What This Job Pays: physician assistant

July 2, 2007

What This Job Pays: physician assistant

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Pay: The average annual salary of a physician assistant in the Seattle area is $82,694, with most making from $74,073 to $90,520 a year, according to PayScale, a Seattle company that tracks compensation and benefits.

Demand: Employment of physician assistants is expected to grow much faster than average for all occupations. This is true due to anticipated expansion of the health-care industry and an emphasis on cost containment. Physician assistants can relieve physicians of routine duties and procedures. Job opportunities for physician assistants should be good, particularly in rural and inner-city clinics, because those settings have difficulty attracting physicians.

Need to know: Physician assistants practice medicine under the supervision of physicians and surgeons. They should not be confused with medical assistants, who perform routine clinical and clerical tasks. Physician assistants are formally trained to provide diagnostic, therapeutic and preventive health-care services, as delegated by a physician. All states require physician assistants to complete an accredited, formal education program and pass a national exam to obtain a license. Programs usually last at least two years and are full time.

PayScale, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

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