If you dream of being a physician assistant and working in health care, there’s good news. The supply of physician assistants is not meeting the demand for this occupation, especially for those just entering the job market. This statistic about the average starting salary for a physician assistant may be just enough to help you decide to make that career change!
The job market for physician assistant is competitive and lucrative. The average PA salary is $68,990. Since many individuals who have a degree in other specialties may choose to go into this field, it pays better than most physician assistant salary due to the competition of work.
Average starting salary for physician assistant
The average starting salary for physician’s assistants, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, is $60,000 per year. This can place early career PAs in the top 20% of earners in the country. Dental hygienists, on the other hand, earn about $52,000 per year on average; according to salary.com their average wage comes out to $30.74 an hour (and that’s before any overtime). There are other variables to consider as well, such as geographic location, education level and years of experience, salary raises and bonuses and specialty but these healthcare support jobs can provide a good launching point for a solid career.
A physician assistant can expect a median salary of $95,000, which is an increase of over $10,000 since the year 2000. This high pay could be due to the fact that physician assistants are in such demand and short supply as well as because of their potential to earn even more with more experience. Finally it’s worth noting that this is for all physician’s assistants, not just those who have four-year degrees.
Job prospects are favorable for those with a bachelor’s degree in this field; physician assistants can expect to make an average of $98,740 in their first year and about $91,480 in later years. The differential between male and female salaries is not significant. If you have a background in nursing, you’ll have a leg up on the competition. Holding one or more master’s degrees will also increase employment opportunities.
As the healthcare industry continues to grow and become more competitive, it’s vitally important for those interested in becoming physician assistants (PA) to do their research and fully understand what their career prospects have to offer. If a PA career strikes your fancy, check out each of the featured PAs from above and discover what makes them tick. For those still on the fence about whether you’re suited for a PA job, don’t worry—I’ve got a little checklist for you below that will help you figure out if becoming a doctor assistant is something that you really want to do (hint: it’s not a trick question!).
As you can see, the career outlook for aspiring physicians is promising, with a number of job openings being created each year. However, whether you are able to become a physician will depend greatly on your performance in medical school as well as your performance on the Medical College Admission Test, or MCAT.
