Healthcare Recruiting
Kansas PA License 2026: Physician Assistant Requirements, OTP Authority, and Salary
Kansas adopted Optimal Team Practice (OTP) for physician assistants in 2014 — one of the first states in the country to do so. Kansas PAs licensed by the State Board of Healing Arts can practice without state-filed supervision agreements, with collaborative physician relationships managed at the institutional level. The University of Kansas Health System anchors the Kansas City metro (Kansas side), while Wichita has a competitive multi-system market. Rural western Kansas has chronic primary care shortages with NHSC eligibility across a wide geography.
Practice Model: Optimal Team Practice (OTP) Since 2014
Kansas PAs establish collaborative relationships with physicians through their employer without state-mandated filing. This early adoption of OTP has made Kansas consistently competitive for recruiting PAs who prioritize practice autonomy.
- No state supervision filing: OTP since 2014 — institutional arrangement only
- Full prescriptive authority: Schedule II–V with DEA registration
- Rural practice: Significant independent PA practice in western Kansas
Application Requirements
- Active NCCPA certification
- Graduation from ARC-PA accredited program
- Kansas Board of Healing Arts application and ~$175 fee
- Background check
- DEA registration (if prescribing controlled substances)
Processing Timeline
The Kansas Board of Healing Arts processes complete PA applications in 4–6 weeks. Total time to practice-ready including DEA: approximately 6–8 weeks.
PA Salary in Kansas (2026)
| Setting | Median Base | Typical Sign-On |
|---|---|---|
| Hospital / Inpatient | $118,000 | $5,000–$15,000 |
| Surgical First-Assist | $128,000 | $8,000–$18,000 |
| Emergency Medicine | $122,000 | $5,000–$15,000 |
| Primary Care / Outpatient | $112,000 | $5,000–$12,000 |
| Rural / Western Kansas | $118,000 | $12,000–$25,000 |
Top PA Employers in Kansas
University of Kansas Health System (Kansas City, KS side — The University of Kansas Hospital) is the state's academic flagship and largest single-campus PA employer. KUHS recruits for subspecialty, surgical, and research-affiliated PA roles. Stormont Vail Health (Topeka) anchors central Kansas hiring. Ascension Via Christi (Wichita, Pittsburg, Manhattan, and Kansas City suburbs) is the largest faith-based system in the state. AdventHealth operates in the Wichita and Kansas City Kansas markets. Rural western Kansas — Dodge City, Liberal, Garden City — has extreme primary care shortages; sign-ons of $20,000+ and NHSC eligibility are common for these positions.
What We See at Ava Health
Kansas's early OTP adoption and low COL make it a practical placement market for candidates who want Midwest practice with practice autonomy. The Kansas City metro (Overland Park, Lenexa, Olathe suburbs on the Kansas side) competes directly with Missouri for PA talent — candidates often hold both KS and MO licenses. Western Kansas positions are genuinely hard to fill and offer the state's most competitive total compensation packages.
Related: NP License Kansas 2026, PA Salary by State 2026, Healthcare Recruiting in Kansas 2026.
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