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Physician Aides Job Overview

Physician Aides practice medicine under the supervision of physicians and surgeons. They are formally trained to provide diagnostic, therapeutic and preventive health care services, as delegated by a physician. They also do more complex tasks, such as set simple fractures and run electrocardiograms. They may sew up wounds, provide treatment for common illnesses and prescribe medicine. They are trained to deal with many medical emergencies and are the principal care providers in rural or inner city clinics where a physician is present for only one or two days each week. They also make house calls or visit hospitals and nursing care facilities to check on patients, after which they report back to the physician. The duties of physician assistants are determined by the supervising physician and by state laws.

Physician Aides Schools and Degrees

Education programs for physician aides usually last for at least 2 years at schools of allied health, academic health centers, medical schools, 4-year colleges, community colleges, through the military or in hospitals. Many accredited PA programs have clinical teaching affiliations with medical schools. In 2007, 136 education programs for physician aides have been accredited or provisionally accredited by the American Academy of Physician Assistants. More than 90 of these programs offered the option of a master’s degree, and the rest offered either a bachelor’s degree or an associate’s degree. Most applicants to physician aide educational programs already have a bachelor’s degree.

Job Requirements

Physician aides must have a desire to serve patients and be self-motivated. Aspiring physician aides should investigate the laws and regulations of the state(s) in which they wish to practice. They must have emotional stability and the ability to make decisions in emergencies. Many physician aides work in primary care areas, such as family medicine, general practice or pediatrics. Others work in specialty areas, such as surgery, emergency medicine and geriatrics. Duties vary with the specialty. Physician aides specializing in surgery provide pre-operative and post-operative care and may work as first or second assistants during major surgery.

Nature of Work

Physician aides usually work in a comfortable, well-lit environment, but those in surgery often have to stand for long periods at a time. Those working in clinics usually work a standard 40-hour week, while physician aides in hospitals might have to work on weekends, nights or early mornings. They may work on call as well. Physician aides have to deal with unpleasant, angry or impolite patients. They are responsible for the health and safety of patients and are often confronted with difficult situations.

Physician Aides Jobs and Outlook

According to research, physician aides held about 417,000 jobs in the U.S. in 2006. That nnumber is expected to grow by 35% in the next 10 years. Employment is highest in the following industries:

• Employment Services
• General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
• Offices of Physicians
• Offices of Other Health Practitioners
• Outpatient Care Centers

The mean hourly wage for physician aides in the US is about $13.59, while the mean annual salary is around $28,270.

Job Numbers and Growth

Nationally, there are 66,000 physician aides. The occupation is characterized by a very low joblessness level. The unemployment rate for employees was 3% in 2008.

Area Job Conditions

Looking at physician aides per capita, Fayetteville (North Carolina), Greenville (North Carolina), and Casper (Wyoming) rise to the top of the list. New Orleans (Louisiana), Huntsville (Alabama), and Little Rock (Arkansas) have the fewest per capita.

The highest salaries for workers are in and around Ocala (Florida), Owensboro (Kentucky), and Sacramento (California). The lowest-paying areas are Memphis (Tennessee), St. George (Utah), and Little Rock (Arkansas).

Training and Education

Successful employees find it useful to have a master's degree. According to recent surveys, 67% of physician aides had received a degree. Workers with some schooling beyond high school, but not a college degree, total about 26%. A high school degree was all that was needed for 8% of employees. Recommended schools are shown in the column to the right; request information from them to help you decide which if any could help you with this career.

Part-Time Work and Self-Employment

Physician aides working less than full time, whether by design or chance, were 16% of the total. If you have this occupation and work on your own rather than for another company, you are part of the 2% of workers who do so.

Physician Aides by Metropolitan Area (city and its surroundings)

In the table below, a Job Density near 0% means the area has an average number of people in this occupation, for its population. A higher or lower Job Density (e.g., +22% or -45%) tells you there are that many more or fewer workers of that type there than in the average US metro area. So, the higher the number, the more common the occupation.

Alabama

Alaska

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware

District of Columbia

Florida

Georgia

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming