PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT

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Abstract

Physician assistants play a vital role in today's healthcare system. They are medical professionals

who are specially trained to create treatment plans, prescribe medicine, diagnose and treat

illnesses, as well as assist patients in other ways.The PA profession is ranked top 5 in STEM and

healthcare careers and is one of the fastest-growing professions in the United States. The need

for physician assistants increased 300% from 2011-2014 and is expected to increase 28% from

2021-2031. There are currently 137,894 people employed in this profession in the US. The

median salary of a physician assistant is between $84,000-$239,000 per year depending on

specialization and demand for the job in the area. The required education to become a physician

assistant consists of obtaining a high school diploma or GED, and completing a bachelor's

degree, and taking basic behavioral science and applied science pre-req courses. Then

applications can be sent to any of the 306 programs offered. When accepted the program is 27

months (3 years) long. Physician assistants are employed at many places including the Mayo

Clinic, and Alina Health. Physician assistants will continue to play an important and crucial role

in the healthcare system due to their training and special skills.

Keywords: physician assistant, medicine, healthcare