PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT (PA) SALARIES
Physician Assistants are touted to be a definite, though partial, answer to shortages in both - the nursing area and the primary care domain in the United States. This, of course, naturally translates to a great demand in rural and inner city clinics, where the nursing and MD shortages are highest. A 2008 CNNmoney article enlisted Physician Assistants 5th on its list of best careers to have in a recession in the US and noted an average national income of $84,000 !
These sample, mid-career, annual salaries mentioned below even beat the salaries of Engineers in many areas !
These sample, mid-career, annual salaries mentioned below even beat the salaries of Engineers in many areas !
- New York, NY : $92,000/-
- Los Angeles, CA:$88,000/-
- Houston, TX: $81,000/-
- Miami, FL: $78,000/-
- Seattle, WA: $85,000/-
And what's more, the investment in terms of years is peanuts as compared to what physicians put in. A 2-year Physician Assistant degree program after 2 to 3 years in undergraduate college pre-requisite courses such as biology, statistics, organic chemistry etc. along with some direct work experience in the health-sector is all that's needed to start. As an example, look up the requirements put up by the St. Louis University Physician Assistant Program which offers the Master of Medical Sciences degree.
As this article on Get head careers for 2007 puts it:
"Physician assistants are rapidly replacing doctors as primary-care providers, and they earn healthy salaries with far less schooling. Science-minded high achievers might consider becoming a medical scientist instead of a doctor, since advances in genetics and other disciplines are leading to a revolution in preventing and curing disease."
Q. How to become a licensed physician Assistant in America ?
A. All US states need physician assistants to pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination, administered by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) after completing PA degrees from accredited PA programs. Passing the exam gives the PA the right to use the credential “Physician Assistant-Certified.” To maintain certification, these PAs gotta keep completing 100 hours of continuing medical education (CME) every 2 years and then also pass a recertification examination every 6 years or complete an alternative program combining learning experiences and a comfortable take-home examination ;-)
In most states, Physician Assistants are allowed to prescribe medicines !
Little wonder then, that Marty Nemko nominates a Physician Assistant Career in the most attractive career choices list in America for the year 2007
- Get your Physician Assistant Charm
Here's a neat video about Physician Assistant as a Career:
Search keywords to this blog article:
- "How much do physician assistants make"
- "physician assistant pay"
- "PA salaries 2007"
- "average wages for PA"
"Physician assistants are rapidly replacing doctors as primary-care providers, and they earn healthy salaries with far less schooling. Science-minded high achievers might consider becoming a medical scientist instead of a doctor, since advances in genetics and other disciplines are leading to a revolution in preventing and curing disease."
But it's not just primary care that employs Physician assistants, in fact, salaries for physician assitants vary parallel to the physician specialty they work under, 2007 AAPA censur report found the following averages in incomes:
Emergency Medicine : $81,508
Cardiothoracic Sugery: $80,.042
Interventional Radiology: $79,605
Critical Care Medicine: $79,372
Internal Medicine: $70,302
Family Medicine: $69,733
Ob-Gyn: $68,408
General Pediatrics: $64,475
Q. How to become a licensed physician Assistant in America ?
A. All US states need physician assistants to pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination, administered by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) after completing PA degrees from accredited PA programs. Passing the exam gives the PA the right to use the credential “Physician Assistant-Certified.” To maintain certification, these PAs gotta keep completing 100 hours of continuing medical education (CME) every 2 years and then also pass a recertification examination every 6 years or complete an alternative program combining learning experiences and a comfortable take-home examination ;-)
In most states, Physician Assistants are allowed to prescribe medicines !
Little wonder then, that Marty Nemko nominates a Physician Assistant Career in the most attractive career choices list in America for the year 2007
- Get your Physician Assistant Charm
Here's a neat video about Physician Assistant as a Career:
Search keywords to this blog article:
- "How much do physician assistants make"
- "physician assistant pay"
- "PA salaries 2007"
- "average wages for PA"
Labels: PA, Physician Assistant
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posted by Digitaldoc, MD at 7:22 PM
Comments on "PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT (PA) SALARIES"
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Anonymous said ... (12/11/2009) :
Post Your Comment !I just became aware that the NCCPA is going to get rid of the Pathway II exam by 2010. This idea is dumb by today's standards because today PA's are so highly specialized. That and the idea of our specialized physician counterparts having taking a recertification exam to practice is never gonna happen. But to say the least our equals NP's only have to take the certification exam once. Seems to me they only have better lobbyists then we PA's do....
I love how simple this article makes it sound "Just do a science undergrad plus a two year PA program and that's it!!!!!" Best of luck with that second part, everyone! There are no "take-home programs" in lieu of pasing the PANCE's, that's just silly. Botton line is that there's a very good reason that PA's get compensated well when compared to the money they spend on tuition...and you'll understand why that is when you begin the program.
The article compares the educational requirements to that of an M.D. going into practice. A P.A.'s educational requirements are "nothing" compared to an M.D.'s.
