Physician Assistant Salary Information

If you are interested in a profession within the medical field there are many different types of careers out there for you to choose from. A physician assistant is a great way to get your foot in the door of the medical field without having to attend several years of medical school. A physician assistant has various job functions. Their main job will be to assist the doctor in whatever way is needed. 

Several tasks may be assigned to a physician assistant and it will greatly depend on what type of doctor or facility you work for and what functions they need help with. A physician assistant is in essence the doctor’s second pair of hands.

Most physicians assistants will be required to do some or all of the following tasks. PA’s will pull charts and review them before seeing the patient. They will do routine exams such as physicals and order any needed tests such as x-rays and blood samples. PAs will be in charge of the initial diagnosis for a patient’s condition. They may also provide treatment for the patient under the doctor’s supervision. As a PA you will also give medications and advise the patient on any after care that is needed. Physician assistants also record the progress on the medical record charts and complete any insurance paperwork that may be needed.

Physician Assistant Salary Statistics

As a physician assistant you will be paid a very substantial physician assistant salary. The current average for the physician assistant salary is $87,000 yearly. However, as with all careers this will depend on many factors. Some things that will affect you are the level of experience you have, the level of education and degrees that you have and even the region that you work in. There are many things that you can do to increase the average amount of your physician assistant income. 

One way that you can increase your salary is to work in one of the top states that offer a higher physician assistant wage. The top five paying states are New Jersey, Connecticut, Washington, Nevada and Rhode Island. The physician assistant salary in these states range from $99,000 to $118,000 yearly.

Physician Assistant Educational Requirements

One of the reasons that you make such a great physician assistant wage is that you will need to have lots of training and education before you can start working. In order to start your career as a physician assistant you will need to attend one of the 159 accredited programs so that you may become licensed once your education is complete. This is required to work in any of the 50 states. Most physician assistant programs require that you have an associate degree in a science or math before they will accept you into the program. 

This generally takes two years to complete. Once you are accepted into an accredited program, you will be working towards your master’s degree. The actual physician assistant program will take you an additional two years to complete. It will involve in class work along with on site clinical rotations. Courses of study will include anatomy, biology, diagnosis, ethics, medical terminology, clinical practices and pathology. Once you have completed your degree you can become licensed by taking a test given by the NCCPA. Once you pass the exam you are now certified.

Physician Assistant Work Environment Information

As a physician assistant you will have the chance to work in all types of offices and facilities within the medical field. Typically, these jobs will be in medical facilities and doctors offices. More than fifty four percent of physicians assistants work in doctor’s offices and twenty four percent work in hospitals or large medical facilities. Most PA’s work a full time schedule of forty hours per week but the hours you keep will vary depending on the type of place that you work in. 

If you work in a hospital you may be required to work nights and weekends and many PAs in hospitals can work as much as fifty hours a week or more. Some PAs may also be on call so you have to be ready to work at any time of the day or night. A large part of your job will be done on your feet seeing patients so you must be able to stand up comfortably for long hours of the day.

Working as a physician assistant can be a very lucrative and rewarding job for anyone who decides to take it on. However, you should only go into this career if you are serious about wanting to help people. There is a lot more to this job than just a great physician assistant income. One of the best things about it is that you will be helping people who really need your help and you have the capacity and training to make a difference in a lot of people’s lives. This makes taking on this career a great decision for the right person.