Physician Assistants
Health ScienceO*NET 29-1071.00United States
Provide healthcare services typically performed by a physician, under the supervision of a physician. Conduct complete physicals, provide treatment, and counsel patients.
- Median annual earnings
- $136,360
- Projected change
- +21.8%
- Typical education
- Master's or Professional degree
- Employment
- 169.64K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
94.6% of the workforce
Growing to 206.65K by 2035
Explore this career by location
Compare nationwide estimates with state or county job-market data.
Showing United States
Loading available locations…
Build the skills
ASU learning related to this career
These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
Loading related ASU learning
The work
What physician assistants do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Make tentative diagnoses and decisions about management and treatment of patients.
- Examine patients to obtain information about their physical condition.
- Interpret diagnostic test results for deviations from normal.
- Obtain, compile, and record patient medical data, including health history, progress notes, and results of physical examination.
- Prescribe therapy or medication with physician approval.
- Administer or order diagnostic tests, such as x-ray, electrocardiogram, and laboratory tests.
- Instruct and counsel patients about prescribed therapeutic regimens, normal growth and development, family planning, emotional problems of daily living, and health maintenance.
- Perform therapeutic procedures, such as injections, immunizations, suturing and wound care, and infection management.
- Visit and observe patients on hospital rounds or house calls, updating charts, ordering therapy, and reporting back to physician.
- Provide physicians with assistance during surgery or complicated medical procedures.
- Supervise and coordinate activities of technicians and technical assistants.
- Order medical and laboratory supplies and equipment.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $98,689
- 25th percentile
- $120,275
- 50th percentile
- $136,360
- 75th percentile
- $165,639
- 90th percentile
- $192,855
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $136,360 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+21.8%much faster than average
2025169,639 jobs
2035 projected206,648 jobs
37,009 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Master's or Professional degree
- 94.6%
- Bachelor's degree
- 5.4%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Science
- Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Physician Assistants8,684 postings
- 02Advanced Practice Providers2,893 postings
- 03Orthopedic Physician Assistants2,271 postings
- 04Nurse Practitioners/Physician Assistants2,232 postings
- 05Emergency Medicine Physician Assistants1,847 postings
- 06Orthopedic Physicians1,445 postings
- 07Urgent Care Physician Assistants1,365 postings
- 08Cardiology Physician Assistants1,109 postings
- 09Hospitalist Physician Assistants1,066 postings
- 10Dermatology Physician Assistants809 postings
- 11Neurosurgery Physician Assistants763 postings
- 12Cardiothoracic Surgery Physician Assistants741 postings
- 13Urology Physician Assistants709 postings
- 14Surgery Physician Assistants645 postings
- 15Gastroenterology Physician Assistants617 postings
- 16Cardiovascular Surgery Physician Assistants559 postings
- 17Emergency Medicine Nurse Practitioners/Physician Assistants555 postings
- 18Urgent Care Nurse Practitioners/Physician Assistants547 postings
- 19Pain Management Physician Assistants524 postings
- 20Surgical Physician Assistants465 postings
Top employers
- 01CompHealth1,761 postings
- 02Practicematch1,631 postings
- 03University of Pittsburgh Medical Center791 postings
- 04Surgical Information Systems636 postings
- 05Vituity559 postings
- 06Jackson Physician Search482 postings
- 07Baylor Scott & White Health470 postings
- 08HCA Healthcare465 postings
- 09Signify Health448 postings
- 10DirectShifts421 postings
- 11Archway Physician Recruitment420 postings
- 12CommonSpirit Health400 postings
- 13Amergis364 postings
- 14DOCS Health330 postings
- 15Team Health314 postings
- 16Concentra306 postings
- 17Northwell Health303 postings
- 18National Staffing Solutions300 postings
- 19Kaiser Permanente297 postings
- 20NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital286 postings
Keep looking