Ok, this article does simplify the path to becoming a PA. While the training is not nearly as long as that for physicians, it is extremely rigorous due to the short duration. It's also not as easy as just taking the right classes in college and walking in! With the increasing popularity of the profession, there is increasing competition for admission. One program received 1200 applications for a class size of fewer than 40 students.
In my humble opinion, PAs are extremely necessary in the struggle to answer the overwhelming demands of providing healthcare. We are extremely economical and efficient in the tasks that we perform, many of which may save a patient's life. We also train medical students, residents and, yes some attendings-in all subspecialties. In fact some departments will literally shut down without the services of a PA.
We need to improve upon our education base and somehow standardize our training, so that we graduate and maintain good quality PAs. We also need to expand our levels of practice and autonomy, so that we can better compete with other midlevel practicioners. So to all of you PAs, work hard, study hard, and have fun...Always remember that patients come first-
Sincerely-Ian
hi, I am really attracted by scope of PA. In the context that getting into residency becoming quite tough, is it possible for we IMGs to go into PA course. If so for how many extra years we need to study or what else we require?? Any suggestions would be great. thank you.
the VAST majority of PA programs require an undergraduate degree and several science requisites as well as the GRE exam. My PA program conferred a Masters degree. The education is rigorous and requires a great deal of time/talent. This is not the walk in the park the offer makes it out to be. After graduating PA school a few years back my first job brought in 85,000. Currently I am just under 6 figures having worked out a pay for production plan with the practice I joined.
Also, my education did not end with PA school. I completed a surgical residency and participate in continuing medical education totalling 100 hours every 2 years.
I am currently in PA school, and while my medical school buddies are taking 12 credit hours per semester, I am pulling a rigorous 18 to 20... including summers. My life has been on hold for the past year and a half, and it will continue for another year. While my med school friends can still go out and party on the weekends, I am forced to stay home and study. Furthermore, although many programs tout that they only require "a G.P.A of 3.0", and a minimal amount of coursework.... i challenge *anyone* to get in with these minimal prerequisites. You most *definitely* will need a bachelor's degree, the programs continue to become more competitive every year. Last year, my program had 850 applicants (all meeting the admission requirements), and only 35 got in. I was captain of a Division I swim team, and graduated Magna Cum Laude in Chemistry... yet I am the dumbest in my class. (If this gives you any perspective :)
Most of the informational sites on the net are so outdated, salaries tend to be higher now than those quoted, even for new grads, and admission requirements have *certainly* changed.
Wow, your "med school buddies" sure are enjoying a unique medical school experience pulling only 12 hours a semester. Somehow my school tricked all of us into taking 28 hrs/sem. Those ruthless bastards.
been a usa educated, licensed, registered - blah blah blah, practicing PA since 1995. have been pretty happy, at the time, wanted to have children and a family, PA was the perfect answer, i've been able to treat patients, write prescriptions, first assist for plastic surgeons and work ED medicine. recently with all my little people in school, and 2 of my colleques from pa school finishing med school - this year, and trying to decide on a residency choice, i've been seriously considering the career change/ final step. very scary with national healthcare coming, and private practices being a thing of the past - is anyone else out there in my shoes? any thoughts on the choices? the main motivation is to have a little more control over my practice, after 14 years i have seen a bit and at times have more clinical experience than some attendings, not always just every now and then , and at 37 i feel like if i'm going to have the energy to finish this i need to do it now. would like to hear from anyone who's been in a similar situation, actually went the full usa regular med school program and is now practicing - was it worth it? would u do it again? or would u have stayed the pa. many thanks for your thoughts
First, let me begin by offering some prospective PAs an additional source of info.
Go to physicianassistantprograms.synthasite.com
Loads of info...complete list of Caspa and Non-Caspa programs, tuition costs, Tests required; if needed, length of program, and much more. Very Helpful! It saved me loads of time.
Also, I think prospective PAs should look at: USAjobs.gov
For REAL of Current salaries.
Just wanted to comment in regard to the last post. My personal story is that as a young man in my earyly twenties, I fought with all my might to graduate from a rigorous undergrad program in Health Sciences. My plan was to then go to professional school to become a physician. Well, life happened and I found myself in a lucrative start-up company that seemed promising. The money motivated me. I was quickly corrupted by the big bucks. Sadly, the company failed and I was left flailing and confused with what I should do. I tried getting jobs in Pharm sales, Med. device sales, but with no luck. Then got on board with another upstart, and the money was extraordinary. I was brokering international trade deals...electronics. Things were great! Then the exchange markets crashed. Companies around the world stopped buying. You can guess what happened next.
I'm in my early 30's and I'm going to finish what I started. I don't have a family, so going back to school is an easier decision for me given that I don't have to fill lunch boxes for children. In my opinion, there is no better time for a career change than right now. The economic melt down has been an effective neutralizer for nearly everyone. Everyone has lost everything so why not do what your heart screams for you to do, Doc.
