Physician Assistant/Associate
Physician Assistant/Associate
In its 2025 ranking of Best Health Care Jobs, U.S. News & World Report ranked physician assistant/associate (PA) second, and third in best jobs overall. PAs are skilled, licensed clinicians who practice medicine in every specialty and setting. They are part of a medical team that works in collaboration with a physician, physician team, or medical practice.
PAs work on healthcare teams to deliver high-quality, cost-effective medical care. Due to their training across all specialties, PAs can easily transition between specialties without requiring additional schooling.
PAs work across many specialties, including primary care, emergency medicine, psychiatry, and women’s health, providing a wide variety of clinical services, such as:
- Performing medical exams and procedures
- Ordering and interpreting laboratory tests
- Diagnosing and treating disease
- Prescribing medication
- Assisting in surgery
Every day, thousands of people have access to quality healthcare because there are PAs in their communities. PAs are critical to increasing access to care, as they are often the only health providers in medically underserved areas and provide preventative care and important patient education. It’s estimated that PAs provided care to about 11.4 million patients each week in 2024, according to the National Commission on Certification on PAs 2024 Statistical Profile of Board Certified PAs.
NCCPA also reported that in 2024, 87.1% of PAs reported being satisfied with their career choice, and 83.6% are satisfied with their present job.
Working conditions
PAs usually work in a comfortable, well-lighted environment. Those in surgery often stand for long periods, and others may do considerable walking.
Schedules will vary according to practice setting or may depend on the hours of the collaborating physician. The workweek of PAs may include weekends, nights and early morning hospital rounds to visit patients. They may also be on call at certain times, including nights and weekends.
Salary Range and Outlook
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects a 28% job growth rate for the profession through 2033. In addition to demand, the job is attractive because:
- The average length of a PA program is only 27 months
- The median salary is $133, 260, according to BLS.
- It offers the flexibility to move into different areas of medicine without additional education and training
Academic requirements
To practice as a physician assistant, you must graduate from an accredited PA program, pass the national certification exam and obtain a license in the state in which you wish to practice. You cannot bypass any of those steps and must complete them in order.
It is important to carefully review the prerequisite course requirements of all programs because they may vary, in some cases greatly. In general, requirements may include a completed bachelor’s degree, science and non-science prerequisites courses, minimum GPAs, health care experience and standardized exams.
Science courses may include but are not limited to:
- Anatomy
- Biochemistry
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Genetics
- Microbiology or bacteriology
- Organic chemistry
- Physics
- Physiology
Non-science courses may include but are not limited to:
- Calculus
- College-level algebra
- English composition
- Humanities
- Literature
- Medical terminology
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Speech
- Statistics
- Technical writing
The number of accredited PA programs has increased to 311 as of June 2025. The PA Education Association provides a list of CASPA participating programs. The list is updated in February each year and can be used to search for programs and to compare admissions criteria.
Resources
- Watch a video about what PAs like most about their profession.
- Read more about what PAs do and listen to the reasons they love their job.
- Sign up to learn more about the PA profession and CASPA using this PAEA inquiry form.
- Accreditation Review Commission on Education for Physician Assistants
- American Academy of Physician Assistants
- Central Application Service for Physician Assistants
- National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants
- Physician Assistant Education Association
The Physician Assistant Education Association reviewed this career profile.
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Average Salary
$133,260
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Years Higher Education
6 - 7
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Job Outlook
Very Good