Can you practice anywere in the US?

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I was wondering if once you have graduated from an accredited PA program and pass your national boards, can you practice anywhere or do you have to also take state boards in the state you want to practice in? I'm Optometry, and we have to take state boards so it’s kind of hard just to pick up and move practices after 4 or 5 years out of school. Do PA's have this same set back? Are there states that are harder to work in and are more saturated with PA's?

Any info you have on this would be great.

Thanks!

we take a national exam that allows us to apply to work in any state. a few states have extra requirements like x hrs of cme related to hiv or domestic violence, etc but none have serious extra requirements or exams.
there are a few states that are tough to practice in as a pa because of oppressive practice laws. indiana and ohio for example are the only states in which a pa can not get a dea # or prescribe non-controlled meds.
there are many states( 27 at this point I think) that give pa's full prescriptive rights( dea 2-5) and this is a good indiaction of a good state to work in. the best states to work in (in my opinion) are nc, maine, vermont, new hampshire, rhode island, and washington in no particular order. see www.aapa.org for everything you ever wanted to know about pa's. one of the top menu items is professional issues or something similar, that will give you a good idea.here is the list of pa prescriptive laws:
Where Physician Assistants Are Authorized To Prescribe
Jurisdiction Rx
Status Restrictions Controlled Substances
Alabama Rx Formulary
Alaska Rx Sch. III-V
Arizona Rx Sch. II-III limited to 14-day supply with board prescribing certification
(72-hrs. without);

Sch.IV-V not more than 5 times in 6-month period per patient
Arkansas Rx Sch. III-V
California Rx PAs may write "drug orders" which, for the purposes of DEA registration, meet the federal definition of a prescription. Sch. II-V
Colorado Rx Sch. II-V
Connecticut Rx Sch. IV-V; Sch. II-III in hosp, LTC facilities, and some EDs
Delaware Rx Sch. II-V
District of Columbia Rx
Florida Rx Formulary of prohibited drugs
Georgia Rx Formulary Sch. III-V
Guam Rx Sch. III-V
Hawaii Rx Sch. III-V
Idaho Rx Sch. II-V
Illinois Rx Sch. III-V
Indiana
Iowa Rx Sch. III-V; Sch. II (except stimulants and depressants)
Kansas Rx Sch. II-V
Kentucky Rx
Louisiana Rx Sch. III-V
Maine Rx Sch. III-V (Board may approve Sch.II for individual PAs)
Maryland Rx Sch. II-V
Massachusetts Rx Sch. II-V
Michigan Rx Sch. III-V; Sch. II (7-day supply) as discharge meds
Minnesota Rx Formulary Sch. II-V
Mississippi Rx Sch. II-V
Missouri Rx
Montana Rx Sch. II-V (Sch. II limited to 34-day supply)
Nebraska Rx Sch. II-V (Sch. II limited to 72-hr supply)*
Nevada Rx Sch. II-V
New Hampshire Rx Sch. II-V
New Jersey Rx Sch. II-V ( certain conditions apply)**
New Mexico Rx Formulary Sch. II-V
New York Rx Sch. III-V
North Carolina Rx Sch. II-V (Sch. II-III limited to 30-day supply)
North Dakota Rx Sch. III-V
Ohio
Oklahoma Rx Formulary Sch. III-V
Oregon Rx Sch. II-V
Pennsylvania Rx Formulary Sch. III-V. Limited to 30-day supply unless for chronic condition
Rhode Island Rx Sch. II-V
South Carolina Rx Formulary Sch. V
South Dakota Rx Sch. II-V (Sch. II limited to 48-hr supply)
Tennessee Rx Sch. II-V
Texas Rx In specified practice sites Sch. III-V (limited to 30-day supply)
Utah Rx Sch. II-V
Vermont Rx Formulary Sch. II-V
Virginia Rx Sch. III-V
Washington Rx Sch. II-V
West Virginia Rx Formulary Sch. III-V (Sch. III limited to 72-hr supply)
Wisconsin Rx Sch. II-V
Wyoming Rx Sch. II-V
4/11/05

*Sch. II restriction to be repealed 9/05

**Scheduled medication prescriptive authority effective 9/05

DEA Registration
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has a registration category specifically for physician assistants and other so-called “midlevel practitioners” authorized by state law or regulation to prescribe controlled substances. For more information or to obtain a registration application, contact the DEA Registration Unit at 800/882-9539.