Healthcare Recruiting
Mississippi PA License 2026: Physician Assistant Requirements, Supervision, and Salary
Mississippi physician assistants are licensed by the Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure (MSBML). The state requires a supervision agreement with a licensed Mississippi physician — filed with the MSBML — before PA practice may begin. Mississippi faces among the most severe healthcare workforce shortages in the nation, driven by a large rural population, extreme rates of chronic disease, and persistent difficulty recruiting and retaining providers. NHSC Loan Repayment coverage is extensive, particularly in the Mississippi Delta.
Practice Model: Supervision Required
Mississippi PAs must have an MSBML-filed written supervision agreement. The agreement defines scope of practice and prescriptive authority. On-site physician presence is not required for routine PA practice.
- Supervision agreement: Required and filed with the MSBML
- Prescriptive authority: Schedule II–V with DEA registration under the supervision agreement
- NHSC eligibility: Extensive HPSA designations across the Delta, southwest, and rural north Mississippi
Application Requirements
- Active NCCPA certification
- Graduation from ARC-PA accredited program
- MSBML application and ~$150 fee
- Filed supervision agreement
- Background check
- DEA registration (separate)
Processing Timeline
The MSBML processes complete PA applications in 6–8 weeks. Supervision agreement review adds 1–2 weeks. Total time to practice-ready: approximately 8–10 weeks.
PA Salary in Mississippi (2026)
| Setting | Median Base | Typical Sign-On |
|---|---|---|
| Hospital / Inpatient (Jackson) | $112,000 | $5,000–$15,000 |
| Surgical First-Assist | $122,000 | $8,000–$18,000 |
| Emergency Medicine | $118,000 | $5,000–$15,000 |
| Primary Care / Outpatient | $105,000 | $5,000–$12,000 |
| Delta Region (NHSC-eligible) | $108,000 | $12,000–$25,000 + NHSC up to $50K |
Top PA Employers in Mississippi
University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC — Jackson) is the state's academic flagship and largest PA employer, offering subspecialty and academic PA roles across a wide range of departments. Baptist Health Mississippi (Jackson and affiliates) is the major private health system competitor. North Mississippi Health Services (Tupelo) anchors the northeast Mississippi market. Singing River Health System (Pascagoula) and Memorial Hospital Gulfport cover the Gulf Coast. Delta-region critical access hospitals (Bolivar Medical Center, Sunflower Medical Center) are NHSC-designated with the state's most substantial loan-repayment opportunities — up to $50,000 tax-exempt for a 2-year primary care commitment.
What We See at Ava Health
Mississippi is the clearest example nationally of where NHSC Loan Repayment modeling can make a definitive difference in the candidate's accept decision. A Delta PA position with NHSC awards can produce $50,000+ in tax-exempt loan payoff on top of a reasonable base salary — often outperforming Jackson metro positions in total 2-year net value for candidates carrying typical PA school debt. The supervision agreement process is the standard bottleneck; large employers like UMMC and Baptist Health have standardized agreements ready to file.
Related: NP License Mississippi 2026, PA Salary by State 2026, Healthcare Recruiting in Mississippi 2026.
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