Physician assistant jobs are in high demand now that the healthcare industry is witnessing a boom. With it growing in demand in both rural and urban areas, here is a guide to the physician assistant career.
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).
Physician assistants are an important part of the doctor’s office. They can work independently inside a doctor’s office however they are supervised by a licensed doctor. They need to have the ability to 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. Some of the busiest assistants are those who are part of a surgical team. Being one of the more demanding jobs, it requires the ability to handle large amounts of stress and the ability to have a flexible life that can bend around a schedule that often requires late hours, nights, weekends, and holidays. 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.
The tasks that a physician assistant can perform vary in each American state. You will want to refer to the state’s employment website to get the exact job responsibilities for the state in which you are applying.
The growth in availability of physician assistant jobs is expected to be more rapid than in other industries. The need for physician assistants is much higher in hospitals, clinics, prisons, and many other facilities both in urban and rural areas. As per a government report published in 2008-end, it is estimated that physician assistants’ jobs are expected to grow by 39% from 2008 to 2018. The increased demand is caused by the simultaneous evolution and cost lowering initiatives that are happening in the healthcare industry. 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.
The following are the factors that determine the physician assistant salary:
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. Having a specialization as a physical assistant immediately places them in higher demand and allows them to command a higher salary that can exceed the maximum figure (given below).
Area: Often it is found that the pay for healthcare professionals is lower in rural areas than it is in urban centers. Urban centers in densely populated areas pay more than urban centers in thinly populated areas. Urban areas often have a higher cost of living compared to their rural counterparts which can attribute to the higher salary.
Experience counts 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. The specialization factor is huge for a physician assistant because they will nearly always draw a higher salary. Pay differs between different facilities of which hospitals and outpatient centers will be the highest paying while government and educational facilities pay the lowest. As stated above, urban centers pay higher than rural centers.
It is also expected that a physician assistant’s employer will pay for their professional liability insurance, state licensing fees, registration fees, and credential fees.
Physician assistants can specialize in critical medical conditions like HIV/AIDS, neonatology, cancer or one of many others if they so choose. As mentioned above, professionals who specialize in such critical medical conditions are paid a much higher salary. Specialization programs are offered by many schools in fields like surgery, cancer, HIV, neonatology, pediatrics, emergency medicine, and much 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. One caveat to all of this is that the assistant must always be supervised by a licensed doctor.
There are many advantages for a physician assistant like not attending medical school, no need for a grueling internship, and they are more mobile between specialties. Helping people recover from major and minor medical conditions can also a benefit to most as it is rewarding and self-satisfying to help others in need.
Every day is different in the life of a PA and he comes across new challenges daily. However, it is impossible for a physician assistant to become an entrepreneur because they are still required to be supervised by a licensed doctor.
This is all you need to know about physician assistant jobs and career prospects.
