Physician assistant jobs are in high demand now that the healthcare industry is witnessing a boom. Here is a guide to the Physician Assistants career which is growing in demand in both rural and urban areas.
Typically, Physician Assistants are required to complete a 26-month training program after they successfully obtain a 4-year college degree and get some job experience. The work does not stop there as each Physician Assistant must complete 100 hours of ongoing education course work every two years and take a recertification exam every six years.
In the industry there are two professional bodies – the one that regulates is known as the AAPA (American Association of Physician Assistants) and the one that administers certification exams and tracks the continuing education credits which is called NCCPA (National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants).
In a doctor’s office, the role of a Physician Assistant plays an important part. Often they are allowed to work independently within a doctor’s office, but they are also supervised by a licensed doctor. They must be within 1 hour of their doctor’s call.
They help in diagnosis and analyzing lab reports including x-rays. Also, the physician assistant can assist patients with writing prescriptions for medications or therapy, examinations, as well as helping the doctor by listening to patients’ needs, recording their history, and providing surgical assistance. On top of that, excellent communication skills need to be in a Physician Assistant’s repertoire because they will be interacting with patients most of the time.
Physician Assistants are on their feet most of the time interacting with and attending to patients. Assistants who are part of a surgical team are the busiest of the lot. This job requires the ability to handle large amounts of stress, working late, nights, weekends, and holidays and as such, is not easy. Physical and mental stress must be handled in a cool and calm manner by the Physician Assistant due to the fact if they show it on their face they will most likely panic the patient.
Physician Assistants are allowed to perform many tasks, however each American state has different guidelines as to which ones they can perform. In order to know the exact job responsibilities for that state, you will want to refer to that state’s employment website.
Physician Assistants jobs are expected to grow at a rapid clip as compared to other jobs. The demand is much greater in hospitals, clinics, prisons and other facilities both in rural and urban areas for Physician Assistants. It is estimated that the growth in demand for physician assistants will rise 39% between 2008 and 2018 according to a report published in 2008 by the government. This is because healthcare industry is evolving and lowering its costs at the same time. On of the ways that the healthcare industry is maintaining the quality of service and productivity is by appointing Physician Assistants. The higher demand for professionals is also driven by each state allowing physician assistants to perform more medical procedures.
There are a few factors which determine a Physician Assistant’s salary which are as follows:
Specialization: Choosing to specialize in complicated medical conditions like HIV, AIDS, or cancer will often lead a Physician Assistant to a higher salary than one who can handle normal medical conditions. The demand for specialized physical assistants is very high and their salary can even exceed the maximum figure (given below).
Area: Rural healthcare facilities pay lesser than urban centers. The density of the population surrounding an urban center can affect the pay as it is often found that centers that have a higher density of population pay more. Cost of living is typically higher in densely populated areas which attributes to the higher pay in urban areas.
Experience can factor into this as well. Highly experienced Physician Assistants get a higher salary.
As per Salary.com, Physician Assistants earn anything between $75,000 and $106,000 yearly. A more realistic average would be between $65,000 and $90,000, give or take a few exceptions. Remember, that specialization counts and so, specialized Physician Assistants can expect to get a higher salary. The facilities that often offer the best pay are those like hospitals and outpatient centers while government and educational institutions will not be as high. Remember, the pay at urban centers will often be higher than the pay that is offered in rural areas.
Physician Assistants can also expect their employers to pay for their state licensing fees, registration fees, credential fees and professional liability insurance.
Critical medical specializations for conditions like HIV/AIDS, neonatology, cancer, and many others are all options for a Physician Assistant. Professionals that have a specialization in a critical medical condition will often be paid a much higher salary, as was mentioned above. Many schools offer specialization programs in specialties like surgery, cancer, HIV, neonatology, pediatrics, emergency medicine, and more.
Then, a Physician Assistant can enroll for a postgraduate residency training program in areas like emergency medicine, rural primary care, occupational medicine, etc.
Like most careers, the pay increases come in time and with more experience. However, the assistant must always remain under the supervision of a licensed doctor.
Physician Assistant jobs have many advantages – PAs do not have to attend to med school, they do not have to go through the taxing internship that all doctors go through, and they can learn different specialties or move from one specialty to another with ease. They also are rewarded with a self-satisfying career that helps people recover from medical conditions, many of which can be major.
Every day is different in the life of a PA and he comes across new challenges daily. The requirement of being supervised by a licensed doctor will always prevent a Physician Assistant from being and entrepreneur and launching their own practice.
Now you know what it takes and what to expect from a job as a Physician Assistant.
As you can see, physician assistant jobs are on the rise. For more information, please check out: Physician Assistant Salary
