PA Resource Center
Physician assistants/associates, or PAs, provide a valuable bridge to healthcare for patients, with qualifications lying between that of a nurse and a physician. They perform many, but not all the functions of a physician: PAs can diagnose issues, treat patients and prescribe medications. They have fewer years of training, however, and though they can assist in performing surgical procedures, they cannot perform them themselves.
PAs enable medical practices to treat a greater number of patients, handling some of the more routine patient issues while enabling physicians to see the more complex, serious and specialized cases. Their expertise allows appointments to continue when doctors are out of the office for any reason.
PAs perform their duties under the supervision of physicians in a variety of healthcare settings and specialties.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), physician assistant/associate jobs are expected to grow by 28% through 2033 — much faster than average. PAs are generally compensated well, with recent BLS estimates showing median annual pay at $130,020.
