Job opportunities in healthcare will always be present, if not abundant. But the challenge isn’t so much the lack of prospects as the ease of seizing one in this competitive market. No medical practitioner becomes one without jumping over several career progression hurdles—years in med school and thousands of hours of rounds, to name a few.
Even healthcare professionals with shorter education paths like physician assistants don’t have it any easier. Despite being one of the fastest-growing medical job markets in the U.S. (more on this in a second), several factors can affect an aspirant’s chances. Take these into account to help boost your chances of getting hired as one.
Location
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects a 28% yearly growth in physician assistant job openings over the decade. On average, that’s nearly 13,000 openings every year until 2033. In 2023, the industry generated 153,400 physician assistant jobs nationwide.
However, national averages and totals don’t tell the whole story. The need for such jobs varies by state and urban area; solely relying on which employs the most isn’t ideal. It pays to narrow down your options to the urban area for a more accurate picture.
California employed the most of these medical professionals in 2022, yet the highest concentration of such jobs was located elsewhere. Rochester, MN, employed twice as many of them as Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA. This is despite the fact that the latter pays more per hour ($57.76 vs. $63.23, respectively).
The location of practice exerts a major leverage for several reasons. Physician assistants looking to practice in a certain area must pass the state’s board exams on top of passing the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE). If practicing across state lines, they have to pass the board exams of the states where they want to practice.
The same applies to searching for physician assistant internships. Be it within or outside the U.S., these programs are suitable for healthcare providers as they let them gain much-needed real-world experience. If you decide to perform your job training overseas, we can help match you with the right environment based on your unique abilities and goals.
Employing Office
As the term suggests, physician assistants work with physicians and practice a wide range of specialties. According to the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA), the profession was born in the late 1960s out of the need to address a shortage of primary care physicians at the time. Among the first batch were former U.S. Navy medical corpsmen.
This work arrangement persists to this day. BLS data for 2022 revealed that more than half of physician assistants were employed under physician’s offices. The continued evolution of healthcare standards necessitates these offices to expand their range of specialties and services. In other words, physicians today rarely work alone.
However, they can also be seen working outside the traditional setting due to their flexibility. These places not only have the highest concentration outside physician’s offices but also offers a higher hourly salary.
- Outpatient or Urgent Care Centers: They deliver treatment to people without needing to be admitted overnight, let alone for a few days. Qualifications permitting, they can also conduct tests like blood tests and X-ray imaging.
- General Medical and Surgical Hospitals: They’re known to work independently from physicians, performing a variety of roles such as diagnosis, medical tests, and minor surgical procedures (e.g., wound sutures).
- Specialty Hospitals: They can be trained in a wide variety of medical specialties, from family medicine to internal medicine. As a result, they can find employment in specialty hospitals that treat specific conditions or patient groups.
They can also find employment in non-medical settings such as local government offices and employment services. However, these opportunities are rare and usually require prior clinical experience.
You’re likely to face an uphill battle when applying for a job at a physician’s office, though it doesn’t mean it’s out of the question. Considering multiple alternative paths can help make the physician assistant job search much easier.
Competency
Naturally, physician assistants should be competent in diagnosing and treating patients. However, as far as the Competencies for the Physician Assistant Profession (CPAP) goes, here are the required skills:
- Interpersonal and Communication: Whether working independently or alongside a physician, their work still involves sharing information with patients and their peers.
- Professionalism: As per medical ethics, they must prioritize their interests of the people they serve above their own. More importantly, they must assume responsibility for the decisions they make and their implications.
- Patient Care: They should know when to respect a patient’s choice regarding treatment. Above all else, compassion and respect are necessary values in interacting with patients and their families.
- Practice-Based Learning and Improvement: Applying everything learned in classroom education and clinical training not only to deliver proper care but to enhance it. Physician assistants are required to evaluate their practice from time to time.
- Systems-Based Practice: They must understand how to deliver care in the environment they’re working under. As crucial as administering the right kind of treatment may be, it also shouldn’t negatively affect the larger healthcare system.
CPAP is a set of guidelines jointly developed by four prominent professional societies (AAPA included). As such, an employer can reject an applicant on the basis of a lack of any or most of these competencies. Prior clinical experience is a major plus in ticking off these requirements.
Final Thoughts
As answered earlier, getting hired as a physician assistant is no walk in the park. Your chances depend on where you wish to practice, who you want to work for, and what competencies you can offer. Ask our team how you can foster your medical experience so you can prosper in this career path.