Best Careers 2009: Physician Assistant

Overview. Don't confuse physician assistants with medical assistants, who aren't qualified to do much more than take your blood pressure. Physician assistants do 80 percent of what doctors do: conduct exams, diagnose conditions, prescribe medications, even assist in surgery. While PAs are supervised by physicians, they have considerable autonomy. And while pay isn't doctorlike, it's far from sickly. Plus, training is much shorter than it is for doctors, typically consisting of two to three years, post-bachelor's. No surprise this is one of America's fastest-growing professions, especially in inner-city and rural areas, where it is hard to attract physicians.

A Day in the Life. At 8 a.m., you arrive at your supervising physician's office. The two of you meet to discuss the patients scheduled for appointments that day. At 9, both of you start seeing patients in separate exam rooms. You do routine physical exams required for school or employment. You order and evaluate blood tests, X-rays, and EKGs and write prescriptions within established guidelines. There are few minor emergencies: You suture a patient who cut his knee after falling off a skateboard. Then there's a more serious case: a patient who appears to be suffering heart trouble. You and the doctor agree that the patient should be admitted to the hospital—and you accompany him. While at the hospital, you review the charts of the doctor's post-op patients and write orders, careful to abide by conditions agreed to by the doctor and hospital. Back at the office, the doctor asks you to spend some time with two of his patients: a new mother who wants to know about contraceptive options and an obese man who wants to start a diet and exercise program.

Smart Specialty

Surgical physician assistant.  You assist surgeons during surgery and provide pre- and post-op care. More than 25 percent of PAs choose this specialty, yet there remains large unmet demand.

Salary Data

Median (with eight years in the field): $86,200

25th to 75th percentile (with eight or more years of experience): $76,600-$103,000

(Data provided by PayScale.com.)

Training

Requirements have been ratcheted up. Today, the typical student admitted to the two-to-three-year training program has a premed bachelor's degree, plus a few years of experience as a nurse, paramedic, or emergency medical technician.

The American Academy of Physician Assistants publishes a list of all accredited training programs.

Learn More

• Department of Labor profile: Physician Assistant
• American Academy of Physician Assistants
• American Association of Surgical Physician Assistants
• An Applicant's Guide to Physician Assistant School and Practice by Erin Scherer