According to the Department of Labor the anticipated growth of the health services industry and an emphasis on cost cutting is resulting in an increased utilization of Physicians Assistants (PA) by physicians and healthcare institutions. This means the employment opportunity for PAs is expected to grow 27 percent - much faster than the average of all other careers - through the year 2016. In fact, physicians and institutions are expected to employ more PAs to provide primary care and to assist with medical and surgical procedures because PAs are cost-effective and productive members of the healthcare team.
First Step
Many servicemembers are pursuing a career as a PA both in and out of the military. To start a career as a PA you will need to complete an accredited Physicians Assistant program. In 2002 there were about 133 such education programs for physician assistants. Sixty-eight of these programs offered a master’s degree, and the rest offered either a bachelor’s degree or an associate degree. Most PA graduates have at least a bachelor’s degree.
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Physician Assistant Career Factoids
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Getting Your Education
A typical PA program usually lasts at least 2 years. Most programs are in schools of allied health, academic health centers, medical schools, or 4-year colleges; a few are in community colleges, the military, or hospitals.
A PA education includes classroom instruction in biochemistry, pathology, human anatomy, physiology, microbiology, clinical pharmacology, clinical medicine, geriatric and home healthcare, disease prevention, and medical ethics. As a PA student you will obtain supervised clinical training in several areas, including primary care medicine, inpatient medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, geriatrics, emergency medicine, psychiatry, and pediatrics. In addition you may serve one or more of these “rotations” under the supervision of a physician who is seeking to hire a PA. The rotations often lead to permanent employment.
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As a PA you may also pursue additional education in a specialty such as surgery, neonatology, or emergency medicine. PA postgraduate residency training programs are available in areas such as internal medicine, rural primary care, emergency medicine, surgery, pediatrics, neonatology, and occupational medicine. Candidates must be graduates of an accredited program and be certified by the NCCPA.
Employment Opportunities
Besides the traditional office-based setting, as a PA you will find a growing number of jobs in settings such as hospitals, academic medical centers, public clinics, and prisons.
As the number of hours physician residents are permitted to work is reduced, additional PAs will be needed to augment medical staffing in inpatient teaching hospital settings. Opportunities will be best in States that allow PAs a wider scope of practice.
Income Opportunities
Although the highest 10 percent earn more than $102,000, incomes vary by specialty, practice setting, geographical location, and years of experience. According to the American Academy of Physician Assistants the median income for physician assistants in full-time clinical practice in 2006 was about $74,980; median income for first-year graduates was about $69,517.
Next Step
The future for Physicians Assistants looks very good and if you are interested in this ever growing health care career you are encouraged to take the next step and start looking for a school that offers PA or other Health Care programs. Visit the Military.com School Finder and get started on your Health Care career today.
The employment data provided can be found in the Department of Labor Occupation Outlook Handbook 2008.
