Physician Assistant Salary, Career and Training

Physician Assistant Salary in CA

California is one of the most populous states and is also the third largest in area. Its capital city is Sacramento. It also has eight of the most populated cities of the country. Los Angeles is the second largest city in the country. Most of the cities fall into any one of the five metropolitan areas including Greater Los Angeles, San Francisco bay Area and Greater Sacramento Area.

Physician assistants have the highest employment levels in the state at 9,480 jobs and at an hourly mean wage of $45.03 and annual mean wage of $93,660. They are supervised by the physicians and are expected to provide a number of healthcare services such as performing diagnosis, therapy, run the tests, record medical histories, and in some cases even treat the patients. A physician assistant also plays a managerial role in keeping track of the inventory on the supplies and equipment. He gets to supervise medical technicians.

There were around 74,800 jobs in 2008 and there is an expected growth of 39% increasing the jobs to 103,900 by 2018. The median annual wage was $81,230 in 2008. There are 81,420 jobs as of 2010 and the hourly median wage is $41.54 and annual wage is $86,410. According to the National estimates, the 10^th percentile earns an hourly wage of $27.62 and annual wage of $57,450; the 25^th percentile earns a wage of $35.12 and annual wage of $73,040; the 75^th percentile earns a wage of $48.89 and annual wage of $101,690; and the 90^th percentile earns an hourly wage of $56.60 and annual wage of $117,720.

Physician assistants are employed in offices of physicians and take home an hourly mean wage of $41.90 and annual mean wage of $87,150. In general medical hospitals, there are 18,710 jobs and the hourly mean wage is $42.94 and annual mean wage is $89,310. It is in the outpatient care centers that they are paid the highest at an hourly mean wage of $43.22 and annual mean wage of $89,900.

The metropolitan area of Los Angeles – Long Beach – Glendale has 2,530 jobs and it pays an hourly mean wage of $44.01 and annual mean wage of $91,540. The other metropolitan area of Oakland-Fremont-Hayward has 1,450 jobs and pays an hourly mean wage of $49.67 and annual wage of $103,310.

Physician assistants find employment at specialty hospitals and offices of other health practitioners too. They earn an hourly mean wage of $44.53 and annual mean wage of $92,620 and hourly mean wage of $36.61 and annual mean wage of $76,140, respectively. They are expected to be graduates of an accredited program apart from prior work experience in the healthcare field such as nursing or emergency care. Many of these programs include clinical training in specific fields of medicine.  Every state requires them to be Physician Assistant Certified. They are also expected to complete hundred hours of medical education in a period of two years. This, along with a re-certification exam every six years keeps them on their toes and also ensures that their skills do not get outdated.

Physician Assistant Job Profile

A physician assistant is one step below a physician in the hierarchy of medical service professionals.  This means that they are allowed to do most of the routine tasks and diagnoses that are thought to be the sole responsibility of a physician, as long as those procedures are completed under the supervision of a physician.  This supervision can be direct and in the same office or, as is the case in many clinics and rural areas, the supervising physician may only be physically present for one or two days per week to ensure that the facility is operating properly.  With this said, for normal and routine medical situations, the physician assistant is oftentimes allowed to diagnose, prescribe and treat that condition without direct consultation with a medical doctor or physician.

This puts a great deal of responsibility onto the physician assistant.  They are not only responsible for primary and ongoing patient care, but they are also responsible for the overall operation of the medical office in which they work.  This includes making certain that all medical supplies are up to date, handled, and stored properly.  It also includes making certain that all staff are properly following all medical procedures in the handling of patients, the sterilization of equipment, the sterilization of the office, and properly handling general patient care.

In addition to this office management the physician assistant is primarily called upon to perform medical diagnoses and treatments with their patients.  This includes interviewing and talking with the patient to identify symptoms and causes, as well as examining that patient both physically and with the use of x-rays, other medical equipment, and ordering laboratory tests.  The physician assistant is then able to interpret the results from the equipment or laboratories to prescribe treatment and care for the patient.  This is important to note as the physician assistant is allowed to do all of this for the more routine of medical situations.  For more complex or critical care situations, the physician assistant is required to pass the care to the supervising physician.  The line between what the physician assistant can care for and where they must pass the case to the physician is different in each state and is determined by state law.

