What a physician assistant really does
You examine, diagnose and treat patients as part of a physician led team, moving fast while making calls that really matter.
FieldHealth
Preparation (O*NET Job Zone)Extensive preparation needed
What the work involves
What fills a typical week for physician assistants, built from O*NET occupation data.
- See patients one after another, taking histories and examining them
- Order x-rays, EKGs and labs, then read the results and decide what they mean
- Make a working diagnosis and treatment plan and prescribe within your agreement with the supervising physician
- Do procedures such as suturing, splinting, injections and wound care
- Explain diagnoses, medications and warning signs to patients before they leave
- Write a note for every patient and discuss complex cases with the physician
What the days are like
What people in the job know
- Time pressure is daily and the work week often runs long. Time Pressure: 59% every day; Duration of Typical Work Week: 68% more than 40 hours (O*NET Work Context)
- Precision is non negotiable and errors can be very serious. Importance of Being Exact or Accurate: 81% extremely important; Consequence of Error: 70% extremely serious (O*NET Work Context)
- You make decisions about patients all day long, with real freedom inside your team. Frequency of Decision Making: 81% every day; Freedom to Make Decisions: 73% a lot (O*NET Work Context)
- Unhappy or rude patients are a weekly part of the job. Dealing With Unpleasant, Angry, or Discourteous People: 28% every day, 42% once a week or more (O*NET Work Context)
- You are in close physical contact with sick people every day. Exposed to Disease or Infections: 89% every day; Physical Proximity: 72% very close (O*NET Work Context)
How people get into it
Job Zone 5: extensive preparation. 81% of O*NET respondents say a master's degree is required and 14% a professional degree. Typical path: a bachelor's degree with science prerequisites and hands on patient care hours, an accredited PA master's program of about two to three years with clinical rotations, the national PANCE certification exam, and a state license.
The Firstday trial, easy to hard
Three simulated tasks with AI coworkers who message you, react to your work and coach with questions. Nobody scores you.
What the trial can't show: This trial cannot show the physical exam (palpating, listening, testing range of motion), procedures like suturing, splinting, injections and assisting in surgery, or the standing and moving of a clinical shift. Exam findings and images are described in text. You act as a PA student on an emergency medicine rotation with a supervising physician who approves all orders and prescriptions. It also cannot show the years of training and rotations needed first.
Reading about it is one thing.
Find out how the work feels to you before you spend on a degree, course or job change. Your first trial is free.
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Job details on this page are built from O*NET OnLine, 29-1071.00. This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.