How to Become a Physician Assistant

Physician assistants (PAs) play an important role in healthcare — and the need for them continues to grow. If you’re interested in treating patients but don’t want to commit to medical school, then becoming a physician assistant might be a good choice for you.

PAs practice as state-licensed healthcare professionals, working on teams that include doctors and surgeons. They provide patient care in most healthcare specialties and medical settings.

But there are some steps you’ll need to take to start a career as a PA. For example, you must complete an accredited master’s-level physician assistant program to qualify for state licensure. Keep reading to learn more about how to become a physician assistant.

You’ll need a physician assistant degree to work in this role. But first, you must complete a bachelor’s degree and gain work experience.

Once you earn your physician assistant degree, you can sit for the state licensure exam. Read through the following steps that outline what each requirement entails.

The first step is to get a bachelor’s degree, ideally in a science or healthcare field. Some PA programs may admit students who chose unrelated majors in undergrad. Regardless, you’ll still need to have taken prerequisite courses to qualify for most PA programs.

According to the American Academy of PAs (AAPA), PA programs require you to have completed coursework in subjects such as biology, microbiology, chemistry, and human anatomy and physiology. In a physician assistant program, you’ll build on this knowledge with more advanced scientific training.

Pro Tip: Plan early! Make sure your bachelor’s degree includes the undergrad training necessary for PA school.

Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.

Students often begin PA training with healthcare work experience as a nurse, emergency medical technician, or surgical tech. Many PA programs want candidates with about three years of hands-on patient care experience. But some schools require as few as 100 hours.

Some programs require you to shadow a PA or complete a similar experience to ensure you understand what the job involves. This experience can help you decide whether a physician assistant career is right for you.

About 83% of PAs in the U.S. have a master’s degree as of 2023, according to the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA). Only about 13% have a bachelor’s degree as their highest degree, making a PA master’s degree critical for employment.

You can earn your physician assistant master’s degree in about 2-3 years.

You’ll take classes such as pathophysiology, pharmacology, and clinical laboratory science. You’ll also get hands-on experience, completing about 2,000 clinical hours.

Clinical rotations familiarize you with primary care and specialty areas like emergency medicine, surgery, and obstetrics and gynecology. Schools may offer elective rotations so you can pursue your interest areas.

Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.

PAs must get licensed to practice in the U.S. In addition, states require that candidates graduate from a PA program accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA).

To earn licensure, you must pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE), a multiple-choice exam administered by NCCPA. Once you pass the PANCE, you’ll become a physician assistant-certified (PA-C). The PA-C designation shows you hold advanced clinical and professional knowledge and medical skills.

NCCPA also allows PAs to add a certificate of added qualifications (CAQ) in one of 10 specialties, such as psychiatry and hospital medicine, to their PA certification.

Once you’re licensed, you’re ready to start working as a physician assistant. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects about 43,700 new PA jobs between 2022 and 2032.

Joining a professional organization such as AAPA can give you access to professional support and job search assistance. AAPA maintains a job search board, highlighting hundreds of jobs across the country.

About 54% of PAs find employment in doctor offices and 25% in hospitals, according to the BLS. Job opportunities will vary depending on factors such as your location.

You might also consider adding a CAQ specialty to enhance your marketability.

NCCPA certification lasts 10 years. PAs maintain certification by completing 100 hours of continuing medical education credits every two years.

PAs must take the PANCE by the end of the 10th year, though you can choose to take the exam a year earlier. States may have extra requirements for PA licensure and recertification, so be sure to check with your state licensing board.

PAs work one on one with patients to review their medical histories, order diagnostic tests, make diagnoses, and prescribe medications. They also stay up to date on the latest research to ensure high-quality patient care.

PAs perform many of the same duties as doctors but do not need as many years of training.

As a PA, you can work in primary care or family medicine. You can even treat patients in a physician assistant specialty area, such as emergency medicine, pediatrics, or obstetrics and gynecology.

If you ever want to change your specialty, you can. According to AAPA, PAs often change specialties to make more money or to improve their work-life balance.

Before you apply for a physician assistant master’s program, make sure you know what accreditation to look for, how much the program costs, and what kind of salary you’ll likely make upon graduation.

The institutional accreditation process requires that schools pass a rigorous evaluation proving their commitment to meeting quality standards.

Physician assistant education requires program-specific accreditation that ensures individual programs meet certain standards. Only graduates of ARC-PA-accredited programs can sit for the PANCE and earn for state licensure.

The cost of college depends on a variety of factors, like state residency status. In-state tuition is usually cheaper than out-of-state tuition. In addition, private schools tend to cost more than public colleges.

Most schools offer PA programs on campus, but you should explore online programs that may cost less.

You should also consider other hidden college costs, such as transportation, books, and daily living expenses.

In general, physician assistants tend to earn a high salary. The BLS reports that PAs make a median annual salary of $130,020 as of May 2023.

Keep in mind that where you live can greatly affect your earning potential. For example, BLS data from May 2023 reports that Nevada pays PAs the most, with an average salary of $154,800, followed by California ($153,960) and Washington ($152,800).