The osteopathic physician and physician assistant credential numbers continue to increase in Washington state.
As of September 2019, there were 2,656 actively licensed osteopathic physicians. These include standard licensure, compact licensure, and limited licensure. This is up by 462 total licensees since September 2017.
There were 129 actively licensed osteopathic physician assistants. These numbers have increased by 41 since September 2017—more than a 50 percent increase in two years.
Due to the increase in license holders, in 2017 the legislature passed House Bill 1431 increasing the number of members on the Board of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery from seven to 11 members. The board now includes eight osteopathic physicians, one osteopathic physician assistant and two public members.
For more information about the board, check out our Board of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery Board webpage.