: how many PAs does this physician currently cover, and what is the cap in this state. It is a two-minute question that occasionally saves a month, and an experienced practice manager will have the answer immediately.
If the answer is at or near the limit, that is a reason to identify a second physician early rather than discovering the constraint when the board flags it.
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We handle the PA licensure process end-to-end — eligibility screening, documents, board follow-ups, and tracking.