Physician Assistant Salary Guide

A physician assistant is a licensed medical professional who holds an advanced degree. PAs work directly with patients of all ages and work in different specialties with teams of physicians, surgeons and other healthcare workers.

Some typical PA duties include:

  • Taking or reviewing a patient’s medical history

  • Examining patients

  • Ordering and interpreting diagnostic tests

  • Diagnosing a patient’s injury or illness

  • Giving treatment

  • Counseling or educating patients and their families

  • Prescribing medicines 

  • Assessing and recording a patient’s progress

The scope of a PA’s duties that must be supervised by a physician or surgeon varies by state, so check with your state licensing board for local rules.

How to Become a Physician Assistant

The process of becoming a PA is lengthy but rewarding, especially after you obtain your white coat, become certified and start working in your chosen field. Becoming a physician assistant includes:

1. Obtain a bachelor’s degree and complete the required PA program prerequisites.
Generally, it takes about four years to complete their bachelor’s and the prerequisites. Some PA students take an extra year to ensure they’ve met all their PA school’s requirements. 

2. Get healthcare experience.
All PA students must have healthcare experience. Do this by acquiring healthcare experience (HCE) or patient care experience (PCE). HCE is work/experience when you’re not directly responsible for a patient’s care and PCE is when you’re directly involved in a patient’s care.

Each PA program is different, so it’s best to check your school’s website for the required HCE or PCE hours. You may also want to check the Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants or look into the Applicant’s Manual of Physician Assistant Programs.

3. Apply to PA school.
Once you’ve obtained your bachelor’s degree and the required HCE/PCE hours, it’s time to apply to enter a PA school. Applications usually require:

  • Undergraduate/postgraduate transcripts

  • Letters of recommendation

  • List of HCE/PCE

  • Personal statement

4. Prepare to be interviewed.
After you submit your application, you must wait for the mail, email and/or call from your PA program of choice. While waiting, it’s best to start preparing for interviews. Look into forums or even call the PA program to ask about their interview style. It’s better to be overprepared than underprepared.

5. Complete a PA Master’s Program
Most physician assistants complete a master’s program that lasts about two years.

In the first year, PA students complete a didactic or instructional core curriculum that covers topics like fundamentals of clinical practice, pharmacology, health policy and diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. There may also be hands-on lab work that prepares students for clinical work.

In year two, students must complete several clinical rotations. These rotations help future PAs
gain hours of clinical experience in different healthcare settings and specialties.

6. Complete supervised clinical practice.
Before graduation, PA students must complete at least 2,000 hours of supervised clinical practice in various medical and surgical settings.

7. Pass the PANCE
After graduating from an accredited PA program, you must prepare to pass the PANCE. You have five hours to complete 300 exam questions. You also receive 15 minutes to train on the software and a 45-minute break.

Once you pass the PANCE, you’re a certified PA. The next steps are finding a job, applying what you learned in the PA program and choosing a specialty if you desire. Keep in mind that certain specialties pay better than others, but you shouldn’t choose a specialty strictly on salary.

Average Physician Assistant Salary

$89.26/hour

The average salary for a Physician Assistant is $89.26 per hour.

Last updated on November 2, 2024. Based on active jobs on Vivian.com.

Where do Physician Assistants get paid the most?
StateAverage Hourly SalaryMax Hourly Salary
California$95$105
Georgia$58$58
What are the highest paying Employers and Agencies for Physician Assistant jobs?
Average Hourly SalaryMax Hourly Salary
CT Assist$105$105
Kaiser Permanente$88$112
Insight Global$80$80
Montefiore Medical Center$74$83

Last updated on November 2, 2024. Information based on active jobs on Vivian.com and pay data from BLS and around the web.

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How Much Does a Physician Assistant Make?

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that employment for physician assistants will grow by 31% between 2020 and 2030. Vivian lists the average PA salary as $54 an hour or $108,000 a year.

Where Do Staff Physician Assistants Get Paid the Most?

According to Vivian, two top states for staff physician assistants are Florida and Oklahoma. The average hourly pay for PAs in Florida is $54, but it can go as high as $60 an hour. In Oklahoma, PAs are paid $52 an hour on average, with wages topping out at $66 an hour.

What States Employ the Most Physician Assistants?

Based on a May 2021 report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, California employs the most physician assistants. The mean hourly wage for PAs in California was $65.83 or $136,920 annually in 2021.

What is the Highest Paid Physician Assistant Specialty?

One of the primary attractions of becoming a PA is that you can specialize in many areas. PAs can also change their specialty throughout their careers. Because they complete general medical and surgical education and must recertify regularly, they’re often able to switch specialties without obtaining new certifications.

In a 2021 report of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA), the highest paid PA specialty is Cardiovascular/Cardiothoracic Surgery, a surgical subspecialty. The annual median wage for PAs in this specialty is $147,200. It’s important to note that PAs with this salary average 7 years of clinical experience and work about 50 hours weekly.

What is the Best Specialty for a Physician Assistant?

In February 2022, AAPA reported the burnout rate among PA specialties earning the largest salaries. Of the 10 highest paying specialties, emergency medicine had the highest overall burnout rate at nearly 62%, while other surgical subspecialties had the lowest burnout rate at 32%. Although cardiovascular/cardiothoracic surgery is the highest paying PA specialty, its overall burnout rate lands almost directly between emergency medicine and other surgical specialties at under 48%.

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Physician Assistant FAQs

What professional certifications can potentially increase my salary as a Physician Assistant?

Physician Assistants can specialize in several fields, so numerous certifications may potentially increase your salary or qualify you for roles with greater responsibilities and better wages. The National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants offers numerous professional certificates by specialty, including:

  • Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery (CVTS)

  • Dermatology (Derm)

  • Emergency Medicine (EM)

  • Hospital Medicine (HM)

  • Nephrology (Neph)

  • Orthopaedic Surgery (OS)

  • Pediatrics (Peds)

  • Palliative Medicine and Hospice Care (PMHC)

  • Psychiatry (Psy)

Can earning a degree improve my salary as a Physician Assistant?

Yes, advanced education often opens new career paths that usually lead to higher salaries. Physician assistants may benefit financially from pursuing a Physician Assistant (PA) or a
Physician Assistant-Certified (PA-C).