In addition to the diagnoses and prescription of treatment for patients the physician assistant is also oftentimes called in to counsel patients on a variety of issues.  This includes the proper handling of the effects of illness and disease as well as learning how to live a healthy lifestyle.  This discussion can include counseling on sexual health as well as nutritional health and exercise.  It can also revolve around family planning as well as advice on how to handle various aspects of life such as depression or mental illness.  The physician assistant is in a position where patients look to them for help and therefore all physician assistants must understand that an important part of their job is in the counseling of their patients.  It is not just about medical treatment and care, it is about total patient care, including providing life skills.

A Physician’s Assistant, or a physician extender, works under the supervision of a more highly qualified practitioner. In certain circumstances, however, especially in urban areas particularly undeserved by healthcare, PA’s may only report to their supervisors as infrequently as once or twice in a week.

PA’s perform a variety of tasks in order to free up the physician to perform procedures demanding a higher level of specialized training and clearance. In this article, I offer a sketch of the certifications required to work as a PA in America, where they work, and what responsibilities they typically bear.

Duke University’s is generally accredited as the first to train PA’s during the 1960′s. They began by training military corpsmen for a second career after they concluded their tours of duty.

The NCCPA (National Commission on Certification of Physical Assistants) currently administers a qualifying exam for licensing as a PA in most states. To maintain their license, students must complete 100 hours of continuing medical education every two years. Additionally, they must undergo a re-certification exam every six years.

The hours a PA works depend directly on the hours of the physicians to whom they subordinate. You can find PA’s in hospitals where they remain on call and work variable shifts. They may also work in clinical settings with more standard, 40-hour weeks. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 24% of PA’s worked in either surgical or general hospitals as of 2008. Over 15% of them practiced at more than location. PA’s may also work in correctional facilities among a variety of other settings that require on-site health care services.

The responsibilities PA’s carry out vary almost as widely as the individuals who occupy the positions.

Some of them perform more clerically oriented tasks. For example, a PA may interview patients and record their case histories. Others will make house calls on behalf of the physician in order to monitor a home bound patient. Another large part of the PA’s responsibility sometimes includes informing and educating patients on issues pertaining to preventative health care. PA’s will receive training required to interpret and record information provided by X-ray results. In 48 states, licensed PA’s may prescribe medications as well. PA’s will sometimes also participate in more invasive surgical procedures: stitching minor cuts, putting broken limbs in casts, etc.

Clinics and hospitals can pay PA’s less than physicians. For this reason, they appeal increasingly as an alternative to hiring physicians when possible as restraints continue to tighten in the health care sector. PA’s make health care practices more efficient. They do so both practically and financially by performing more routine services of a health care practice’s workload. The shouldering of this work frees up more time for physicians to perform the more intricate work requiring their specialized training.

In 2005, the United States Department of Labor projected a 57% growth in demand for PA’s from 2000 to 2010. The demand for this type of employee will continue to increase in medically under-staffed urban and rural areas. It will also increase in correctional facilities as the total incarcerated population continues to climb.

Works Cited

• Robertson, Kenneth R. “Physician Extenders.” Encyclopedia of Health Care Management. 2003. SAGE Publications. Accessed 1 Sep. 2011. <http://www.sage-ereference.com.libproxy.temple.edu/view/healthcaremanagement/n609.xml>.

• Scott Chavez, R. “Physician Assistants.” Encyclopedia of Prisons & Correctional Facilities. 2004. SAGE Publications. Accessed 1 Sep. 2011. <http://www.sage-ereference.com.libproxy.temple.edu/view/prisons/n262.xml>.

• Smith, Cary Stacy Hung, Li-Ching. “Physician Assistants.” Encyclopedia of Health Services Research. 2009. SAGE Publications. Accessed 1 Sep 2011. <http://www.sage-ereference.com.libproxy.temple.edu/view/healthservices/n319.xml>.