Healthcare Practitioners and Technical · Holland code SIC
Physician Assistants
Provide healthcare services typically performed by a physician, under the supervision of a physician. Conduct complete physicals, provide treatment, and counsel patients. May, in some cases, prescribe medication. Must graduate from an accredited educational program for physician assistants.
Also called: Certified Physician Assistant (PA-C), Family Practice Physician Assistant, Physician Assistant (PA), Physician's Assistant, Cardiology Physician Assistant, Emergency Medicine Physician Assistant (Emergency Medicine PA), Orthopaedic Physician Assistant, Orthopedic Physician Assistant.
O*NET 29-1071.00
At a glance
- US median annual pay
- $135,880
- Middle half earn $120,670 to $163,980. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- Most common education
- Master's Degree
- 81% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
- Preparation needed
- Job Zone 5 of 5
- Extensive preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
- US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034
- +20% · Much faster than average
- 162,700 jobs in 2024, projected 195,800. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Physician assistants".
What the work involves
The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.
- Make tentative diagnoses and decisions about management and treatment of patients.
- Interpret diagnostic test results for deviations from normal.
- Prescribe therapy or medication with physician approval.
- Obtain, compile, and record patient medical data, including health history, progress notes, and results of physical examination.
- Examine patients to obtain information about their physical condition.
- Administer or order diagnostic tests, such as x-ray, electrocardiogram, and laboratory tests.
- Instruct and counsel patients about prescribed therapeutic regimens, normal growth and development, family planning, emotional problems of daily living, and health maintenance.
- Perform therapeutic procedures, such as injections, immunizations, suturing and wound care, and infection management.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Reading Comprehension4.1 / 5
- Critical Thinking4.1 / 5
- Active Listening4.0 / 5
- Writing4.0 / 5
- Speaking4.0 / 5
- Active Learning3.9 / 5
Knowledge areas
- Medicine and Dentistry5.0 / 5
- Biology4.8 / 5
- English Language4.6 / 5
- Psychology4.6 / 5
- Therapy and Counseling4.5 / 5
- Customer and Personal Service4.2 / 5
Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.
Who tends to enjoy it
How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.
- Realistic50
- Investigative66
- Artistic3
- Social82
- Enterprising16
- Conventional58
The same work abroad
Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.
European occupation titles (ESCO)
- homeopath · DE Homöopath/Homöopathin · FR homéopathe
- optometrist · DE Optometrist/Optometristin · FR optométriste
- podiatry assistant · DE Podologieassistent/Podologieassistentin · FR assistant podologue/assistante podologue
- maternity support worker · DE Assistent in der Geburtshilfe/Assistentin in der Geburtshilfe · FR assistant en maternité/assistante en maternité
- doctors' surgery assistant · DE Medizinischer Fachangestellter/Medizinische Fachangestellte · FR assistant en cabinet médical/assistante en cabinet médical
- chiropractic assistant · DE chiropraktischer Assistent/chiropraktische Assistentin · FR assistant chiropracteur/assistante chiropracteur
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Optometrists (2252)18,900 employed
- Occupational therapists (2222)56,000 employed
- Podiatrists (2256)16,200 employed
Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.
Pay across Europe, for the whole group
Median annual earnings of all employees in “Technicians and associate professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.
| Country | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Belgium | €50,992 |
| Austria | €46,986 |
| Germany | €44,473 |
| Netherlands | €42,448 |
| Ireland | €41,613 |
| Sweden | €41,155 |
| Italy | €34,882 |
| France | €34,816 |
| Spain | €29,757 |
| Portugal | €18,080 |
| Poland | €12,108 |
Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.
Exposure to AI
This occupation sits in the middle third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +0.11. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.
Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.
Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (29-1071).
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