Academic and Career Information
Updated July 2026
Nature of the Work, Earnings and Occupational Outlook
Many Physician Assistants (PA) work in primary care areas such as general internal medicine, pediatrics, and family medicine. Others work in specialty areas, such as general and thoracic surgery, emergency medicine, orthopedics, and geriatrics. PAs take medical histories, perform physical exams, order and interpret laboratory tests, diagnose and treat illnesses, counsel patients, assist in surgery, and set fractures. The responsibilities of a PA depend on the practice setting, education, and experience of the PA, and on the state laws and regulations. PAs are required to have leadership skills, and be willing to continue studying throughout their career to keep up with medical advances.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Physician Assistants held approximately 167,400 jobs in 2024. Employment is projected to grow 28% from 2023 to 2033, much faster than the average for all occupations. Approximately 12,900 job openings for Physician Assistants are projected each year over the decade. The median annual wage for Physician Assistants was $133,260 in May 2024. Salaries vary by specialty, geographic location, years of experience, and practice setting ().
Physician Assistant Education
There are many entry pathways into the physician assistant profession. Options include certificate of completion, as well as associate, baccalaureate, and master's degree, however, most of the programs are at the master鈥檚 level. Admissions to these different programs are highly competitive. There are 332 accredited physician assistant programs in the United States, and they are located at medical schools, medical centers, hospitals, two- and four-year colleges and universities, and in the uniformed forces (). The vast majority award Masters degrees, and most applicants to PA programs have a bachelor鈥檚 degree and 3-years of healthcare experience at the time of entry.
PAs are educated as generalists in medicine; all programs emphasize primary care. PA programs are typically students 27 months to 36 months long with a combination of classroom and clinical instruction (). PA education includes classroom instruction in anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, physical diagnosis, pathophysiology, microbiology, clinical laboratory science, behavioral science, and medical ethics. Students complete more than 2,000 hours of clinical rotations in several areas including: primary care in ambulatory clinics, medical practices, and acute or long-term care facilities. Rotations could include family medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, general surgery, emergency medicine, or psychiatry. Upon completing an accredited PA program, students become eligible to take the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE). Successful completion of the PANCE and maintaining certification allows them to use the title Physician Assistant-Certified (PA-C). Maintaining national certification requires completing 100 hours of continuing medical education (CME) credits every two years and passing the Physician Assistant National Recertifying Exam (PANRE) every 10 years.
Physician Assistant Preparation
Prerequisite admission requirements and selection criteria vary according to the individual institution's philosophy, thus refer to the individual program website for detailed information. For a list of programs accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) visit the website, and click on the Accredited Programs tab.
Major
Although programs vary, most require applicants to have taken undergraduate coursework with a focus in science for PA preparation. Students should select a major they find interesting and develop a broad, interdisciplinary foundation of knowledge and skills from which they can build upon. Most PA programs require that applicants have a bachelor鈥檚 degree and some health care experience prior to admission.
Clinical Experience Requirements
Many schools require a certain amount of hours of direct patient care (check with the school that you are considering). Some examples of preferred clinical experiences are: Military Medic or Corpsman, Back Office Medical Assistant (MA), Certified Nurses鈥 Aide (CAN), Emergency Medical Technician (EMT--patient care hours only), Paramedic, Physical Therapy Aide or Physical Therapist, Radiological Technician, Nurse (Licensed Vocational Nurse or Registered Nurse), Respiratory Therapist, Occupational Therapist Aide or Occupational Therapist, Athletic Trainer (others that are considered depending on the patient interaction i.e. phlebotomy, scribe).
Examples of clinical experiences not preferred: Administrative duties, Massage Therapy, Personal Trainer, Home Care Aide, Home Health Aide, Pharmacy Technician, Certified Nurses鈥 Aide, shadowing a physician or PA, research with no patient contact, hours received during training programs (i.e. medical school, internship, etc.).
Application
CASPA is the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants--a centralized Web-based application service provided by the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA). CASPA allows you to apply to any number of participating schools by completing a single application. California schools not participating in CASPA include Stanford University. For more information regarding CASPA refer to their .
This is NOT a comprehensive list of prerequisites for all programs. Students maintain responsibility for verifying course selection with individual programs.