Okay, so, lets set some things straight...although most PA schools state that you only the prerequisite courses are required for admission, because admission is so competitive; all 42 that were accepted had prior bachelor degrees. And most PA programs are going to Master's Degrees which means 2 RIGOROUS years of in the class room, and 1 year of in clinical Rotations.. I also want to point out that PAs are taught under the same "Medical Module" as MDs however we only do 75% in 1/2 the time. In fact, many of our professors also teach at the local Medical school. They let us know that the exams they give us, are the same exams that are given to the MD students. And the salaries are very much reflective of the effort it takes to become and be a Physician Assistant. Also, i would like to point out that from just Physician Assistant schooling, I will have approximately $88,000.00 in student loans. This is why we need to make such a great salary.... so that we can afford the $1200 loan payment every month.
I hope for those that are interested in PA school or the career to do more research than this "simplistic article" because it definitely is NOT an easy career to get into. If you are lucky to be one of the few to be accepted into an accredited program, the school itself may then be the "weening" process.
In reply to your comment, anonymous, unless you have completed a 2 or 4 year degree (most often 4 years) sat through a year of intense didactic coursework, and worked your fingers to the bone during clinical clerkships, you have no right to say that the educational requirements of a PA are nothing in comparison to an MD's. I could have done either, and was accepted to both, but chose the PA path instead. The PA is not a less intelligent or capable medical practitioner, he is valuable member of the healthcare team.
In response to the requirements of md vs pa with pa being less.. Not true. The only classes prePAs dont have to take is physics 2 and orgo 2. Please don't let those two classes define you.
PrePAs in my state have to take more prerequirements than premeds.
As a practicing PA, I am appalled by this article. It makes it seem that just about anybody can become a PA. Yup, just apply, sit around for a couple years and make millions!!
In fact, just getting into a PA program is an exceptional accomplishment only to be met by the realities of the actual program. For 27 to 36 months, you will not have a life.
For the first two years you will be glued to a textbook. You will likely be sitting next to medical students in the same classes taking the same tests. You will see upwards of 10-15% of your classmates (people with bachelor's degrees, magna cum laude honors, high IQ scores) fail out. If you work hard enough you make it to clinical rotations. There you will work 10-12 hour days (not making a dime), and then go home and study for hours trying to learn everything you got wrong during the day.
If you accomplish the above, you then will become a Physician Assistant and deserve every last penny of your "healthy salary". And you will likely need it, as there is no way you can work for those 3 years, and you will have school loans in the 6 figures.
Would I do it all over again? Absolutely, the ends justify the means. But looking back, I have no idea how I survived on so little sleep for so long.
hi, im trying to get some information about physican assiant schools please help me understand if you have started or is a physican assistant. I just got my B.S. in Science, and i realize there are three main jobs i can get into. 1. med school 2. prfessor 3. researcher. i would love to go into med school, but my gpa definetly is not all that great! i Dont want to be a prefossor nor a reseacher. I always wanted to become a surgeon, but i know what i can and cannot do because to me, i am an average student when it comes to tests, school ect....i know my stregnths and my weaknesses and i know i cannot pull my grades up no matter how hard i try. (so please, dont give me anymore talk about "if you try harder, you can do it")...ive gotten enough of that, and i am still here with a low gpa. If you are wondering, my GPA is just a little lower than 3.0, and i read a lot that most P.A. schools or programs need a min of 3.0 GPA =( but i really want to become something into the medical field dealing with surgery while making at least 50000+.... i am a hands on person, and when i know how to do somthing, i know i can perfect it! i have no expericence work dealing with any hospitals, ive only shadowed 3 times. Its really hard to get a hold of a doctor/ physician that would like a person to shadow them here in mississippi. I heard you basically have to know someone that knows someone to get help with shadowing a doctor/physican. Ive tried hard to call in or go to the human resource offices but they will either say they dont do it there, or even worse, they dont even know what im talking about! Please help me anyone. I can tell you this, i am a hard worker, and if it didnt come down to my grades, i know id be a great PA. please email me back at nguyen601@bellsouth.net if you guys have any information or suggestions for me. Thank you
The job of a PA is not that simple. I have been a PA in orthopedics for 10 years. I have my own clinic, take calls, do first assist in the operating room.
I do patient evaluation, admit, discharge, fix broken bones, dislocated joints, repair complicated lacerations. Many primary care and internal medicine doctors have limited knowledge in orthopedics so we, the PA's, do all the work.I am talking major responsibilities. GEtting into the program was not easy either. 89 were accepted out of 1500 applicants, a third of whom were applying for the second/third time.
those who got into the programs at the very least had a Bachelor's degree with straight A's, or were doctors from other countries. For all of us, the program was the longest 2 years of our lives. Everything was put on hold. It was hell. BUT, yes, there is light at the end of the tunnel. And although we have so much responsibilities, the program did prepare us well.