Scope‐of‐practice laws and the practice patterns of nurse practitioners and physician assistants

Abstract

I evaluate whether nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) change how they practice when states relax the scope‐of‐practice laws governing these professions. I find little evidence that NPs or PAs begin providing specialty services following relaxation. Some evidence suggests that NPs specialize more in rural areas following the relaxation of scope‐of‐practice laws, but no indication that they do so generally. Overall, the evidence developed here suggests that NPs and PAs do not change how they care for patients following the relaxation of scope‐of‐practice laws, undermining patient safety arguments along these lines.