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. After their initial certification, a Physician Assistant must complete 100 hours of continuing education credits every two years along with the successful completion of a recertification exam every six years to retain their certification to practice.
There are two professional bodies in the industry – the AAPA (American Association of Physician Assistants) that regulates and the NCCPA (National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants) that administers exams and takes care of continuing education.
In a doctor’s office, the role of a Physician Assistant plays an important part. They can work independently inside a doctor’s office however they are supervised by a licensed doctor. They are required to provide response within one hour of their doctor’s call.
They help in diagnosis and analyzing lab reports including x-rays. Some of their other duties include helping their doctor by listening to patients, recording patients’ history, deciding treatment options, writing prescriptions for medication or therapy, perform patient examinations, and assist in surgical procedures. Excellent communications skills are one of the most important abilities that a Physician Assistant must have because they will be interacting with patients most of the time.
Spending most of their time on their feet, Physician Assistants do a vast majority of attending to and interacting with the patients. Surgical team assistants are among the busiest of all assistants. 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. The Physician Assistant must handle all physical and mental stress with a cool and calm that does not show on his face because that may panic the patient.
Different American states prescribe the tasks that a Physician assistant can perform. In order to know the exact job responsibilities for that state, you will want to refer to that state’s employment website.
The growth in availability of Physician Assistant jobs is expected to be more rapid than in other industries. The demand is much greater in hospitals, clinics, prisons and other facilities both in rural and urban areas for Physician Assistants. The growth in demand for physician assistant jobs is expected to rise by 39% from 2008 to 2018 according to a government report published in 2008. 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. States too are now allowing physician assistants to perform more medical procedures and all these factors are leading to a higher demand for professionals.
There are a few factors which determine a Physician Assistant’s salary which are as follows:
Specialization: Physician Assistants trained to handle complicated medical conditions like HIV or AIDS or cancer gets paid more than other assistants who can handle regular medical conditions. Physical Assistants that have specialized in a certain condition or field often have a salary that exceeds the maximum figure (given below) and are in high demand.
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. Urban areas often have a higher cost of living compared to their rural counterparts which can attribute to the higher salary.
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Experience counts as well. A Physician Assistant that is highly experienced will be able to command a higher salary.
A typical Physician Assistant is paid between $75,000 and $106,000 according to salary.com However, a more realistic expectation for salary would be between $65,000 and $90,000 with just 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.
Fees for state licensing fees, registration fees, credential fees and professional liability insurance should be expected to be paid by the Physician Assistant’s employer.
Physician Assistants can choose to specialize in handling critical medical conditions like HIV/AIDS, neonatology, cancer, etc. As mentioned above, professionals who specialize in such critical medical conditions are paid a much higher salary. Specializations like surgery, cancer, HIV, neonatology, pediatrics, emergency medicine, and more are offered by many schools.
Postgraduate residency training programs can be taken by a Physician Assistant 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. On top of that, the career can be rewarding and self-satisfying because they still can help people heal and recover from major and minor medical conditions.
No two days are the same in the life of a PA because each day poses new challenges and learning opportunities. However, it is impossible for a Physician Assistant to become an entrepreneur because they are still required to be supervised by a licensed doctor.
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