Chances are, if you’ve been to a doctor’s office in the last few years, you’ve either spoken to or actually even been treated by a Physician Assistant. You can tell because they have PA after their names (and probably a few other initialisms, too). One of the first things you learn about PAs isn’t so much what they are but what they aren’t.
A Physician Assistant is Not a Nurse or a Doctor
In a field as diverse as medicine, it’s natural that many of these professions overlap in how they’re trained, what they do on the job, and the kinds of educations they receive. A person can become a registered nurse (RN), and get a job as a nurse, with a two-year associate’s degree. That same nurse can advance their career through more education that roughly aligns along the same level as a PA, though the degrees they earn, and the letters after their name, are different.
A physician must earn a doctorate-level degree, such as an MD, and complete a residency in order to practice medicine. A doctor is also often the chief or head of a given department. One of the reasons why a PA is a “physician assistant” is because they practice medicine under the supervision of a doctor–just like students in a PA program.
What a Physician Assistant Does
A physician assistant (PA) is a state-licensed healthcare professional. PAs are able to perform an extensive range of medical services from entry-level primary care to highly technical specialty procedures in nearly every medical and surgical healthcare setting. In some rural and underserved communities, PAs may serve as the primary providers of healthcare.
What Kind of Education Does a Physician Assistant Get?
Because of the close working relationship that PAs have with physicians, PAs are educated in a medical school model. Primary care remains the foundation of physician assistant education and training, while specialty training is obtained on-the-job or with some post-graduate clinical programs. A PA receives a master’s degree and can practice after passing a national service exam (NCCPA). PAs are licensed by a state medical board. To maintain this certification, a PA must log 100 hours of continuing medical education every two years and sit for a recertification exam every ten years.
Frequently Asked Questions: Physician Assistant
Is a PA as good as a doctor?
Don’t worry — no medical practice is going to have you see any practitioner who is not qualified or appropriate for your needs. If you need to see a physician, a physician will see you. For most routine matters, a PA is just as good as a doctor. Not only that, but most PAs will receive direct guidance from a doctor.
Should a physician’s assistant be addressed as doctor?
Although this can be a touchy subject among some, it’s not technically appropriate to refer to anybody but a person with a doctorate-level education as “doctor.” This means that PAs, NPs, and others are usually referred to by their names without a title. If a person calls a PA “doctor,” either out of habit, or as shorthand, it likely won’t raise any eyebrows (though one should probably expect to hear a gentle reminder that the person they are addressing is not technically a doctor).
How much does a PA make?
The median salary of a PA in 2019 was $112k per year, according to USNews. Starting salaries for PAs usually begin in the $90k range.
Do physician assistants specialize in anything?
Yes, a physician assistant can specialize, and many often do. This requires additional training and education, just like any specialty.
Click here to learn how you can become a physician assistant.